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Mehr als fünfzehn lange Jahre hat es gedauert, bis Jazz-Ikone Lisa Ekdahl nun endlich auch eine ihrer unnachahmlichen Liveperformances verewigen liess. Auf "At The Olympia Paris" präsentiert sie der Hörerin das ausverkaufte Abschlusskonzert ihrer fulminanten Europatournee aus 2009/2010 und interpretiert, neben einigen eigenen Songs, vor allem zeitlose Jazz-Standards wie "April in Paris", "Nature Boy" oder "Tea for Two" - natürlich in gewohnt Ekdahl`scher Manier.

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For jazz musicians, the duo of piano and double bass is a perilous exercise in tightrope-walking, reserved for enthusiasts of extreme refinement, those who like to dance on the edge of abysses. Its alchemy is mysterious. It cannot be commanded; it exists right from the start, or will never exist at all; which is probably why examples of it are not exactly abundant in the discography. The tandem formed by Stéphane Kerecki and John Taylor now marks a new landmark in the genre. ~Guillaume de Chassy, from Stéphane Kerecki's website

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This intimate documentary by João Moreira Salles features one of the Brazil’s most prominent pianists. Nelson Freire was a child prodigy from Minas and was destined for fame later in life. The film covers his travels to France, Belgium, Russia and, of course, Brazil, as he performs in concert and recitals before admirers and fans. The music is absolutely extraordinary as Freire plays Brahms, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Bach, Gluck, Villa-Lobos and Rachmaninoff. Argentine Pianist Martha Argerich is also featured in this outstanding portrait of a extraordinarily talented contemporary artist.

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Both artists are gifted, cutting-edge soloists whose interaction with each other seems to occur on an almost symbiotic plane of connectedness. ~Los Angeles Times

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Pianist Geri Allen has thus far been a very consistent performer, and all of her recordings are easily recommended. This particular set finds her in a trio with bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams performing six of her originals along with six jazz standards. Allen's style is fairly original, with hints of Herbie Nichols, and her chancetaking but logical solos are generally quite stimulating. ~Scott Yanow, All Music

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“Celestial Circle” is the recording debut of the band of the same name. First assembled for Marilyn Mazur’s season as artist-in-residence at Norway’s Molde Jazz Festival in 2008, the group has since become a popular institution on the concert circuit, and the present disc, recorded in Oslo’s Rainbow Studio in 2010 is issued on the eve of a European tour. It’s a band of diverse strengths and changing moods, song-oriented but also instrumentally expressive.

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A classy tribute by this masterful trio to the great controversial film director, Pier Paolo Pasolini. The trio excels in their interpretations of some of Pasolini’s best known pictures and includes original compositions by Antonio Faraò, inspired by the works of Pasolini. (Source: CAM Jazz website)

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... one of the great names in classical music, whose mere name was enough to sell out houses worldwide. ~Joseph Stevenson, All Music Guide

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After years spent emphasizing her compositions and bandleading abilities, in the late '80s, Carla Bley finally started featuring her own piano playing to a much greater degree. A melodic but explorative player, Bley (whose use of space sometimes recalls Thelonious Monk) interacts closely with the electric bass of Steve Swallow on this excellent duet session, performing six of her originals and two of Swallow's. ~Scott Yanow, rovi

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We love this record! Although Gato Barbieri has put out a few snoozers in his career, this amazing first chapter of his Latin venture for Impulse is an incredible record throughout – one of the greatest Impulse sessions of the 70s! Gato returns to his native Argentina for the session – and works with a collective of musicians in Buenos Aires to create a sound that's a startling blend of Latin rhythms and post-Coltrane freeness. Barbieri's tone is amazing, and has a rich Pharoah Sanders-ish spirituality to it – soaring out over acoustic percussion and Latin rhythms with an earthy, organic sound that's completely wonderful! (Source: Dusty Groove America)

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The music in Bailador is abundant, torrential, brilliant and sophisticated. Everything in Portal is here: rigour and fun, knowledge and generosity, dazzling technique, pleasure in profusion, precision, and jeté... You can hear him everywhere: a playful hedonist enamoured of sharing and, at the same, a cerebral, cutting-edge musician. (Source: EmArcy website)

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Very hip piano trio work -- the first Columbia album by Denny Zeitlin, a young fresh talent in the 60s, with an approach that was lyrical, slightly modern, and a bit soulful. The album features a great rhythm section of Cecil McBee on bass and Freddy Waits on drums. Most tunes are originals by Zeitlin -- and titles include "Stonehenge", "Cathexis", "I Thou", "Blue Phoenix", and "Nica's Tempo". (Source: Dusty Groove America, Inc.)

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For this recent release, I couldn't find any reviews by the "professionals," so I'll give it a go myself:
After listening to the record a couple of times, I still don't know what to make of it. Whereas previous Tigran Hamasyan albums seemed to be organized around a central theme, his latest effort seems to be a mixed bag without obvious connection between the individual songs. Of course, Tigran remains Tigran - a brilliant pianist who knows how to give every tune his own personal seal.

This is Richie Beirach's (on the album cover his first name appears more formally as "Richard") first recorded outing as a leader. The set, recorded in 1974 and released 1976, starts with a 14-minute version of Miles Davis' "Nardis" and is complemented by Richie's own material. Frank Tusa on bass and Jeff Williams on drums complete the trio.

I came across this album when I was looking for some more recordings with Cecil McBee, the wonderfully expressive bass player who, in my opinion, hasn't received the credit he deserves. The leader of this trio, Yosuke Yamashita, was an unknown entity to me, but apparently he's a houshold name in Japan and has built a strong following in the US with this, his "American trio." The review by Michael G. Nastos at AMG consists of just one sentence: "Most recent recording by avant-garde pianist from Japan," but it earns the album 4.5 stars.