Jan 21, 2025 7:54 PM
Southern California Fires Hit the Jazz Community
Roy McCurdy and his wife had just finished eating dinner and were relaxing over coffee in their Altadena home, when he…
Astral Project, one of New Orleans’ top modern jazz groups, released its first full-length
recording in three years, Big Shot on April 1. The album of 11 original tunes will be available on the Internet, at select record stores and at concerts starting April 1.
Big Shot finds Astral Project indulging more than ever before in the playful grooves of the Crescent City. The tunes “Spherical” and “Retroactive” illustrate saxophonist Tony Dagradi’s command of the blues. “Magic Lantern” and “Pandemonium” are from the ever-inventive pen of bassis t James Singleton. Guitarist Steve Masakowski contributed the funky opening and closing cuts. Meanwhile, drummer John Vidacovich propels the entire project with streetwise drive.
But the record also reflects the band’s thoughtful side with the song “Vigil (for Sept. 11)” and its companion piece, “Vengeance.” Both were written by Steve Masakowski in the days immediately after the terrorist attacks of last autumn. Extensive liner notes by James Singleton provide details of those emotional days.
Big Shot is Astral Project’s first release following the departure last year of longtime pianist David Torkanowsky. These arrangements—fine-tuned on the road—showcase a quartet brimming with spontaneous communication and focused intensity.
The CD was recorded “live in the studio” at Word of Mouth in the Algiers Point section of New Orleans. Most of the takes were selected from a briskly-paced set the band played on the last day of a three-day session. Astral Project and friend/collaborator Michael Pellera produced the disc to capture the most natural sounds and vibes.
“It felt great as we were laying it down,” says Tony Dagradi, who founded Astral Project in 1978 from the cream of the New Orleans modern jazz scene. “And I love the way it came out. It’s definitely our best record yet.”
For more information, and to order the CD, go to www.astralproject.com.
Gerald and John Clayton at the family home in Altadena during a photo shoot for the June 2022 cover of DownBeat. The house was lost during the Los Angeles fires.
Jan 21, 2025 7:54 PM
Roy McCurdy and his wife had just finished eating dinner and were relaxing over coffee in their Altadena home, when he…
“She said, ‘A lot of people are going to try and stop you,’” Sheryl Bailey recalls of the advice she received from jazz guitarist Emily Remler (1957–’90). “‘They’re going to say you slept with somebody, you’re a dyke, you’re this and that and the other. Don’t listen to them, and just keep playing.’”
Feb 3, 2025 10:49 PM
In the April 1982 issue of People magazine, under the heading “Lookout: A Guide To The Up and Coming,” jazz…
The Old Country: More From The Deer Head Inn arrives 30 years after ECM issued the Keith Jarret Trio live album At The Deer Head Inn.
Jan 21, 2025 7:38 PM
Last November, Keith Jarrett, who has not played publicly since suffering two strokes in 2018, greenlighted ECM to drop…
“With jazz I thought it must be OK to be Black, for the first time,” says singer Sofia Jernberg.
Jan 2, 2025 10:50 AM
On Musho (Intakt), her recent duo album with pianist Alexander Hawkins, singer Sofia Jernberg interprets traditional…
“The first recording I owned with Brazilian music on it was Wayne Shorter’s Native Dancer,” says Renee Rosnes. “And then I just started to go down the rabbit hole.”
Jan 16, 2025 2:02 PM
In her four-decade career, Renee Rosnes has been recognized as a singular voice, both as a jazz composer and a…
