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Critiques from our Archives |
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Daniel Freedman Trio
Daniel Freedman Trio
Daniel Freedman
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Media Type: CD
RATING: 9
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DANIEL FREEDMAN revels in Latin, Middle Eastern, and continental African drumming styles, as well as straight ahead jazz. Freedman?s debut as a leader is simply fascinating. With two equally brilliant musicians on bass (Omer Ovital) and piano (Jason Lindner), Daniel plays complex rhythms with a rare grace and beautiful intricacy. Throughout, his drumming retains a sumptuous authenticity, as if he learned everything on the dusty streets of some South American or African urban center. Freedman?s touch is gentle, but his method is ferocious. www.bluemoon.es |
Daniel Glass Trio
Something Colorful
Daniel Glass
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Media Type: CD
RATING: 8
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Though best known for his gig with rat-pack swingers Royal Crown Revue, DANIEL GLASS is a highly skilled musician who has also recorded with pop stars Bette Midler and Jeffrey Gaines, noise-punk Mike Ness, and grizzled jazzbo Vinnie Santoro. On his leader debut, Glass?s trio creates sophisticated west coast swing. Glass drums with a solid sense of history throughout, paying respect to Philly Joe and Billy Higgins, but tempered by the fusion styles of the ?90s when the mood moves him. Sweet swing from a post?rat pack artisan. |
Dave Holland Big Band
What Goes Around
Billy Kilson
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Media Type: CD
RATING: 9
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Bassist Dave Holland continues his award-winning streak with drummer BILLY KILSON at the helm. A top candidate for drummers to watch this decade, Kilson is blooming under Holland?s umbrella. This time, the quintet adds four reeds and four brass for a "small big band" excursion. Ensemble parts mix with loose, improvisational allowances. The results feel more like an organic small group bolstered by broader, richer sonorities. Kilson pulls it off beautifully: Juggling power with finesse, he molds the ensemble while encouraging interplay. Adventurous writing, arranging, and playing throughout. |
Dave Holland Quintet
Not For Nothin'
Billy Kilson (dr)
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Media Type: CD
RATING: 8
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Dave Holland?s superb quintet is the jazz forum where Billy really gets to strut his plumage. On his third CD with the group, Kilson seamlessly maneuvers the band?s complex yet lyrical compositions, unleashing dense clusters within the shifting meters while outlining the tight arrangements peppered by brilliant ensemble improv. Perhaps Kilson?s biggest feat is meshing a deft touch and ?fusion? power into an acoustic setting. (ECM) |
Dave Weckl Band
Perpetual Motion
Dave Weckl
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Media Type: CD
RATING: 9
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Weckl has found his happy place with this band, recording, mixing, and producing his strongest musical effort to date. Always making the difficult sound easy, Weckl blazes through a collection of melodic funk, Latin, and world jazz on his percussion-enhanced kit. The addition of a first-call LA horn section adds an exciting kick to several tracks. Weckl?s chops are energized, and the compositions are outstanding. |
David Fiuczynski & Rufus Cappadocia
KiF
Gene Lake, Tobias Ralph
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Media Type: CD
RATING: 9
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KiF is one of the most twisted, fascinating releases of the past couple of years. Fiuczynski on fretless, fretted, and 12-string quatertone guitars, and cellist Cappadocia, are joined by Screaming Headless Torsos drummers Gene Lake and Tobias Ralph, as well as percussionist Daniel Sadownick, for some mind-blowing, globetrotting, otherworldly music that sounds at times like Loony Tunes gone amuck. Highlights include Lake?s stickwork on the Fripp-ish "Mektaub" and the manic Middle Eastern?sounding "Phrygianade." Ralph supplies the solid drum ?n? bass groove of "Roxy Migraine" and the light touch on brushes on "Lullaby For Che." (www.torsos.com). |
David Fiuczynski's Headless Torsos
Amandala
Gene Lake (dr), Daniel Sadownick (perc)
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Media Type: CD
RATING: 8
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Much credit for this particular project must be given to drummer Gene Lake, as he recorded and co-mixed the album and wrote the very funky track "Leftovers." Gene?s expressive fusion-style drumming, along with excellent percussion accompaniment from Daniel Sadownick (who also wrote two killer tracks), gives this adventurous instrumental music a lush landscape of acoustic colors that creates a spiritual depth beyond basic grooves. The rhythm section is funky and out front in the mix. The overall vibe is complete creativity. (www.torsos.com) |
David Gilmore
Ritualism
