Author Archives: mlomanno
Album review…Charles Lloyd Quartet, “Rabo de Nube” (ECM, 2008)
[This review was originally published in Jazz Improv Magazine in 2008. -ML] In celebration of his seventieth birthday, Charles Lloyd is releasing Rabo de Nube, recorded live in Basel, Switzerland, on April 27, 2007. This album features Lloyd’s newest quartet, with Jason Moran on piano, Reuben Rogers on bass, and Eric Harland on drums. This group infuses […]
Enunciating Power and Ex…Plosive Time: Cécile McLorin Salvant’s “Woman Child” and Silence Undone
Of all the countless, captivating moments I have heard and re-heard in WomanChild, there are two that struck me right away—on my first listen to the album—and that continue to surprise me each time I hear them. I haven’t been able to let these moments go—not for the three months prior to the album release […]
An Understated, but Unwavering Groove: Lionel Loueke Trio at the Jazz Standard (September 13, 2013)
Performing compositions from his new recording, Heritage (Blue Note, 2012), Lionel Loueke and his trio are just finishing tonight a residency at the Jazz Standard. I attended the early set on Friday, September 13th, which Loueke began with “Ouidah,” singing and subvocalizing along with his guitar and its clear, ebullient tone. The tune’s groove—like the entire […]
Magnificent Regularly: Cécile McLorin Salvant Premieres “WomanChild” at 54 Below
When I arrived at 54 Below in midtown Manhattan on Tuesday night for the New York City release of Cécile McLorin Salvant’s WomanChild (Mack Avenue Records), I had already resolved not to take notes. I was just going to listen and enjoy the show. After spending the last three months listening to the album, researching […]
“A Pleasure to be Saturated”: James Carter Organ Trio Headlines at the Jazz Standard
Last week at the Jazz Standard featured the James Carter Organ Trio with Gerald Gibbs on Hammond B-3 organ and keyboards, Leonard King, Jr., on drums, and Carter on saxophones and flute. I spent Friday evening with them for a charged set that the audience received enthusiastically. Carter announced his setlist immediately after greeting the […]
Album review…Bennett Paster, “Relentless Pursuit of the Beautiful” (Self-Produced, 2012)
In his latest recording, pianist and composer Bennett Paster presides over a diverse and highly enjoyable collection of engaging compositions that continually evolve and excite. Through well composed ensemble sections, solid group chemistry, and highly proficient individual performances, Paster constructs an album that sounds fresh, entertaining, and spontaneous. Relentless Pursuit of the Beautiful, self-produced, 2012. […]
Album review…Emilio Teubal, “Música Para Un Dragón Dormido” (Brooklyn Jazz Underground, 2013)
Named for the zodiac sign that he and his newborn child share, with his third album, Música Para Un Dragón Dormido (“Music for a Sleeping Dragon”), Emilio Teubal offers an evocative and personal vision for the fusion of Argentinean music and modern jazz. Supported by his long-time trio and some high-powered sidemen, Teubal’s album promises […]
Album review…Aaron Diehl, “The Bespoke Man’s Narrative” (Mack Avenue, 2013)
With a well-balanced album of inventive originals and faithfully executed standards, celebrated young pianist Aaron Diehl debuts with a solidly swinging album on Mack Avenue Records that will appeal to a wide range of listeners. Performed by a remarkably empathetic ensemble, the album champions a classic, historically informed approach to the jazz piano trio that […]
Album review…James Saxsmo Gates, “Gates Wide Open” (804 Jazz, 2013)
Drawing on a long local history of African American music in Richmond, Virginia, and his own history of family music-making and overcoming hardship, newly appointed head of Jazz Studies at Virginia State University James Gates presents Gates Wide Open, an energized and highly personal album ranging across genres and instrumentations, but held together by superior […]
Album review…Stéphane Kerecki, “Sound Architects” (Outnote Records, 2012)
In French bassist and composer Stéphane Kerecki’s latest album, Sound Architects, he presents a profound and unique artistic vision, realized through the leader’s well-crafted, imaginative compositions and enriched by a masterful ensemble whose individual virtuosities are out-matched only by their collective sensitivity, inventiveness, and dynamism. Compelling grooves emerge organically from the group’s improvisatory faculties, while […]
The Rhythm of Study 