Extended Animation
Artist: Michael Formanek

Bassist Michael Formanek's second album continues the pattern established on his debut. He features mostly originals and keeps things moving with varied rhythms and arrangements that don't emphasize any particular style. He's assisted by guitarist Wayne Krantz, violinist Mark Feldman, and drummer Jeff Hirschfield. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide Read More

Good Deeds
Artist: Charlie Kohlhase Quintet

Charlie Kohlhase, a talented altoist who also has a very deep tone on baritone, is heard on his second CD heading a pianoless quintet that also features Matt Langley's tenor and soprano, trombonist Curtis Hasselbring, bassist John Turner, drummer Matt Wilson, and, on two songs, trumpeter Waldron Ricks. Their music is full of subtle (and some... Read More

Tethered Moon
Artist: Gary Peacock
Sweet Thunder
Artist: Fred Hess
Setting the Standard
Artist: Dave Liebman
Loose Cannon
Artist: Michael Formanek

This 1993 release for the Italian Soul Note label signifies one of those lightly marketed gems that may have gotten lost in the grand mix of modern jazz-style fare. Here, three of the most prominent figures in the area of new jazz coalesce for a shrewdly focused and compactly organized excursion. And while many folks recognize Tim Berne for his... Read More

Intermobility
Artist: String Trio of New York

The 1992 edition of the String Trio of New York consisted of original members James Emery on guitar and bassist John Lindberg, plus the great violinist Regina Carter. In addition to two originals apiece by Emery and Lindberg and one by Carter, the unique inside/outside group performs Wayne Shorter's "Ju-Ju," Ornette Coleman's "Peace," Eric... Read More

Art & Aviation
Artist: Jane Ira Bloom

Art & Aviation is not only one of Jane Ira Bloom's finest albums, it is also a remarkably successful (and fairly early) attempt to bring electronic influences to bear on acoustic jazz. Bloom's writing is strongly infused with a straightahead jazz aesthetic. But she veers left on many cuts, altering her soprano sax sound with live electronics and... Read More

Till We Have Faces
Artist: Gary Thomas

Saxophonist Gary Thomas' records have been nothing if not provocative. This set, a collection of jazz and pop standards radically reharmonized and annotated rhythmically, is no exception. Thomas assembles a stellar cast on this outing, including guitarist Pat Metheny, pianist Tim Murphy, alternating bassists Anthony Cox and Ed Howard, drummer... Read More

Bill Evans: Tribute to the Great Post-Bop Pianist
Artist: Paul Motian
Community Score: 10.00

Having been Bill Evans' drummer during the pianist's prime, early-'60s period, Paul Motian is the right person to record a Evans' tribute album; a recording that fits right in with Motian's recent spate of jazz repertory releases (Monk In Motian, the On Broadway series). But the obligatory nature of the record ends there, as Motian, tenor... Read More

West Side Story Today
Artist: Dave Liebman

w/ Goldstein. A 1991 reworking of already overworked material. Both musicians are fine players. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide Read More

Party in the Basement
Artist: Pete Levin
Wide Open Spaces
Artist: Michael Formanek

Bassist Michael Formanek, who contributed all 15 selections to this CD (some of which are quite brief), utilizes an adventurous quintet also including Greg Osby on alto and soprano, violinist Mark Feldman, guitarist Wayne Krantz, and drummer Jeff Hirshfield. The very distinctive voices of Osby and Feldman, the quirky melodies (some of which... Read More

While You Were Out
Artist: Orange Then Blue

A transitional album can sometimes be a band's most exciting effort, representing fresh ideas, the taking on of new blood, or perhaps just the beginning of a door closing on one phase and opening on another. Orange Then Blue's double-CD opus While You Were Out is one such album, standing as a final document of the group's years as a Boston-based... Read More