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Continue reading →: I Am Three: In Other WordsLEO RECORDS 939 (RECORDED MARCH 2022) Having recorded two CDs of the music of Charles Mingus, the trio of Nikolaus Neuser on trumpet, Silke Eberhard on alto and Christian Marien on drums strikes out on their own with In Other Words. This time, he trio, known as I Am Three, uses…
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Continue reading →: Vanisha Gould & Chris McCarthy: Life’s a GigFRESH SOUND/NEW TALENT 669. (RECORDED APRIL 2022) Every great painting deserves an equally impressive frame. In the case of Life’s a Gig, vocalist Vanisha Gould is the picture, while pianist Chris McCarthy provides the ideal frame. Rather than merely imitating her inspirations (Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, etc.), Gould makes…
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Continue reading →: Mina Cho: Beat MirageIGJI 0075. (RECORDING DATE NOT AVAILABLE) Korean and jazz rhythms come together in Mina Cho’s Beat Mirage. The result is as tasty and spicy as your favorite Korean restaurant. Cho and her band, The Grace Beat Quartet, serve up a hypnotic appetizer with the shamanic chanting of “Nacht Song,” a piece…
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Continue reading →: Steve Ash: You and the NightCELLAR MUSIC 042423. (RECORDED JANUARY 2023) “There’s no place like home” would be an appropriate title for pianist Steve Ash’s latest release on Cellar Music. Not only was the session recorded in the familiar setting of his home, but the eight tunes played on You and the Night feel right at home…
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Continue reading →: Christian Marien: How Long is NowMARMADE RECORDS 002 (RECORDED APRIL 2023) I have a feeling Christian Marien listened to some old Jimmy Guiffre recordings before going into the studio to record How Long Is Now. However, rather than simply recreating the instrumentation, folk-like melodies and intertwining guitar and reed lines of Giufree’s work, Marien and his…
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Continue reading →: Richard Nelson & Makrokosmos Orchestra: DissolveADHYAROPA RECORDS 0053 (NO RECORDING DATE AVAILABLE) At first glance, the new release from Richard Nelson and the Makrokosmos Orchestra grabbed my interest. The name conjured up the cosmic sounds and free flowing improvisations of the Sun Ra Arkestra. Then consider the “orchestra” which includes familiar names such as saxophonist…
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Continue reading →: Geoffrey Dean: FoundationAMP 59TO (RECORDED JUNE 2023) This recording disproves a statement once made by George Bernard Shaw — “Those who can do, those who can’t teach.” The four educators featured of Geoffrey Dean’s Foundation certainly do! They do justice to a selection of lesser-known tunes from composers such as Sam Rivers. Duke Pearson, Elmo…
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Continue reading →: Mike Downes: The Way InM MUSIC (RECRDED JUNE 2023) On his latest release, Canadian bassist Mike Downes promises that the music will takethe listener into a meditative, beautiful place. Although it may achieve that goal, it does it at the expense of any music that holds my interest. The ensemble of Downes on bass,…
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Continue reading →: Satoko Fujii: UnwrittenLIBRA 207 (RECORDED MAY 2023) The name of this group as well as the name of the recording speaks volumes about what you will hear on the recent release from Satoko Fuji, who Cadence once described as “the Ellington of free jazz.” The group name Kaze is the Japanese word…
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Continue reading →: Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra: Tidal Currents, East Meets WestCHRONOGRAPH 109 (RECORDED DECEMBER 2022 – MARCH 2023) Two of the most compelling writers for big band jazz —Jill Townsend and Christine Jensen —share impressions of their native Canada on the seventh release from the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra. Townsend captures the turbulence of Canada’s west coast on “Inside The Wave”…
Hello,
Welcome to Papatamus Redux
I started reading Cadence in the early 1980s. Since that time, I have come to respect editor and jazz critic Robert Rusch for his intelligent, succinct and unbiased reviews. Over the past twenty years, it has been my pleasure to get to know Robert and his family, making frequent trips from our home in Iowa to New York’s North Country. Several years ago, I was honored to be asked to help edit Robert’s Papatamus column.
I was equally honored to be asked by his family to keep Robert’s legacy of intelligent, succinct and unbiased jazz reviews alive with Papatamus Redux. You can view older editions of Papatamus at papatamus.com.
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