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Continue reading →: Jon De Lucia: The Brubeck Octet ProjectMUSAEUM CLAUSUM 003 (RECORDED DECEMBER 2023) The joy on Jon De Lucia’s face on the back cover of The Brubeck Octet Project says it all. The joy of discovering many of Dave Brubeck’s handwritten charts for the innovative sessions he recorded between 1946 and 1950. The joy of retaining the contrapuntalintricacy of…
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Continue reading →: Loren Stillman: Live @Firehouse 12SELF-PRODUCED (RECORDED DECEMBER 15, 2023) The Loren Stillman trio is on fire on this live recording from Firehouse 12 in New Haven, Connecticut. The fire saxophonist Stillman and the trio of bassist Drew Gress and drummer Mark Ferber create is not a burning inferno of blistering notes, but a smoldering…
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Continue reading →: Yvonnick Prene/ Geoffrey Keezer: Jobim’s WorldSUNNYSIDE RECORDS 1727 (RECORDED IN 2023) Based on their performances on Jobim’s World, harmonica player Yvonnick Prene and pianist Geoffrey Keezer would be exceptional tango partners. According to one source, tango involves a leader and follower. The leader, through embraces, gives openings to the follower and the follower decides how…
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Continue reading →: Nasheet Waits: New York Love Letter (Bittersweet)GIANT STEP ARTS 14. (RECORDED MAY 2021 & MARCH 2022) Based on the cover of New York Love Letter (Bittersweet), you might expect drummer Nasheet Waits’ new release to be a bit moody and mysterious. Quite the contrary. Other than the original “Moonchild,” the remaining five tracks on this recording are…
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Continue reading →: Remedy: Live at JazzkammerSELF-PRODUCED (RECORDED APRIL 2024) Three old friends gather for a conversation. At times, they listen intently to one another, adding comments that build on the topic. At other times, one might pose a question that subtly changes the topic. They agree on some points. Bicker about others. They may raise their…
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Continue reading →: Tarbaby: You Think This AmericaGIANT STEP ARTS 11 (RECORDED AUGUST 2022) Pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Nasheet Waits demonstrate their circus skills on You Think This America. The trio, known as Tarbaby, expertly balances,juggles and contorts melodies, harmonies and rhythms through a set that includes originals and compositions from jazz legends…
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Continue reading →: Fernando Huergo Big Band: RelentlessWHALING CITY SOUND 142. (RECORDED NOVEMBER 2023) The promotional material for Fernando Huergo’s new release notes “Genre: Latin Jazz.” Although bassist, bandleader and composer Huergo is a native of Argentina and some of the tunes are in Spanish, this is a big band record, and a damn good one at…
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Continue reading →: Tony Moreno: Ballads, Volume 1SUNNYSIDE RECORDS 1720 (RELEASED MAY 2024) Some drummers might shy away from recording a whole CD of ballads fearing that the slow tempos and melancholy melodies would never give them a chance to shine. Not the case on Tony Moreno’s Ballads, Volume 1. The opening track, Matt Dennis’ “Violets for Your…
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Continue reading →: Randy Weinstein: HarmonimonkRANDOM CHANCE RECORDS 50 (NO RECORDING DATE) I host a weekly radio show called Straight, No Chaser on KFMG-FM in Des Moines, Iowa. I open each show with a different version of that Thelonius Monk classic (and there are hundreds of them). Although Randy Weinstein’s version from his recent Harmonimonkrelease made it…
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Continue reading →: Frank London: Spirit Stronger Than BloodESP-DISK (RECORDED JULY 2023) Trumpeter Frank London steps out from the shadows of the Klezmatics and radical Jewish music to deliver Spirit Stronger Than Blood, a release inspired by some of his favorite jazz recordings. The opening track, “Let There Be Peace” starts with a prayer-like melody reminiscent of Alice…
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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