Fuerza Bruta
MONOCLE 24: The cult international show from Buenos Aires has been described as immersive theater, physical theater or action theater – and it's also moved into the world of advertising.
Kiss and run: new film casts light on pro-Putin youth movement
OPEN DEMOCRACY: Masha Drokova was a rising star of the pro-Kremlin youth movement Nashi, yet she was also friends with Oleg Kashin – a critical journalist who was nearly killed by assailants allegedly connected to her organisation. A compelling new documentary captures this moral dilemma.
Christian Scott: Breaking Boundaries, Crossing Lines
ALL ABOUT JAZZ: The prodigious trumpeter pulls no punches in a vicious critique of the jazz establishment.
Barbacana / Troyka – Vortex, 5/3/10
The bassless Anglo-French quartet Barbacana made strong impressions right from the start: James Allsop’s supple tenor sax led the way, as the others gradually joined in to create a compelling collective improvisation with tight melodic interludes. This was the story of their set. A constantly shifting dynamic spectrum, ranging from full-volume, rowdy sax blasts and...
Hot New Jazz CDs from the UK
Led Bib – Sensible Shoes If London’s “maverick avant-jazz skronkers” Led Bib were a politician, they’d put John McCain to shame. But it’s not just skronkadelic mania and wall-to-wall noise: this twin-sax-led quintet presents a thorough exercise in structured collective improvisation, which traverses mood and dynamic with a delicacy that belies the fierce, free energy...
Moscow: the new home of jazz
From hard bop to the new school, jazz has found a haven in post-communist Russia. Moscow’s jazz scene is a creature of many faces. Take the comical shenanigans of one big band in a dive of an expat bar, with all members clad in matching mustard-yellow tassled jackets and an old hippy guitarist who looks...
Not-So-Modest Mussorgsky in Moscow
Jazz.com tries to cover the whole world of jazz, and not just the famous players at the name clubs. This is more than a quest for brotherhood and goodwill, but also driven by a realization that some of today’s most exciting developments are happening outside the US, especially when talented artists mix the jazz sensibility...
Tim Garland – Libra
The adventurous two-disc Libra features saxophonist Tim Garland heavily entrenched in trio territory. He is joined by rising star Gwilym Simcock on piano and versatile percussionist Asaf Sirkis, with guest appearances from zany guitarist Paul Bollenback and London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Expansive, well-structured pieces are the record’s mainstay, with a tasteful sprinkling of standards. Known...
Moscow City Jazz Festival 2008
City Jazz Festival December 4-5, 2008 16 Tons Moscow, Russia Erik Truffaz December 4 Swiss trumpeter Erik Truffaz, a moderately well-known figure on the international tour circuit, surely counts Russia as a favorite gigging destination. This concert, in a popular pub-cum-music-club called 16 Tons, saw him welcomed by a highly enthusiastic young crowd–a far cry...
London Jazz Festival 2008
London, England November 14-23, 2008 Ken Vandermark, Barry Guy, Mark Sanders The Vortex November 14 In a meticulously unplanned concert, the music often seemed like a sonic battle between these three renowned improvisers. Sporting a black-fitted tee and a hairstyle that could be straight from the Police Academy films, Vandermark was the dominant voice. On...
Alex Wilson – Salsa Con Soul
On his sixth solo album, the award-winning Wilson looks more towards commercial influences than previous work. It would be easy for a man of Alex Wilson’s pianistic talent to cruise along comfortably, picking up sideman or session gigs here and there and continuing to operate in the time-honoured medium of standard small jazz groups. But...
