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Sean Imboden Large Ensemble's 'Communal Heart' tastes like more than it's 37 minutes / MAXAZINE

Posted: 04/21/2025

While he cites the possibilities for “compositional power” and “orchestrational ideas” inherent to the big band, the main reason that Indianapolis-based saxophonist/composer Sean Imboden formed his own 17-piece orchestra is captured in the title of the ensemble’s brilliant debut album. Communal Heart vibrantly captures the community spirit that Imboden has fostered not only within the ranks of his Sean Imboden Large Ensemble, but between the band and its fervent, ever-growing audience of loyal fans.“There's an old adage among musicians,” Imboden explains. “It says, ‘To make it a great gig, you

88.3WBGO Jazz Appreciation Month 2025 features The NYU Village Voices

Posted: 04/21/2025

WBGO: Newark NJ writes…..The NYU Village Voices, a contemporary and jazz vocal ensemble under the auspices of the NYU Steinhardt School of Education, performed at Yamaha Artist Services in NYC as part of a special collaboration between WBGO and Yamaha's educational arm for Jazz Appreciation Month. The group is directed by two major figures in the vocal group world, adjunct professors Janis Siegel from The Manhattan Transfer and Lauren Kinhan from New York Voices.?The group formed at NYU in 2018 with only three singers, Lauren and Janis swapped in for being the fourth, and the ensemble graduall

Sharon Isbin & Amjad Ali Khan's 'Strings for Peace' play NPR's 'Tiny Desk Concert'

Posted: 04/18/2025

NPR's Tom Huizenga writes…..This genre-crossing Tiny Desk follows an illustrious line of Hindustani and Western music collisions. In the mid-1960s, many Americans had their first taste of music from India when Beatle George Harrison played the sitar on "Norwegian Wood." At the same time, in the classical world, violinist Yehudi Menuhin joined sitar star Ravi Shankar to release West Meets East, a Billboard chart-topping album that won a Grammy.These days, as genres routinely tangle and even dissolve into themselves, the broad-minded classical guitarist Sharon Isbin continues the tradition. She'

Vonn Vanier chats about 'Dawn' with Ohio's FM91:WGTE

Posted: 04/18/2025

Bright, new composers offer the best kind of promise for American music, and Vonn Vanier – at the age of 17 – is well on his way. With his quiet confidence, thoughtful ambition and rapidly evolving talent, he is an emerging voice within the world of classical music. The proof is in the remarkably varied compositions Vanier has written in his recording debut on the new album Dawn from Montclair Records. Dawn introduces listeners to the young composer's initial orchestral, chamber and solo works that reflect his interest in bringing together the intellectual innovation of contemporary music with

Jazzwise May 2025 issue features James Brandon Lewis

Posted: 04/17/2025

“A saxophonist who embodies and transcends tradition” (The New York Times), James Brandon Lewis has become, in just over a decade, one of the most celebrated young artists in jazz — an artist who has carved a niche for his singular mixture of gospel, blues, and R&B with the incendiary saxophone explorations of John Coltrane, Albert Ayler, and Sonny Rollins. His performance coincides with the release of his new ANTI Records recording, Eye and I, with a trio featuring electric bassist Josh Werner and drummer Andy Niven.The Buffalo-born Lewis spent his formative time at Howard University work

'Horizon Zero Dawn' composer Joris de Man is ready for a third game / techradar

Posted: 04/17/2025

From techradar…..Horizon Zero Dawn's composer would write music for a third game if Guerrilla Games asked, but says the studio 'is very, very good at keeping their cards close to their chest': 'I'm there for it, is all I can say.' The composer is also interested in writing music for an RPG.Demi Williams writes Composer Joris de Man would return to write music for another Horizon Zero Dawn game De Man says Guerrilla Games is "very, very good at keeping their cards close to their chest" He couldn't confirm if he's working on a third game, but says, "I'm there for it, is all I can say"Composer Jo

Lang Lang to make Interlochen debut this August / Interlochen Public Radio

Posted: 04/17/2025

Hailed by The New York Times as “the hottest artist on the classical music planet”, Lang Lang has long fascinated classical audiences and critics alike with performances charged with breathtaking virtuosity, tonal refinement and dramatic intensity. Yet the pianist’s irresistible artistry, propelled by his passionate belief in music’s transforming power and served by his innate skills as a communicator, has reached far beyond the concert hall. Time magazine has ranked him among the world’s 100 most influential people.Lang’s pianism evokes an earlier age of virtuoso performance through its empha

