July 2019

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Anat Cohen

‘The Will To Be Flexible’

DownBeat catches up with the renowned clarinetist, who continues to raise her profile as an ambitious, versatile bandleader. The Anat Cohen Tentet’s sophomore album is Triple Helix, a collaboration with composer and producer Oded Lev-Ari.

Features
  • Art Ensemble of Chicago

    ‘The Music Never Lies’

    In recent years, fans of The Art Ensemble of Chicago have had little reason to expect new music from the revered collective. But surprisingly, in October, 15 years after its previous studio recording and about a decade after its last commercially released live performance, the AEC observed its Golden Anniversary by recording the double live album We Are On Edge: A 50th Anniversary Celebration.

  • Melissa Aldana

    Indisputable Command

    “At some point, I started feeling that I wanted something different,” Aldana recalled. “I heard more piano, and vibraphone is an instrument I have always loved. I wanted to develop my writing more and start incorporating richer harmonies.”

  • Theo Croker

    ‘Catalyst for Action’

    The development of Star People Nation—the first album in which Croker has sole producer credit—involved an 18-month journey to both U.S. coasts and multiple recording studios, where he played auxiliary keyboards and synths, crafted electronic and acoustic beats, incorporated samples and wrote lyrics to be sung by himself and special guests.

Blindfold Test

Mike Clark was tested on the following tracks for the “Blindfold Test”:

  • Joris Teepe: “Multi-Kulti” from In The Spirit Of Rashied Ali (Jazz Tribes)
  • Jared Gold: “It Ain’t Necessarily So” from Reemergence (Strikezone)
  • Dave Liebman: “Inferno” from Fire (Jazzline)
  • Azar Lawrence: “Elementals” from Elementals (High Note)
  • Larry Fuller: “Got My Mojo Workin’” from Overjoyed (Capri)
  • Günter Baby Sommer: “Special Guest #1–Danny Boy” from Baby’s Party (Intakt)
  • Donny McCaslin: “Beast” from Blow. (Motéma)
  • The Chick Corea + Steve Gadd Band: “Like I Was Sayin’” from Chinese Butterfly (Concord)
  • Emmett Cohen: “Concerto For Cobb” from Masters Legacy Series, Vol. 1 (Cellar Live)
Also in this Issue
Guitar School
  • Solo Guitar Mastery by Mimi Fox
  • Master Class by Tom Taylor
  • Andy Summers Transcription


PLUS: Dozens of album reviews, product reviews and much more!