Bruce Cox, Rodney Holmes (dr), Daniel Moreno (perc)
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Media Type: CD
RATING: 8
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A talented guitarist heard with Wayne Shorter, Steve Coleman, Cassandra Wilson, and others, David Gilmore makes fine use of drummers Bruce Cox and Rodney Holmes on his debut recording as leader?an engaging, free-blowing modern jazz trip. Kicking the record off with some tasty stickwork, Cox goes on to start a brush fire on "Kaizen" and mix a big band feeling and some slinky grooving on "Off Minor." Rodney Holmes displays a dynamic set of hands, big ears, playful syncopation, and spry Latin jazz chops on "Uncertainty Principle," applies clever counterpoint to "Paradigm Shift," and puts the heart in soul on "Reality Check," making music out of a riff-heavy tune. (www.dgilmore.com)
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Days Of The New
Days Of The New
Ray Rizzo (dr, perc)
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Media Type: CD
RATING: 7
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DOTN?s third consecutive self-titled release (a.k.a. the "Red" album) sprouts patches of gothic choir voices, string and horn interludes, cathartic acoustic guitar riffs, and a variety of percussive tones. Travis Meeks?dubbed a bona fide teenaged talent when he arrived on the scene in 1997?continues to successfully build a bridge between symphonic and modern rock. Despite Meeks? much-heralded musical vision, it?s the drums that often power the engine. The drumming arsenal of Ray Rizzo, Rob Edwards, and Meeks himself makes this record compelling with the injection of percussion flourishes into steady, heavy grooves. (Outpost/Geffen) |
Deanna Witkowski
Wide Open Window
Tom Hipskind
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Media Type: CD
RATING: 8
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A sparkling sophomore outing from an engaging newcomer. Witkowski?s acoustic jazz piano mixes straight-ahead, Afro-Cuban rhythms, and subtle classical colorings. Adventurous harmonies and strong chops buoy elegant touch and lyricism. And her inventiveness makes the well-worn standards sound even fresher than the disc?s originals. Ace drummer TOM HIPSKIND and bassist Jonathan Paul offer strong accompaniment, and saxman Donny McCaslin adds breadth. Big-eared Hipskind pulls off a wonderful performance. He?s one mind with Witkowski, executing nimble cymbal drive, crisp punctuation, and seamless shifts between loose openness and edgy drive. The tunes are embraced, not exploited. |
Deep Purple
Bananas
Ian Paice
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Media Type: CD
RATING: 6
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Although the instrumental adventurism of legendary progressive metal-boogie band Deep Purple has mellowed with age, the quality of composition is still top notch, and Ian Gillian?s vocals are strong as ever. And IAN PAICE remains one of the most musical and gifted drummers in rock history. On Bananas, classic British rock?s great lefty continues to lay down a mean groove while sprinkling his flashy trademark fills sparingly. These rock icons continue to prove that you?re never too old to rock ?n? roll with musical dignity. |
Default
The Fallout
Danny Craig (dr)
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Media Type: CD
RATING: 7
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The sound is huge, particularly the drums, with the lead and harmony vocals similarly proud in the mix. The production is for the most part blessedly sparse, and the songs are clipped off the moment they make the point. Danny Craig has the contemporary rock-drumming thing sewn up tight. His snare sound and hi-hat work hearken to Dave Abbruzzese for the most part, and he enjoys one of the cleanest recordings going in which to display his considerable finesse. (TVT) |
Deftones, The
The Deftones
Abe Cunningham
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Media Type: CD
RATING: 7
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This follow-up to The Deftones? successful 2000 album, White Pony, is a somewhat predictable continuation of where they?d left off. (The album could?ve passed for an impressive outtakes collection.) Still, ABE CUNNINGHAM?s grooves are impeccable, from the rapid yet comfortable fills of "Moana" to the pristine punches that contrast the decidedly non-linear vocal patterns of "Hexagram." With the precedent already set by White Pony, Cunningham appears to have no problem furthering his credible position in hard rock drumming. |
Derek Trucks Band
Joyful Noise
Yonrico Scott
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Media Type: CD
RATING: 7
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On Joyful Noise, Derek Trucks, the nephew of Allman Brothers drummer Butch Trucks, shows an almost spiritual affinity for many musical styles. Drummer YONRICO SCOTT displays a loose, jazzy style that flows smoothly over each of the musical journeys. His is not a defined style, but rather a homogeneous, chameleon-like adaptation that fits well with this southern-flavored blend of worldly blues-based music. |
Dimmu Borgir