Peter Boyer's 'Festive Fanfare' written for Akron's Bicentennial - commissioned by 'Tuesday Musical' / Akron Beacon Journal

Posted: 04/16/2025

Akron Beacon Journal's Kerry Clawson writes…..For Akron's bicentennial, Tuesday Musical decided to do things big. That meant commissioning a brand new, celebratory musical work to fete the city and to record that work so the public could freely enjoy it, forever. "Festive Fanfare (For Akron's Bicentennial)," by Los Angeles orchestral composer Peter Boyer, celebrates the city's milestone in four bright, brilliant minutes for 19 brass and percussion players.Grammy-nominated composer Boyer will conduct the world premiere of "Festive Fanfare" in concert at 7:30 p.m. April 22 at E.J. Thomas Hall in

90.1WRTI: Pilgrimage, with Wadada Leo Smith and Vijay Iyer

Posted: 04/15/2025

90.1WRTI: Philadelphia writes…..Nate Chinen, Josh Jackson write…..Few events embody the act of listening and receiving quite like the Big Ears Festival, which happens every spring in Knoxville, Tennessee. Nate was there this year, conducting artist interviews and taking in as much music as he could handle. He reports back with some highlights, and shares an interview he conducted just before heading down — with trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and pianist Vijay Iyer, who have a new duo album, Defiant Life, and performed together at Big Ears. Their ideal of spontaneous creative communion, and engagem

More people should know about Seth Walker / AMERICANAUK

Posted: 04/15/2025

AMERICANAUK's Dean Nardi writes…….No less an authority than Delbert McClinton, who Rolling Stone once called “The Godfather of Americana Music”, remarked of Seth Walker: “The first time I heard Seth Walker at a small club in Nashville I was impressed like I haven’t been impressed in 30 years, with performance, presence, and great songs”.Walker’s music has been described as a curious amalgam of blues, rock, roots, soul and jazz – there’s even some reggae in a couple of songs. But you shouldn’t try and pigeonhole this musician as anything but a true Americana artist, albeit a very eclectic one.

Alice Sara Ott brings John Field's 'Nocturnes' into the spotlight / Winnipeg's CLASSIC107

Posted: 04/15/2025

Winnipeg's CLASSIC107 - Chris Wolf writes…..When most people think of nocturnes, the name Chopin typically springs to mind. But behind those poetic, moonlit piano works lies a quieter influence: Irish composer John Field, the true originator of the form. Now, thanks to a new album from Deutsche Grammophon, Field’s full set of 18 piano nocturnes is getting the attention it’s long deserved — performed by none other than pianist Alice Sara Ott.Released on February 7, the album marks a rare full-length exploration of Field’s nocturnes, a collection Ott describes as "light, but in a very profound a

'Mainly Piano' is impressed with Doug Wyatt's 'Days of Gypsy Nights'

Posted: 04/15/2025

After successful dual simultaneous careers in music and software programming, Doug Wyatt’s journey to composing and producing his new album, “Days of Gypsy Nights,” has been circuitous; it has been several decades, with some tangential sojourns, in the making. Powered by a personal crisis during the 2020 pandemic, Doug refocused himself on creating music after a break of almost 15 years.Deeply influenced by the 1970s “Nordic Fusion” sound of ECM Records of the 1970s and 1980s, Doug prefers his music dark, stark with a strong undertone of emotion. Wyatt submerges his feelings in the deep water

Jean-Yves Thibaudet - Khachaturian is RTE lyric: 'Lorcan's Pick of the Week'

Posted: 04/14/2025

Jean-Yves Thibaudet's latest release, Khachaturian on Decca Classics is centered on Aram Khachaturian's Piano Concerto, recorded live with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Khachaturian further demonstrates the composer's wide range with a selection of solo piano pieces, including two never-before-heard arrangements by Thibaudet himself. Honoring Decca’s historic legacy—it was the first label to record the concerto in 1945—this release coincides with Thibaudet's upcoming live performances of the piece at renowned venues such as the Kennedy Center (February 6–8) and the Concertg

Phil Haynes - RETURN TO ELECTRIC may be one of the most surprising and quietly subversive albums of recent memory

