Email Author Jim Macnie

2009 Stories by Jim Macnie

• 'James Carter's Electric Coltrane'

  published September 15, 2009

  If any saxophonist has both the technical subtleties to reinvigorate "India" and the lung power to blow some of those oft-referenced sheets of... More >>

• The Jean-Michel Pilc Trio

  published September 8, 2009

  There's more than a bit of the dervish in the pianist, whose music dances with equal parts abandon and control. The latter has always been the... More >>

• Myron Walden

  published September 8, 2009

  There were several exclamatory moments between the saxophonist and his audience at Newport this summer—gospel passion milked for drama and... More >>

• Dave Holland Overtone Quartet

  published September 8, 2009

  The bassist's singular buoyancy helps personalize all the swing his bands generate. Long story short, everything seems to be bouncing in his... More >>

• David Berkman Trio

  published September 1, 2009

  The pianist enjoys ironing out the wrinkles of a tune and, as the recent Live at Smoke reminds us, he's got several ways of rendering... More >>

• John Surman Quartet

  published September 1, 2009

  Every move made by the British saxophonist has a lithe tinge, even the syncopated stuff. It comes from the way he stresses agility. On the new... More >>

• Paul Motian, Joe Lovano & Bill Frisell

  published September 1, 2009

  At the kick-off gig of this two-week run, they played Marco Polo with specters (hats off to the guitarist), honked through some very visceral... More >>

• 'Charlie Parker Festival'

  published August 25, 2009

  Bird lived uptown and downtown, and this annual gathering brings jazz action to each. Today's dealio at Tompkins Square Park also unites vets and... More >>

• 'Charlie Parker Festival'

  published August 25, 2009

  Bird lived uptown and downtown, and this annual gathering brings jazz action to each. Frank Wess's warm tenor billows around Marcus Garvey Park;... More >>

• Eric Revis Quartet

  published August 25, 2009

  How can thick slabs of sound be moved with enough agility to not only bolster but uplift the ornery tenor action of both Branford Marsalis and... More >>

• Hans Glawischnig & Ben Monder Duo

  published August 25, 2009

  It's tough to make the shift from vicious to ethereal, but for the last decade, guitarist Monder has refined his maneuvers to do just that,... More >>

• Roy Haynes & the Fountain of Youth Quartet

  published August 18, 2009

  Yes, we all applaud the attack of this drum wonder, but more thrilling is his of finesse and flamboyance displayed on a regular basis, such as... More >>

• 'Drums Festival: Gerry Hemingway Quintet'

  published August 18, 2009

  Whether dealing in whispers or whomps, the drummer's ensembles usually make the kind of music that seems private, as if containing something they... More >>

• Mario Pavone Quartet

  published August 18, 2009

  The bassist invariably provides his squads with natty, inside-out tunes to interpret. Regardless of how wooly the action gets, an essence of swing... More >>

• Marcus Strickland & E.J. Strickland

  published August 18, 2009

  You don't find many identical twins dropping discs at the same time, so even if the music weren't as hip as it is, there'd still be reason to give... More >>

• James Carney

  published August 11, 2009

  There’s a kaleidoscopic feel to the pianist-composer's new Ways and Means material. As the vivid prog-jazz escapades spill forth, an... More >>

• The Ben Perowsky Quartet

  published August 11, 2009

  If he can put some funky fluff behind Joan as Police Woman, update tunes from his summer camp youth, and splash it Blakey style with Uri Caine,... More >>

• JD Allen Trio

  published August 11, 2009

  A sensitivo in muscleman's clothing, the tenor saxophonist can make the most roiling passages reveal their heart. His trio (bassist Gregg August,... More >>

• Tyshawn Sorey

  published August 4, 2009

  Y'all may know him as a devastating drummer with a talent for chopping beats in a way that accounts for both hip-hop and higher mathematics. But... More >>

• SIM Faculty Concert

  published August 4, 2009

  Mainstream classes aren't the only way to learn jazz, and Ralph Alessi's "search and discover" MO seems to be an engaging trajectory for would-be... More >>

• Frank Kimbrough+Dan Tepfer

  published August 4, 2009

  The club is in the middle of a piano festival that celebrates the work of improvisers who deserve a bit more love. Kimbrough is one of 'em, and... More >>

• Pete McCann

  published July 28, 2009

  Rock 'n' roll shredding helps pour the concrete for some jazz architecture on the guitarist's new Extra Mile, and it's nice to hear the two... More >>

• The BBC

  published July 28, 2009

  From Marc Ducret to David Torn, guitarists bring out the mania in Tim Berne's horn—the saxophonist is most pugnacious when galloping next to... More >>

• Orrin Evans

  published July 28, 2009

  Two things are true about the pianist's working groups: He likes his sax players to be both feisty and inquisitive, and he doesn't take the stand... More >>

• 'Jazz in July'

  published July 22, 2009

  Here's a fun festival that warrants more notice than it usually gets. With pianist Bill Charlap honing his curatorial skills during the last few... More >>