Jun 3, 2025 11:25 AM
In Memoriam: Al Foster, 1943–2025
Al Foster, a drummer regarded for his fluency across the bebop, post-bop and funk/fusion lineages of jazz, died May 28…
Chicago-based pianist Matt Piet’s set to release a new album with Four Letter Words, a trio that also includes tenor saxophonist Jake Wark and drummer Bill Harris.
(Photo: Matt Schwerin)
The pianist also helms the Matt Piet Trio, a group dubbed His Disorganization and performs in a trio with reedist Dave Rempis and drummer Tim Daisy.
(Photo: Matt Schwerin)Pinch Point seems like a similar conceit to Rummage Out, but they sound totally different.
Pinch Point is like the culmination of a lot of efforts with Bill and Jay. I owe them a lot, because they’ve been my most consistent collaborators over the last couple years. They were the first people that I collaborated with [in Chicago], and what we set out to do initially was to be a band that only improvised. We wanted it to be this trio that had no leader, and we kept getting together and trying to rehearse, improvise, rehearse; improvising over and over and over again. And eventually, we realized that we needed to write tunes just so that we could get into the improvising and develop a sound together.
The premise of City In A Garden lends itself to additional volumes. So, is that an idea that you’re going to revisit, structuring an album that way?
I’m really happy with the way that it turned out, so it could be something to do again. But right now, it feels very much like out of the three big records that I put out last year—and now with Pinch Point, it feels like I have to take a step back and maybe do something smaller. Not necessarily less ambitious, but just smaller in scope. So, maybe more duo stuff with one musician or something that’s the opposite of asking seven people to record, which is a rather daunting task. DB
Foster was truly a drummer to the stars, including Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson.
Jun 3, 2025 11:25 AM
Al Foster, a drummer regarded for his fluency across the bebop, post-bop and funk/fusion lineages of jazz, died May 28…
Roscoe Mitchell will receive a Lifetime Achievement award at this year’s Vision Festival.
May 27, 2025 6:21 PM
Arts for Art has announced the full lineup for the 2025 Vision Festival, which will run June 2–7 at Roulette…
Benny Benack III and his quartet took the Midwest Jazz Collective’s route for a test run this spring.
Jun 3, 2025 10:31 AM
The time and labor required to tour is, for many musicians, daunting at best and prohibitive at worst. It’s hardly…
To record Dream Manifest (Dom Recs), Croker convened artists from his current and recent past ensembles, plus special guests.
Jun 10, 2025 4:13 PM
Partway through his early set at Smoke Jazz Club, Theo Croker blinks the room back into focus. He leans over the piano.…
“There’s nothing quite like it,” Springs says of working with an orchestra. “It’s 60 people working in harmony in the moment. Singing with them is kind of empowering but also humbling at the same time.”
Jun 17, 2025 11:12 AM
When it came time to pose for the cover of her new album, Lady In Satin — a tribute to Billie Holiday’s 1958…
