Email Author Jim Macnie

2012 Stories by Jim Macnie

• Frank Kimbrough Trio

  published August 29, 2012

  I love the fact that the pianist is pro prance: Those right-hand runs usually arrive with esprit intact, spilling with the kind of joy that... More >>

• Matt Wilson’s Arts & Crafts

  published August 29, 2012

  The charismatic drummer is a big-picture guy, with dissonance and beauty, melody and abstraction, and whimsy and introspection, strolling hand in... More >>

• Dan Tepfer

  published August 29, 2012

  It's touch and momentum that give an interpreter the upper hand when attempting to reflect the grace of Bach's Goldberg Variations, and... More >>

• Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet

  published August 29, 2012

  The cornetist's mid-sized outfit is known for its shape-shifting skills, and if that means the trombonist waxes bittersweet while the guitarist... More >>

• Fred Hersch Trio

  published August 29, 2012

  Bluesy tunesmithing and sideways motion urge this team toward parts unknown, and whenever things get iffy, they double down on grace and gumption.... More >>

• Kenny Werner

  published August 22, 2012

  It's always been a bit of mystery how he gets his pretty tunes to be so rich with improvising options. Can resounding melodies also open door... More >>

• Jenny Scheinman's Mischief and Mayhem

  published August 22, 2012

  Her hook-up with Jason Moran has become something unique: You don't see many violin/piano front lines these days. Insiders know that they're both... More >>

• John Abercrombie

  published August 15, 2012

  There's a lilt to the lyrical fare on the new Within a Song, and it's born of the guitarist's stylistic bent as well as the classic... More >>

• Enfants Terrible

  published August 15, 2012

  Reconstruction is paramount for this intergenerational quartet comprised of saxophonist Lee Konitz, guitarist Bill Frisell, bassist Gary Peacock,... More >>

• David Weiss Sextet

  published August 15, 2012

  They use a hammerhead attack to twist hard bop DNA into remarkable hybrids, and the focus that invariably arises on the stand helps power the... More >>

• Uri Caine

  published August 15, 2012

  Yes, he's made his name on elaborate projects that refract classical composers, but if you haven't caught the pianist in a good old trio setting,... More >>

• Marty Ehrlich Trio

  published July 25, 2012

  The esteemed woodwind player has so many instruments in his arsenal that a simple five-tune set can vary wildly: Whether wielding his alto, flute,... More >>

• Chris Dingman Quintet

  published July 25, 2012

  The vibraphone has a built-in ethereality, but Dingman’s approach to the instrument lets dreaminess have its say while still setting aside... More >>

• Either Orchestra

  published July 25, 2012

  For more than a quarter century this Boston big band has brought a puckish attitude to a serious study of progressive charts for large ensemble,... More >>

• EJ Strickland Quartet

  published July 25, 2012

  This outfit is a who's who of hip local players that invariably arrive at a spot where crafty solos are just a method of feeding the team's... More >>

• Orrin Evans

  published July 18, 2012

  As the new Flip The Script explains, Evans is an agitator: Interaction is the key ingredient to all his ensembles, and if anything sits... More >>

• Noah Preminger

  published July 18, 2012

  The tenor saxophonist has devised a way to make well contoured lines reveal their brusque underbelly. On a good night his romantic side is in full... More >>

• 'Jazz in July'

  published July 18, 2012

  Under pianist Bill Charlap’s purview, the annual festival celebrates the brilliance of mainstream jazz, offering deep swing and overt... More >>

• John Hollenbeck's Claudia Quintet + 1

  published July 18, 2012

  The percussionst/composer's sextet can seem like two or three different bands during the course of a set: They're enamored of precision, and make... More >>

• Hafez Modirzadeh

  published July 4, 2012

  A NoCal youth led the saxophonist to develop myriad interests, and the thrill of jazz led him to investigations of “Persian tones” and... More >>

• James Carney, Chris Lightcap, & Ted Poor

  published July 4, 2012

  The curator of the ongoing Tuesday night Konceptions series in BK’s Green-Wood nabe is an incisive pianist, and though his horn bands have... More >>

• World Time Zone

  published June 27, 2012

  Generally, speaking the world needs to focus a bit more on saxophonist Michael Blake's balladry, and this new collaboration with bassist Ben... More >>

• Marc Ribot Trio

  published June 20, 2012

  Ribot's rep as a big-hearted rad fits right in with the Vanguard's lefty aesthetic, and his insightful improv has always made plenty of room for... More >>

• Jason Moran & Herlin Riley

  published June 13, 2012

  Pianist Moran likes his music to crackle—rhythm is paramount—and Drummer Riley dispenses pleasure cadences as a matter of course, his... More >>

• Rudresh Mahanthappa & Jean-Michel Pilc

  published June 13, 2012

  While the saxophonist is enjoying a recent wave of much deserved acclaim, the pianist plays with a virtuosity that has long deserved more... More >>