Illegal Crowns’ new album ‘Unclosing’ is maximal jazz from a band full of advanced composers and prodigious improvisers.

Musicians capable of anything deserve to play in a setting where anything goes. Thankfully, Tomas Fujiwara is allowing us to hear that with ‘March On.’

You’ve probably never heard of trumpeter Forbes Graham, though you might have heard him if you’re familiar with the (insert genre here, since I have no idea what to call them) band Kayo Dot. You May Also Like: ‘Burning Questions’ Found Graham Parker Still Angry, If No Longer Young

People like to make that joke about jazz not being dead — no, it just smells funny; har, har … oh, so clever — or they cling to the belief that nothing new has happened You May Also Like: Bill Frisell’s Timeless ‘Live’ Opened Up a New Musical World forRead More

Given the stature within improvised music circles of Taylor Ho Bynum (trumpet), John Hébert (bass) and Gerald Cleaver (drums), any new release by these guys should be greeted with great interest You May Also Like: Illegal Crowns [Tomas Fujiwara, Mary Halvorson, Taylor Ho Bynum + Benoît Delbecq] – ‘Unclosing’ (2023)Read More

Anyone who has heard Mary Halvorson perform even just once has likely caught her trademark move: the sudden burst of notes quavering, akin to hitting the whammy bar but with a little more nuance. You May Also Like: Illegal Crowns [Tomas Fujiwara, Mary Halvorson, Taylor Ho Bynum + Benoît Delbecq]Read More

Composer Jason Kao Hwang, performing on both violin and viola, starts with a foundation of chamber jazz, and then blows it up. Hwang (Reggie Workman, Anthony Braxton, Henry Threadgill) is just as apt to set off an explosion of emotive, Eastern-themed motifs (as on the title track from Crossroads Unseen,Read More

In most big bands, the guitarist functions as nothing more than a member of an expanded rhythm section — and for a while it seems like Richard Nelson (even though it’s his band, and all) had fallen into the same role on his forthcoming album You May Also Like: HenryRead More

Tomorrow is Record Store Day, that annual event reserved for the celebration of that seemingly dying breed of retail outlet. I’ve written plenty about the future of digital music (mostly my lack of interest in it), but Record Store Day transcends You May Also Like: ‘All Things Must Pass: TheRead More

by Mark Saleski In our society, it seems like there’s a constant battle between idealism and cynicism. A person will take a stand on a particular issue, and no matter how quietly they do it, there is always an opposing force with the can of hot tar at the ready.Read More