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Continue reading →: Rich Halley: A Distant LandPINE EAGLE RECORDS (RELEASED SEPTEMBER 11m 2026) With a Master of Science in Biology, saxophonist Rich Halley knows a thing or two about organisms. I looked up the textbook definition of organism and found some intriguing parallels with Halley’s latest release, A Distant Land. Organisms are made up of cells, and in the…
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Continue reading →: Eunjung Jo: Goodbye BlackbirdSORI-E-NAITE MUSIC CO. (RELEASED AUGUST 28, 2026) I typically review music that comes my way from artists, record companies and publicists, but every so often I come across a release that deserves wider attention. Bassist Eunjung Jo’s Goodbye Blackbird is such a recording. Although this is her third session as a leader,…
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Continue reading →: Ale Nunez: Blue RoomCELLAR MUSIC (RELEASED AUGUST 28, 2026) It is fitting that Canadian vocalist Ale Nunez opens her debut recording, Blue Room, with Duke Ellington’s “I’m Just a Lucky So and So.” She is indeed lucky to have guitarist Peter Bernstein and bassist Neil Swainson as her partners on this intimate collection. Together,…
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Continue reading →: Richard Tabnik: I Remember ConnieNEW ARTISTS1080 (RELEASED APRIL 2026) Shortly after the death of his teacher, collaborator and friend Connie Crothers in 2016, alto saxophonist Richard Tabnik took his quartet into the studio to record I Remember Connie. So devastated by the loss of such an important figure in his life, Tabnik did not listen…
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Continue reading →: Jim Rotondi & Dena DeRose: Out of the PastCELLAR MUSIC (RELEASED AUGUST 21, 2026) If Geoffrey Chaucer were reviewing Out of the Past, he might borrow the phrase he first used in The Canterbury Tales in 1386: “better late than never.” This 2024 session featuring trumpeter Jim Rotondi and pianist/vocalist Dena DeRose is finally seeing the light of day, thanks to…
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Continue reading →: Rob Dixon: Naptown SoulSTRIKEZONE (RELEASED AUGUST 21, 2026) Back when I owned a record store (1969–1975), we always kept a stack of “sellers” near the stereo—records that would result in an immediate sale whenever we played them. If I were in business today, Rob Dixon’s Naptown Soul would certainly be in that stack. Regardless of…
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Continue reading →: Miki Yamanaka: BreatheCELLAR MUSIC (RELEASED AUGUST 14, 2026) The kimono Miki Yamanaka wears on the cover of Breathe is not a traditional design. Instead, it combines contemporary fashion with Japanese-inspired motifs. The same could be said of Yamanaka’s music. Rooted firmly in the jazz tradition, Breathe draws on hard bop, soul jazz and post-bop while approaching…
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Continue reading →: Mike Clark: Time Without BeginningWIDE HIVE 0393 (RELEASED AUGUST 7, 2026) Although he only takes one extended drum solo on his new release, Time Without Beginning can best be described as a drummer-forward session. Leader Mike Clark’s rhythmic accentuations, backbeats, paradiddles and crisp cymbal hits drive the veteran ensemble of trumpeter Eddie Henderson, saxophonist…
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Continue reading →: Nicola Miller: Spit!WATCH THAT ENDS THE NIGHT RECORDS (RELEASED AUGUST 7, 2026) If you want to know what elastic sounds like, listen to Nicola Miller’s Spit!, a follow up to her 2024 debut recording Living Things. Working with the same band that appeared on that release — Miller on alto sax and…
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Continue reading →: Tom Teasley/Dave Ballou: Inner PlayTOMISM RECORDS (RELEASED JUNE 1, 2026) You walk into an art gallery and are confronted with an exhibition of twelve paintings created by two artists who are frequent collaborators. At first glance, you notice some distinct similarities between the pieces, but upon closer examination you begin to appreciate the touches…
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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