Death Cult Armageddon
Nicholas Barker
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Media Type: CD
RATING: 8
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With their corpse makeup and demonic album titles, many black metal bands seem cartoonish on the surface. But don?t judge Dimmu Borgir?s latest full-length by its cover and trite title. The Norwegians offer a savagely creative, almost elegant mixture of black, death, and thrash, and often garnish it with gorgeous segments performed by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestration. While vocalist Shagrath gurgles distinctively and Silenoz and Galder unleash their tremendous guitar assault, NICHOLAS BARKER provides magnificent, clever drumming. His chops crash and boom on the sprawling "Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse" and the operatic "Blood Hunger Doctrine," and frolic rapidly on the chilling "Cataclysm Children." Pulverizing, profound, and fun. |
Dirk Wachtelaer
konstruction/deconstruktion
Dirk Wachtelaer
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Media Type: CD
RATING: 6
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This experimental percussion-laden release take drums and drumming into another dimension, sometimes to mixed results. DIRK WACHTELAER?s slap-happy disk, all the sizzling, squawking, and stuttering we hear emanates from brushes, sticks, mallets, and other unusual objects. The Belgian basher sampled his solo acoustic performances and then played those bits on an Octapad. For the most part, this patchwork percussion works, but when it doesn?t, it sounds like a broken-down factory machine wheezing toward the end of its useful life. Nonetheless, Wachtelaer should be crowned for his artistic chutzpah. (www.fmr-records.com) |
DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid
Optometry
Guillermo E Brown
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Media Type: CD
RATING: 8
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Turntablist, bassist, and kalimba player Spooky (a.k.a. Paul Miller), a pioneer of the downtown NYC illbient scene, teams with adventurous jazz musicians including drummer GUILLERMO E. BROWN, pianist Matthew Shipp, and others on Optometry. Brown spices things up with searing cymbal work and fights against the groove with haphazard fills. Medeski Martin & Wood?s BILLY MARTIN appears?well, his beats do anyway, on the eleven-minute title track. Spooky lifts thunderous breakbeat samples from Martin?s fertile, DJ-friendly 2001 record, Illy B Eats Volume 1: Groove, Bang And Jive Around. At worst this CD sinks into heady minimalist ambiance. At best, Spooky & crew?s mix of hip-hop, urban jazz, and electronica is nothing short of a mind-bending, butt-moving miracle. |
Dom Um Rom
Lake Of Perseverance
Dom Um Rom?o (dr, perc)
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Media Type: CD
RATING: 5
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Many listeners will resort to playing this CD with the "program" button beneath their thumbs, while others will revel in the wild stylistic leaps. Lake Of Perseverance seesaws between well-worn jazz standards and hybrid "acid jazz" attempts at crossing Brazilian jazz with various dance club forms, including house and trip-hop. The problem is not that the THWUB-THWUB-THWUB of the dancehall sound may cause jazz purists to dive for cover. Rather, the less-than-fascinating programming buries the wonderful individualism of a brilliant percussionist/drummer. It?s telling that the most exciting, personal cuts are the title track, written by Ram?o, and a spontaneous drum and vocal duet. The man?s got an original "voice." Let him be heard! (JSR) |
Drowning Pool
Sinner
Mike Luce (dr)
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Media Type: CD
RATING: 8
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Heavy as heavy can be, yet clean, Drowning Pool benefits from excellent production values on Sinner. Drummer Mike Luce comes off especially well with a perfectly balanced drum sound. The hi-hats wash but never obscure a prominent snare or kick. When he goes for a tom, it's unambiguous. Of course, one reason he sounds strong-and he sounds very strong-is that Drowning Pool has it all: loud guitar vamps, screaming vocals, and verses that release into proper choruses. (Wind-up) |
Duduka Da Fonseca
Samba Jazz Fantasia
Duduka Da Fonseca
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Media Type: CD
RATING: 8
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On his solo debut, ace Brazilian jazz drummer Da Fonseca sports his sublime taste, rolling dynamics?within-dynamics, and concise, joyful grooving. His popping samba brushwork is particularly enthralling. Duduka shines in varied formats, from a berimbau solo to sax-fronted septet. There?s plenty of guest star power, including members of his long-time group, Trio Da Paz. (Seek out their new release, Caf?.) Influences include early ?70s samba/jazz fusion as well as bossa and bop, but the binding force is a positive lyricism. And check out the15/8 partido alto groove; in Duduka?s hands, it feels like a carefree dance beat. www.brazilianjazz.com |
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