Category Archives: Reviews

CD Review: Manu Koch’s debut album

320392067-1Artist: Manu Koch
Title: Triple Life
Label: self released
Genre: genre border-crossing music

I had the pleasure of attending a live performance by Manu Koch not long ago (for which I wrote a review). The concert was amazing, and I was eagerly anticipating taking the time to listen to what he and his colleagues would come up with in the studio. The results were pleasantly unexpected.

The lovely jazz poetry of a Fender Rhodes floats out of a void. It slips like incense smoke into the framework of the bass and drums. Lush chord melodies speak softly like a lover. This dreamy dialogue surrenders to a funk beat with ornaments of clavichord, synth, and vocals. Thus begins New Year’s Labyrinth, the first track on Koch’s CD Triple Life.

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Concert Review: The Dissident Arts Orchestra Plays “Battleship Potemkin”

598380_10151721267919115_1729770145_nDate: Saturday, February 16, 2013
Venue: 17 Frost Theatre of the Arts

Review by Matt Cole

On Saturday, 16 February, THE DISSIDENT ARTS ORCHESTRA, provided an improvised score to a newly restored version of Sergei Eisenstein’s seminal film Battleship Potemkin at the 17 Frost Theatre of the Arts in Williamsburg Brooklyn. Led and conducted by THE RED MICRPHONE‘s vibraphonist/percussionist John Pietaro , the Orchestra included on this night Nora McCarthy on vocals, Cheryl Pyle on flute, Quincy Saul on clarinet, Rocco John Iacovone on soprano and alto saxes, Patrick Brennan on alto, Ras Moshe on soprano, tenor and flute; SoSaLa‘s Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi (making his debut with the DAO) on tenor sax and vocals, Alon Nechustan on accordion, Javier Hernandez-Miyares on electric guitar, Laurie Towers on electric bass, Nicolas Let-man-Burtinovic on double bass, and Hollis Headrick on drums and percussion.

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CD Review: Elikeh jumping “Between 2 Worlds”

Elikeh12_coverArtist: Elikeh
Title: Between 2 Worlds
Label: Azalea City Recordings
Genre: Afro Beat

Review by Matt Cole

It is difficult to even say where the band Elikeh is from; band leader, vocalist, and rhythm guitarist Massama Dogo hails from Togo, in West Africa, and other members of the band come from a diverse array of places, including California, Nigeria, New York, Maryland, and Benin. It is not surprising, then, that their recently-released CD, Between 2 Worlds, shows influences from a wide variety of sources.

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Concert Review: THE RED MICROPHONE performing protest jazz music

Date: February 5, 2013
Venue: Shapeshifter (NY)

Text by Dawoud Kringle

On a cold winter night in Brooklyn,THE RED MICROPHONE brought its special brand of new revolutionary jazz & poetry to Shapeshifter Lab. Red Microphone consisted of John Pietaro (vibraphone, percussion), Nicolas Letman-Burtinovic (bass), Rocco John Iacovone (saxophones), and New York mainstay and master musician Ras Moshe (saxophones, flute, percussion). For the first set, Italian poet Erika Dagnino joined the group.

The vibes started with mysterious chords, saxophones answered. A conversation began between instruments. Poetry insinuated itself into
the music, its hardened sophistication daring you to listen. Instruments made comments, affirmations, and suggestions. At one point, the bass took center of music, then Ras took over, and his dialogue was joined by soprano sax. Suddenly, the poetry morphed from Italian into English, delivered in dramatic smoldering passion, underscored by Erika’s thick Italian accent.

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Concert Review: Swiss born, New York City-based keyboardist, pianist and composer Manu Koch and his new project Filtron M – a collective performing his music in a live setting

Date: February 5, 2013
Venue: Drom (NY)

Review by Dawoud Kringle

Synthesizers invoked a walk through idyllic forests. Verdant melodies floated above glacial harmonies. Then, a majestic piano ushered in shades of the mellower side of a Return to Forever-esque song. Thus began Manu Koch‘s set at Drom.