The Brian Smith Interview
As Aotearoa’s Jazz musicians become increasingly confident of their place in the world, it is timely to acknowledge those who paved the way. A significant figure in this journey is saxophonist and...
View ArticleSNJO ~ Where Rivers Meet
‘Where Rivers Meet’ is a celebration of adventurous improvised music and it offers us a fresh window into the works of three departed titans (one still among us). The composers examined are Ornette...
View ArticleAnthony Donaldson
Devils Gate Outfit Devils Gate Outfit was recorded live at Wellington’s Meow two months ago. The album is bursting with restless spirits, and I am not surprised that such a powerful genie was let out...
View ArticleSeventh House Music ~ Exile / Murmurs ~ Review
‘Seventh House Music’ is a recent imprint of ‘Rattle Records’ and a portal into a specific sub-genre of free improvised music. The parent label, Rattle, occupies a unique place in the cultural life of...
View ArticleAndrea Keller ~ Systems Over-Ride
There is something satisfying about evaluating an anticipated album before the listening public gets to experience it, and whether it arrives digitally, or through the post, it can bring with it a...
View ArticleAlex Ventling ~ Nurturing the Creative Spirit
Interview January 2022 Alex Ventling is a musician worth keeping an eye on. His learning pathway is intriguing and his music vibrant. He is an improviser in the true sense, avoiding inertia as he...
View ArticleJim Langabeer Remembered
Jim left us in January, and the shock of his unexpected passing robbed me of the right words. In the following weeks, I mulled over my inaction, wanting to do justice to his story? Then I caught covid...
View ArticleMeditations ~ Mutations ~ Julien Wilson
A famous conductor of classical music once stated that a good composition would please almost everyone, but that a truly great composition should divide an audience. With improvised music, it is...
View ArticleGoldsmith/Baynes ~ E Rere Rā
This lovely album by Allana Goldsmith and Mark Baynes is timely because it arrives at a crucial historical juncture. For a long time after the period of colonisation the beautiful indigenous language,...
View ArticleThe Outsider ~ Chris Cody
The Outsider is the latest release by acclaimed Jazz Pianist Chris Cody, and as with his previous albums, he unflinchingly holds a mirror up to life past and present. Cody has demonstrated an uncanny...
View ArticleCircling the Edge
It is on the margins that the most interesting discoveries are made. The manifestations are bolder because they are not as beholden to the gravitational centre. Whether freshly minted or previously...
View ArticleTomasz Stańko ~ Desperado
This post is the first of two book reviews. The books I review dovetail as they are part of the same story. Tomasz Stańko and Krzysztof (Komeda) Trzciński were bandmates, but they were more than that....
View ArticleThe Quantum of Magic
William Butler Yeats said, ‘The world is full of magic things, waiting patiently for our senses to grow sharper’. I believe this absolutely and am reminded of it when my senses connect with a certain...
View ArticleA Quieter Place in Times of Turmoil
There are many ways to navigate troubled times. You can deny reality, scream into the void, surf the waves of absurdity, bitterly declaim, or seek quiet while you gather your thoughts. Many prefer the...
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