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Continue reading →: Greg Reitan: The Bounding LineSUNNYSIDE 1740 (RELEASED SEPTEMBER 6, 2024) What’s the difference between Greg Reitan’s The Bounding Line and the five trio recordings (2008-2019) that preceded it? One big difference is the lack of any jazz standards or selections from The Great American Songbook. Over the years, Reitan has focused more on his…
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Continue reading →: Neil Swainson: Here For A WhileCELLAR MUSIC (RECORDED FEBRUARY 2024) Every so often, Canadian bassist Neil Swainson steps out from the shadows of a rhythm section in someone else’s group to lead his own band. Here For a While is his third release as a leader during his 50-plus year career. As in his past…
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Continue reading →: Rahsaan Barber: Six WordsJAZZ MUSIC CITY (RELEASED SEPTEMBER 2024) In 2021, saxophonist Rahsaan Barber released a double CD featuring 15 of his original compositions. His music reminded me of the soul and swagger of some classic Strata East dates from the 1970s. Using some of the same musicians (Roland Barber on trombone and…
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Continue reading →: Patricia Brennan: Breaking StretchPYROCLASTIC PR 35 (RELEASED SEPTEMBER 6 2024) What happens when you combine the complex rhythms of salsa music with the jazz fusion of “Bitches Brew,” the anthem sounds of the Liberation Music Orchestra and the foreboding mood of film noir? Vibraphonist Patricia Brennan does it on Breaking Stretch, adding saxophonists…
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Continue reading →: Art Hirahara: Good CompanyPOSI-TONE RECORDS 8260 (RECORDED FEBRUARY 2023) The cover design for Good Company says it all — three instruments, each with their own distinct colors , combine to form even more colors. The primary colors of this unique ensemble are pianist Art Hirahara, guitarist Paul Bollenback and trumpet/flugelhorn player Ron Horton.…
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Continue reading →: Rolf Billberg: At Subland Malmo, Sweden 1965Rolf Billberg: At Subland Malmo, Sweden 1965 STEEPLECHASE RECORDS 26043. (RECORDED IN 1965/RELEASED AUGUST 2024) At a time when many saxophonists were under the spell of the great Charlie Parker,a handful of players were enthralled more with the cool sounds of Lee Konitz. Swedish born Rolf Billberg was one of…
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Continue reading →: Dave Scott: Setting StandardsSTEEPLECHASE RECORDS 31965 (RELEASED AUGUST 2024) In his liner notes for Dave Scott’s first Steeplechase release (Song For Amy), jazz critic Mark Gardner noted “this is a group with much to say and a stimulating, unhackneyed way of saying it.” Even though only one member of that group (bassist John…
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Continue reading →: Jeff Rupert: It Gets BetterRUPE MEDIA 71524 (SEPTEMBER 2021) There is an ice cream shop not far from our home that specializes in funky and creative flavors. Yet, they seem incapable of producing a good vanilla. Sounds like some of the recordings I have been hearing lately – lots of funky and creative adaptations,…
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Continue reading →: Glenn Zaleski: Star DreamsSUNNYSIDE RECORDS SSC 1744 (RELEASED AUGUST 2024) Pianist Glenn Zaleski and his trio explore the past, create the present and foreshadow the future of the classic piano trio format on Star Dreams. When it comes to re-interpreting jazz from the past, Zaleski and his trio of bassist Dezron Douglas and…
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Continue reading →: Steve Hirsh: Out on a LimbSOUL CITY 0020 (RECORDED APRIL 2023) Seems like “freedom” is the new buzz word for politicians these days. Yet, forward-thinking jazz musicians have been talking and playing about freedom since the music’s inception. One of the latest examples of that freedom is the collective featured on Out on a Limb…
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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