Posted: 04/14/2025

Thierry De Clemensat writes…..A second album by Phil Haynes is also set for release on April 21, this time in a less experimental mood. Sitting somewhere between fusion and jazz-rock, it’s once again Phil Haynes who explains the impulse behind the recording: “During my formative years — listening and ‘playing along’ with records and radio in the ’60s and ’70s, then throughout my college studies in the early ’80s — I was steeped in the iconic sounds of the electric guitar: B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, the British Invasion, Broadway rock operas, and later the great jazz guitarists, from Wes Montgome

Chineke! Orchestra brings unique vibrancy to the 'Santa Barbara Granada' / Santa Barbara Independent

Posted: 04/14/2025

From Santa Barbara Independent……..Orchestral Maneuvers with a Cause - British Chineke! Orchestra, a Vehicle for Black and Underserved Musicians and Composers, Brings Unique Vibrancy to the Santa Barbara GranadaJosef Woodard writes…..Had the pandemic scourge not showed up, the planned 2020 performance by the British Chineke! Orchestra would have valiantly broken a cultural color barrier in Santa Barbara. The intrepid and important British orchestra, dedicated to musicians and composers of Black and underserved origins, was COVID-forced to cancel their American tour, including the CAMA-hosted Sa

Montana Public Radio's 'Classical Journey' chats with Fotina Naumenko about 'Bespoke Songs'

Posted: 04/12/2025

Acclaimed soprano, Fotina Naumenko, hailed for her “radiant voice” by the Boston Globe has received her first individual Grammy® nomination, in the category of Best Classical Solo Vocal Album, for her newest release, Bespoke Songs. The world premiere recording features 4 works for soprano and mixed instrumental ensembles commissioned by Naumenko from four composers, each based on lyrics by female authors. Bespoke Songs is available on New Focus Recordings (FCR410) and to stream on Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify and other leading streaming services.The album takes its title from the opening

Interview with Montana Public Radio

Joe Lovano - Homage. Free-flowing spontaneity / the arts desk

Posted: 04/11/2025

Joe Lovano and his Polish conspirators from the Marcin Wasilewski trio are in an especially adventurous spirit on their second joint endeavour for ECM. Building on the lyrical strengths that inhabited the group’s previous recording (Arctic Riff, 2020), on Homage the quartet moreover investigates the type of free-flowing interplay and expansive passages of improvisation that have become a staple in Lovano’s ventures with his trio tapestry group and elsewhere. The album was recorded at a studio session in the midst of the group’s Village Vanguard residency in late Autumn 2023, revealing fluent s

Hania Rani says of her music "it might be slow, not so loud, not upbeat, but its intense" / The New York Times

Posted: 04/10/2025

From The New York Times……Hania Rani’s Music Is Tranquil. Please Don’t Call It ‘Soothing.’ The Polish musician is a mainstay of streaming playlists with names like “Calm Vibes.” But she bristles at the notion that her music is therapeutic.Thomas Rogers writes….When the Polish musician Hania Rani released her first solo album, “Esja,” in 2019, she knew it was a modest debut. Its subtle piano compositions were moody but pared down, and she worried that its serene atmosphere might limit its mainstream appeal.One year later, the album’s placid vibe turned out to be a blessing. As the world locked d

Francois Couturier - Dominique Pifarely - Preludes and Songs has emotional heft / The Free Jazz Collective

Posted: 04/10/2025

François Couturier and Dominique Pifarély, defining figures in creative music in France, renew their special connection on Preludes and Songs, an album of sensitive interaction, improvisational flair, and wide ranging artistic reference. Almost three decades have elapsed since the last ECM album by the pianist and violinist (Poros, recorded in 1997), and although there have been shared musical adventures in the interim, this recording amounts to a reassessment and realignment of their duo work: “The idea was not to go back to where we first stopped,” Dominique Pifarély explains, “but to

Nano Stern set for Avoca Beach Theatre with special guest Magdalena Mira / COAST COMMUNITY NEWS

Posted: 04/10/2025

Nano Stern is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and songwriter with strong roots in the traditional songbook of South America. His music approaches folk, rock, jazz, trova and experimental sounds from a contemporary perspective.The chilean artist is currently presenting his latest album “Aún creo en la belleza” (“I still believe in beauty”), which is his 9th studio record. This album comes after a long period of sonic and poetic experimentation which has allowed the expansion of his creative horizons. Stern’s artistic language looks within subtle and simple worlds in search for balance between

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