Charles Evans: On Beauty

When "uncompromising" is used to describe a musician, one of the first word that usually comes to mind is "difficult," as in "difficult to understand." The musician in question puts out music which dispenses with that which the mind uses to recognize patterns: rhythm, harmony and melody. Furthermore...

Joel Harrison 5: Spirit House

Throughout his storied career, Washington DC-born guitarist Joel Harrison has demonstrated an interest in a wide range of musical styles. Since his leadership debut in the mid-1990s, Harrison has explored an array of genres, from pan-global collaborations with North Indian classical musicians to rad...

Alan Benzie Trio: Traveller's Tales

As the title of his debut album suggests, pianist Alan Benzie has travelled. Traveller's Tales is a collection of original tunes inspired by these travels, whether the journeys took place on planet Earth or, as Benzie puts it, "in my head." Real or imagined, these traveller's tales are definitely wo...

Robert Sabin: Humanity Part II

Robert Sabin has a dark side. Although the New York-based bassist regularly serves as a sideman to such luminaries as m: Oliver Lake and m: Luis Bonilla, Sabin has revealed an abiding fascination with horror throughout his career, as documented on his 2005 Ranula Music debut Ki...

Unhinged Sextet: Clarity

The mainstream of jazz could use more recordings like Clarity, a recently released venture by the cooperative Unhinged Sextet. On every track there's something genuinely enjoyable and thought provoking going on, yet the disc doesn't suffer from information overload. The sense of excessive exertion...

Max Johnson, Kirk Knuffke, Ziv Ravitz: Something Familiar

New York native Max Johnson does not appear to require sleep. The bassist/composer, whose career spans the wide terrain from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra to Lollapalooza to m: Anthony Braxton consistently delivers fresh, adventurous, high-quality music against an ambitious output. With hi...

Bryan Eubanks / StA(C)phane Rives: fq

Although they have not previously recorded together, the pairing of Bryan Eubanks and StA(C)phane Rives makes perfect sense. French soprano saxophonist Rives is already a long-serving Potlatch veteran, with this being his fourth release on the label, following in the wake of his 2003 solo soprano albu...