Photo by Veronique Lerebours
Date: Friday, June 12, 2015
Venue: St. Peter’s Chelsea Episcopal Church (NY)
Review by Dawoud Kringle
All videos and photos courtesy of HarmoNYom”s Veronique Leboures
All photos by HarmoNYom”s Veronique Lerebours
Date: May 17, 2015
Venue: Whynot Jazz Room (NY)
Review by Dawoud Kringle
(Photos by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi – videos courtesy of the bands)
On Sunday, May 17th, 2015, the Whynot Jazz Room hosted a marvelous evening of music which was curated by Andrea Wolper and part of the Why Not Experiment? Series.
The evening started with the duo of Vinny Golia (woodwinds), and Ken Filiano (bass).
CD Reviews by By Dawoud Kringle
Guitarist Gary Lucas (a.k.a. “The Thinking Man’s Guitar Hero” and a dozen other plaudits I could copy from his massive biography) has been prolific of late in his recording output. As I write these words, I have three CDs he recorded in front of me. So, I will combine them into one review.
Artist: Wild Rampus
Title: Musical Blaze Up
Label: Bitches Brew Bitch
Genre: mix of electronica, dub and country
Wild Rampus’ Musical Blaze Up is a collaboration between Lucas and Colleen Murphy (a.k.a. DJ Cosmo: radio broadcaster, club DJ, music producer, remixer, record label owner and founder of Classic Album Sundays). The CD’s first track starts like a pop country song, and then becomes grungier and more abstract. But the abstract element is more implied than actually manifest. The country rock beat never goes away, always driving the song. As the CD progresses, the music explores Lucas’ various textures and musical prowess as filtered through Murphy’s remixes and DJ interpretations. Styles and genres are mixed randomly, yet with surgical care. At times Lucas masterfully guides the music through a variety of musical ideas and moods, with the beats and samples playing a more subordinate role. Other times, Murphy’s ideas take precedent. It’s interesting how the dissimilar worlds of musician and DJ can find such a multifaceted middle ground. Lucas and Murphy forged new territory in that as yet largely unexplored world.
Artist: Lukas Ligeti and Thollem McDonas
Title: Imaginary Images
Label: Leo Records
Genre: improv/free style/nu music
Review by Dawoud Kringle
The most natural thing in the world is a meeting between two improvising musicians. On Imaginary Images drummer/percussionist Lukas Ligeti and pianist Thollem McDonas have given us an assemblage of deftly crafted improvisations.
Date: May 3, 2015
Venue: The Skinny Bar And Lounge (NY)
Review and video by Dawoud Kringle (video by courtesy of Subtle Realms Trio)
On a beautiful evening, the first Sunday of May 2015, The Subtle Realms Trio was scheduled to perform at the Skinny, a bar on the Lower East Side. The Subtle Realms Trio is Dan Kurfirst (drums, percussion), Ben Cohen (saxophones), and Will McEvoy (bass). A new project started by Kurfirst in the early part of 2015, Subtle Realms evidently seeks a more sublime musical element to build from.
