Category Archives: Reviews

Event Review: AF THE NAYSAYER’s & Holm.’s “Birds Fly South Tour” sharing the stage with local bands

Venue: The Flat (Brooklyn)
Date: December 3, 2014
Event Review by Dante Mann

On Wednesday December 3rd at The Flat a gathering of musicians/performers (AF THE NAYSAYER, Holm., The Fantastic Plastics, Kidaudra, and The Grand Affair) created an energized yet intimate experience. The sense of community among this budding group of artists was truly inspiring but the most apparent commonality was their pertinent use of electronic assistance.

I decided to contact all of the acts and have a conversation about the utility and function of using electronics such as loop stations (live looping, samplers, midi-controllers, and drum machines) to assist in making a live show happen.

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CD Review: Mehmet Polat Trio (Turkey/Mali)…a spiritual yet adventurous meeting of three masters of their magical instruments (ney, kora and oud)

Mehmet PolatArtist: Mehmet Polat Trio
Title: Next Spring
Label: Homerecords
Genre: world/maqam/kora music

CD review by Dawoud Kringle

Collaborations between musicians of different traditions are a peculiarly modern phenomenon. Sometimes this produces nothing more than a contradictory hybrid. Yet, many times, the masterful and insightful blending of different cultures produces a balanced and complete aggregate greater than the sum of its parts that enriches all culture and the traditions and spiritual vision that emerges from it. The later is exemplified by the work in the Mehmet Polat Trio’s CD Next Spring.

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Concert review: InnoVe Gnawa Band & Faith at Mercury Lounge (NY)

Venue: Mercury Lounge (NY)
Date: November 25, 2014
Concert Review by Dawoud Kringle

On the night of the Ferguson riots, while protests sprang up throughout major cities in the US, InnoVe Gnawa Band took the stage and brought the legendary and magical Gnawa music to NYC’s Mercury Lounge, with Black Rock Coalition mainstay Faith waiting their turn.

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CD Review: Brooklyn Duo Mark Rogers and Mary Byrne…the music is subtle and minimalist while remaining dynamic and stylistically robust

Mark Rogers & Mary Byrne CD coverArtist: Mark Rogers and Mary Byrne
Title: I Line My Days Along Your Weight
Label: Important Records
Genre: folk noir/folk music

CD review by Dante Mann

I Line My Days Along Your Weight, the debut album by Mark Rogers and Mary Byrne , is compelling and an intriguing form of modern folk. There is a distinct southern flavor to this album; the music is subtle and minimalist while remaining dynamic and stylistically robust.

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CD Review: Troker’s “Crimen Sonora”…an album teeming with paradox, is dark yet fun…

TrokerArtist: Troker
Title: Crimen Sonora
Label: Intolerancia
Genre: Progressive Jazz/Rock

CD review by Dante Mann

Troker is a jazz-rock group formed in 2003 in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. They are an independent sextet known for their social involvement and high-energy live show. Crimen Sonora, written with live performance in mind, is Troker’s fourth full-length release.

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