Category Archives: Reviews

CD Review: Kiosk – a pioneer of Iran’s underground music movement, presents a compilation of new songs and old favorites, recorded live at the legendary jazz club, Yoshi’s of San Francisco in 2010

Triple-DistilledArtist: Kiosk
Title: Triple Distilled – Live at Yoshi’s “Seh Taghtireh”
Label: 9821 Productions
Genre: World/Persian contemporary

Review by Piruz Partow

Kiosk‘s live recording at the world famous Yoshi’s Jazz Club in Oakland is a fun listen with upbeat   energy and spirit. For the non-Farsi speaker, a lot can be lost with this recording, so it is recommended to refer to the Kiosk website that conveniently gives translations of the song. This record has a lot of gypsy spirit to it compared to other recordings by Kiosk that are more rock and funk oriented. With heavy violin and accordion this album really shows a heavy influence in the Jazz Manouche or Gypsy Jazz that was created by the great Django Reinhardt in Europe in the mid 20th century. A real highlight on the record is a guest appearance by Bruno Pelletier who plays in a very gitan/gypsy style on several tracks. Where some live albums tend to hold a band back and show their limitations, this record shows how versatile and diverse Kiosk is. The sound quality and arrangements are top notch with quality musicianship filled with both intensity and control. This record is a must for any farsi speaking music lover.

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Concert review: Jessica Lurie Ensemble…skillfully wove elements of jazz, soul, folk, rock, and world music into a constantly surprising musical tapestry

Date: February 18, 2012
Venue: 92nd Street Y Tribeca (NY)

Review by Jeremy Siskind

Jessica Lurie‘s set at the 92nd Street Y Tribeca, which previewed her upcoming CD, Megaphone Heart, skillfully wove elements of jazz, soul, folk, rock, and world music into a constantly surprising musical tapestry. Lurie, a virtuosic saxophonist, flautist, and vocalist, boasted an equally rich and personal tone on all three instruments. Her band, whose members’ backgrounds include both jazz and non-jazz experience, was anchored by a dynamic rhythm section of rising-star drummer Allison Miller and broad-toned bassist Todd Sickafoose, who also co-produced her album.

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CD Review: Brandon Terzic’ Xalam Project

Artist: Brandon Terzic Xalam Project
Title: s/t
Label: self released
Genre: arabic jazzy fusion

Review by Dawoud Kringle

Earthy notes spill from an oud, like raindrops on ancient wood. A saxophone seeks out an exotic note somewhere between an equally tempered E and an Eb, and seduces it into a counter melody. The two voices converse, sharing each other’s ideas and passions. Percussions hang ornaments in the air, and the bass reaches under this dancing visceral language between two cultures, and lifts it into flight. Eventually, the oud asserts itself and makes a final statement.

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Opera review: Why Has Bodhidharma Left for the South? Vidas Perfectas (Perfect Lives)

Date: December 15, 2011
Venue:  Brooklyn’s Irondale Center
Photos by Phillip Stearns
Review by Augusta Palmer

Alex Waterman’s production of Vidas Perfectas is a new Spanish translation of Robert Ashley’s 1979 opera, Perfect Lives. It’s a Buddhist soap opera, a series of visual and vocal images simultaneously held together and pulled apart by illusion.

In addition to the eloquence of the libretto, a recent performance at the Irondale Center in Fort Greene brought together an amazing cast of characters. Ned Sublette’s Raoul de Noget was an incredible creature, a lounge lizard dressed in black, never obscured by the brim of his Stetson but casting a large shadow with his physical presence and his voice. Elio Villafranca coaxed beautiful sounds out of the piano at center stage, embodying more than merely playing the role of Buddy, The World’s Greatest Piano Player. Ably supported by Elisa Santiago and Abraham Gomez-Delgado as a chorus of other roles, de Noget and Buddy propel us through a series of worlds.

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