Email Author Jim Macnie

2011 Stories by Jim Macnie

• Ivo Perelman Quartet

  published July 6, 2011

  Love the way the tenor saxophonist steadily recalibrates his blare, enhancing its attack in a rich spectrum of squall and wail, moan and sigh. The... More >>

• Joe Morris & Agusti Fernandez

  published June 29, 2011

  The Connecticut guitarist and the Spanish pianist have only known each other for a couple of years, but the whirl that's created on their new... More >>

• Lawnmower

  published June 29, 2011

  I initially slept on drummer Luther Gray's two-guitar skronkathon when it hit last year, but Lawnmower's West offers aggro action galore... More >>

• Matana Roberts's Coin Coin

  published June 29, 2011

  "There is pain in everyone's history," the saxophonist/conceptualist told NPR. But tending to wounds is only one part of her extended genealogical... More >>

• Gerald Clayton Trio

  published June 22, 2011

  Sometimes you can feel a forward leap in an artist's work, and this young pianist does some hop/skip/jump action on Bond: The Paris Sessions.... More >>

• John Hebert's Sounds of Love

  published June 22, 2011

  Mingus is probably on the minds of many bassists, but I'm willing to wager that Hebert is primarily taken with Charles as a composer. His new... More >>

• Darius Jones

  published June 22, 2011

  With moments on his debut disc that can peel the paint from the wall, it's safe to say that the saxophonist has a fiercely declarative attack. In... More >>

• IT'S ALIVE!

  published June 15, 2011

  How can you tell if a music festival is truly doing its job? Check the amount of hair on the floor. Fans tear it out when programming options are... More >>

• Peter Bernstein

  published June 15, 2011

  His solo "Bloodcount" turned Strayhorn's ballad into a geodesic dome, with the guitarist surrounding the melody with sagely architected... More >>

• Dave Holland Quintet

  published June 15, 2011

  Critic Kevin Whitehead once called 'em "the jitters"--the end result of those rhythmic intersections that composer Holland uses to set things in... More >>

• 'Undead Jazzfest: Night of Round Robin Improvised Duets'

  published June 15, 2011

  Last time the Search & Restore team invited a squad of jazzers to pass the baton around, the mix 'n' match spectrum yielded the kind of... More >>

• John Zorn & Tyshawn Sorey

  published June 8, 2011

  Drummer Sorey is one of the most engaging wild cards on the local improv scene--a master of quiet chemistry at one gig and pummeling percussion at... More >>

• Chris Dingman Sextet

  published June 8, 2011

  If you believe that ballads deserve the same taut interplay as uptempo tunes, you're likely down with vibraphonist Dingman, whose new Waking... More >>

• Craig Taborn

  published June 8, 2011

  There's a consensus in Jazzville: pianist Taborn's new Avenging Angel is one of the most enthralling solo discs to come along this year.... More >>

• Anthony Davis

  published June 1, 2011

  From "Of Blues and Dreams" to "Man on a Turquoise Cloud," the pianist's solo pieces are some of the most enchanting works to come out of the early... More >>

• 'Vision Festival Presents Evan Parker & Matthew Shipp'

  published June 1, 2011

  It's exactly the kind of unexpected pairing you hope to find at a festival. British sax virtuoso Parker is a brilliant improviser who has a deep... More >>

• 'Vision Festival Presents Peter Brotzmann'

  published June 1, 2011

  The German saxophonist doesn't have to roar alone tonight--he has several colleagues to assist with the sturm und drang he's placed at the center... More >>

• OUTTA SIGHT

  published May 25, 2011

  Each summer, while celebrating the rich ranks of local leftie improvisers, the Vision Festival also drops hosannas on an esteemed veteran.... More >>

• Jim Hall & Ron Carter

  published May 25, 2011

  Since both musicians employ the kind of nuance that can hush a room, their very occasional duets are to be savored. Guitarist Hall speaks in a... More >>

• Lee Konitz Quintet

  published May 25, 2011

  If you're looking for the through-line binding this intergenerational outfit, try lyricism. From Konitz's pithy sax trills to Joey Baron's... More >>

• Jesse Stacken Trio

  published May 18, 2011

  A flair for drama bubbles up in the pianist's gripping pieces. There was a moment on last year's Magnolia that found him repeatedly... More >>

• Daniel Bennett & Steve Kuhn

  published May 18, 2011

  In solo settings, pianist Kuhn trades his hard bop touch for something a bit more gossamer, and as his recent update of the classic "Trance"... More >>

• Jerome Sabbagh Trio

  published May 18, 2011

  The prickly nature of some pieces is actually an attraction on Sabbagh's recent I Will Follow You. With guitar player Ben Monder rendering... More >>

• 'Paul Motian Plays MJQ'

  published May 11, 2011

  A new Mosaic box, a recent Lincoln Center hat-tip, and now a week's worth gigs led by the wily drummer--the bluesy poise of the Modern Jazz... More >>

• JD Allen Trio

  published May 11, 2011

  You can call Allen a jukebox of sorts. Melody after melody spills from his tenor sax, and each is bolstered by one of the more unique rhythm... More >>