Paul de Jong has gumption of cellist Tom Cora, while Harrison Bankhead boasts the savvy of Charles Mingus. It’s all spontaneously on display on ‘Freedom.’

The fourth Frequency Response release from Tom Abbs could well be his last for a long time; the man’s got things to do. If that’s the case, it’s all the more reason to savor ‘Hawthorne.’

It’s that opaque fickleness juiced by prowess on their instruments that makes Spencer Friedman and Paul de Jong’s ‘Functions’ both so different and yet so compelling.

Help jazz percussion great Warren Smith get some memorable material from a recent residency at NYC’s The Stone club released and keep his legacy intact.

One of the most self-effacing musicians of Chicago’s AACM scene paradoxically creates some of its boldest music, and bassist Harrison Bankhead’s second album confirms that Morning Sun Harvest Moon was no one-off fluke. You May Also Like: Harrison Bankhead and Paul de Jong – ‘Freedom’ (2020) Casey Golden Trio –Read More

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lcGp6XXHVY&w=420&h=315] The Seattle-based trio Triptet calls themselves “a meeting of minds and spontaneous electrical impulses between Michael Monhart (saxophones and percussion), Tom Baker (fretless guitar and effects), and Greg Campbell (percussion, french horn and cheap electronics).” I call them, simply, a trip. You May Also Like: MMBC (Michael Bisio,Read More

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MNXe-AZ4dY&w=420&h=315] If you don’t know anything else about the Montreal-born flautist Sylvain LeRoux and his music, just two things are instructive: he has a passion for Thelonious Monk and a passion for West African music. You May Also Like: Kali Z. Fasteau, featuring Kidd Jordan – Intuit (2016) TylerRead More

Since around the 13th century, the Kouyaté family has upheld a proud tradition as oral historians and folk virtuosic musicians, or griots, serving ancient kings who once ruled over West Africa. You May Also Like: Matt Mitchell – ‘Phalanx Ambassadors’ (2019) Eric Bibb – ‘Global Griot’ (2018) Giorgi Mikadze –Read More

An astonishing thing to witness when viewing Fred Anderson’s live performance on DVD, 21st Century Chase, was the sight of a guy celebrating his 80th birthday splaying notes from his saxophone with abandon, power and purpose. And then, when he finished his solo, witnessing a dude only six years hisRead More

There’s something odd I noticed about this record from the opening moments: there’s a piano on it. Why is that so bizarre you ask? You May Also Like: Chad Taylor Trio – ‘The Daily Biological’ (2020) Tom Tallitsch – ‘Message’ (2021)