Glenn Astarita

Prominent Norwegian improvisers Frode Gjerstad (alto saxophone, clarinets) and m: Paal Nilssen-Love (drums) toured North America in 2008 sans a bassist, and recorded this album at a studio in upstate New York, accentuating their synergy via a largely rough and tumble implementation. Gjerstad shows a fondness for the upper-register and produces a myriad of microtonal and edgy sound-sculpting statements atop Nilssen-Love’s bustling polyrhythms, infused with perpetual motion and resonating counter-maneuvers…

The UK-based Dialogues Trio was formed in 2005 and is led by pianist Bruno Heinen, who sports an insightful compositional pen here on the band’s debut, Twinkle Twinkle. The musicians often radiate a workingman’s type process, where no dillydallying or inflated soloing escapades rule the roost. Featuring reedman m: Julian Siegel, lending his wares on select tracks, it’s an album that yields supplementary rewards on ensuing listens…

New York City-based tenor saxophonist Jerome Sabbagh has made the rounds by performing with a who’s who of modern jazz artists amid his flourishing career as a solo artist. Possessing a stout tone and commanding presence, the artist’s lyrically resplendent phraseology is often a good fit for a variety of jazz settings, including mainstream and the outside realm. With his acoustic-electric quartet, Sabbagh enjoys a notable affiliation with Belgian keyboard virtuoso Jozef Dumoulin, who spawns a polytonal, electronics vista, complete with subliminal surprises and a consortium of bizarre twists and turns. It’s a frothy, upbeat set where progressive-jazz and nouveau electronics signal an acquiescent medium, fused by abstract expressionism and standard contexts…

Among studies with new music icons, reedman m: Anthony Braxton and trombonist m: George Lewis, alto saxophonist Steve Lehman has emerged as an important figures in the recent shift towards a more radical spin on jazz. Pushing the envelope is a common thrust for Lehman, who historically enjoys working within a tight-knit trio setting. On this release, he tenders a fervent mix of jazz standards and originals…

Drummer and keyboardist Gary Husband follows up Dirty and Beautiful Volume 1 (Abstract Logix, 2010) with a second volume, consummated by a star-studded aggregation of progressive rock, jazz-rock and jazz fusion instrumentalists, most of whom are Abstract Logix recording artists. Husband draws upon disparate frameworks; jazz improvisation, electronica, and other facets seed a fertile underpinning in concert with the musicians’ signature styles…