Best of 2021: John and Alice Coltrane reissues
Best of 2021: A Love Supreme: Live in Seattle and Alice Coltrane’s Kirtan: Turiya Sings Fifty-six years after its release, John Coltrane’s recording of his suite A Love Supreme has…
Best of 2021 – Burned into the Orange by Peter Gilbert (CD Review)
Burned into the Orange Music of Peter Gilbert Arditti String Quartet; Iridium Quartet, Emmanuele Arciuli, piano; et al. New Focus Records CD/DL This is composer Peter Gilbert’s second recording for…
Best of 2021: Philip Blackburn and Chris Campbell (CD Review)
Best of 2021: Recordings by Philip Blackburn and Chris Campbell Philip Blackburn Justinian Intonations Neuma CD Chris Campbell Orison Innova LP Both Philip Blackburn and Chris Campbell are poly-artists, sitting…
Best of 2021 – Craig Taborn on ECM (CD Review)
Sequenza 21 Best of 2021 Craig Taborn Shadowplay ECM Records I first became aware of pianist Craig Taborn in the early aughts, writing about him for (dearly departed) Copper Press…
Best of 2021: Messiaen on Kairos (CD Review)
Sequenza 21 – Best of 2021 Olivier Messiaen Vingt regards sur l’enfant-Jésus Alfonso Gómez, piano Kairos CD In 1944, Olivier Messiaen wrote a recital length work (about 2 hours in…
Best of 2021: Christian Baldini Conducts UC Davis Symphony (CD Review)
Best of 2021: Varèse, Ligeti, Lutosławski, Baldini on Centaur Varèse, Ligeti, Lutosławski, Baldini Munich Radio Orchestra; UC Davis Symphony Orchestra Miranda Cuckson, violin; Maximilian Haft, violin Christian Baldini, conductor Centaur…
Best of 2021: Andrew Cyrille Quartet (CD Review)
Best of 2021 Andrew Cyrille Quartet The News ECM Records David Virelles, piano; Bill Frisell, guitar; Ben Street, bass; Andrew Cyrille, drums and percussion Andrew Cyrille is now an octogenarian,…
Music from behind a mask: Schell’s picks for 2020
Two years ago, the late Noah Creshevsky said "today's best seats are in our own homes or wherever we may be, listening to music through speakers or headphones, in chairs…
Best of 2020 – Simone Dinnerstein
Best of 2020: Simone Dinnerstein A Character of Quiet Simone Dinnerstein, piano Orange Mountain Music Pianist Simone Dinnerstein has been playing Philip Glass’s music live for the past few years.…
Best of 2020: Ingrid Laubrock
Ingrid Laubrock Dreamt Twice, Twice Dreamt Intakt 2xCD Dreams can be a potent force for creators. Saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock has harnessed her subconscious to make her strongest work yet. Dreamt…