25 Jan

[ February the 4th, 2022 via Whirlwind Recordings release: Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Hero Trio! – Animal Crossing – digital-only EP ]

By grzech In All That Jazz / No Comments

Animal Crossing, due out digitally February 4, 2022 via Whirlwind Recordings, tackles eclectic repertoire including the theme from the wildly popular video game and songs by Pat Metheny, Chuck Mangione and George Michael

“Its central achievement is bridging the gap between supposed high and lowbrow, as Mahanthappa’s trio convincingly puts a distinctive stamp on the eclectic source material, with sparkling cocktails of grooves, hooks and solos…” – Kevin LeGendre, Jazzwise

“ [Mahanthappa is] making truly some of the most original jazz out there at the moment.” – Brian Zimmerman, Jazziz

14 Aug

[ August 28th,2020 release on Whirlwind Recordings: Rez Abbasi Trio – Django-shift ]

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release date: 20.08.2020 via Whirlwind Recs

“Guitarist Abbasi’s homage to Django Reinhardt is no nostalgia bath. Quite the contrary, Abbasi uses Reinhardt’s ingeniously constructed compositions as a touching-off point for unusual sonic explorations with drummer Michael Sarin, and Neil Alexander playing organ, electronics and synthesizers. The textural effects are often startling, casting Reinhardt tunes in unlikely, sometimes otherworldly contexts.” – Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune “The best jazz recordings of 2020 to date: From Wynton Marsalis to Adam Palma”

“On Django-shift, guitarist and composer Rez Abbasi deconstructs two separate traditions simultaneously: the music of 1930s Gypsy swing icon Django Reinhardt, and the 1960s organ trio…. Abbasi’s take on Reinhardt’s compositions is neither driving swing nor funk – instead, it’s played in his own now well established style, which is complex, knotty, chromatic, and timbrally unique (note his extensive use of the fretless guitar)…. challenging and rewarding.” – Rick Anderson, CD Hotlist

“Abbasi is living, breathing proof that jazz music can be as vital and boundary-pushing as ever.” – AllAboutJazz.com.

12 Jun

[ June the 19th release on Whirlwind Recordings – Rudresh Mahanthappa – Hero Trio ]

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Friday, June 19, 2020 on Whirlwind Recordings

“[Rudresh is] making truly some of the most original jazz out there at the moment.” – Brian Zimmerman, Jazziz Daily Brunch

“An early contender for Album of the Year…. Mahanthappa’s sound on alto is as expressive as ever, and it’s easy to hear the joy these three find in such disparate sources.” – Bret Saunders, Denver Post “The Know”

“Hero Trio is that ‘all-covers’ record, which is about the only thing this boundary-pushing composer, bandleader and ace reedman hadn’t yet attempted in one of the most creative jazz careers since the turn of the 21st century…. here is a large window into what makes Rudresh Mahanthappa tick, what lights his fire, what shaped him into the artist he is today…. Hero Trio has just as many delightful surprises and audacious musicianship as any other Mahanthappa record.” – S. Victor Aaron, SomethingElse! Reviews

“The fierce saxophonist fascinates with his improvisatory jags, rapid cascading runs, and edgy pressure cooker sound. Joined by bassist François Moutin, drummer Rudy Royston responds in kind with his own fearless, across-the-kit propulsive flurries.” – Jeff Potter, Modern Drummer

“The album, and the set, wind up with an explosive and highly creative re-imagining of Parker’s tune Dewey Square (also known as Prezology or Bird Feathers), with the saxist virtually exploding creative new ideas from moment to moment and Mouton supporting and egging him on… a top pick as one of the best of this year.” – Lynn René Bayley, Art Music Lounge

11 Oct

[ October the 18th release on Whirlwind Recordings: Rez Abbasi – A Throw of Dice by The Silent Ensemble]

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release date: 18th October, 2019

“Abbasi demonstrates that his music continues to thrill and seek out the new…” – Concerto Magazine

“In Abbasi’s hands, the globe’s music feels relentlessly new and progressive.” – Los Angeles Times

Comprehending the vastness of music’s evolution over almost a century, even in terms of jazz and world music alone, can be pretty mind-blowing – yet New York-based guitarist/composer Rez Abbasi spans that arc with an original release of quintet music based on A Throw of Dice (A Romance of India), a vintage black-and-white Indian-German silent film from 1929.