-
Continue reading →: Ron Blake: Scratch Band7ten33 PRODUCTIONS 002 (RELEASED AUGUST 8, 2025) Keeping music simple and soulful is a characteristic of scratch bands that one can hear in the Virgin Islands. Having grown up in that part of the world, saxophonist Ron Blake is well aware of this musical tradition that makes music enjoyable, engaging…
-
Continue reading →: Eric McPherson: Double Bass Quartet-LiveGIANT STEP ARTS RECORDS (Released July 25, 2025) Even though he led a recording session in 2008, with the release of Double Bass Quartet-Live drummer Eric McPherson has truly made the transition from sought after sideman to consummate band leader. Having added his polyrhythmic sensibilities to a growing number of…
-
Continue reading →: Rico Jones: BloodLinesGIANT STEP ARTS (RELEASED JULY 25. 2025) Saxophonist Rico Jones has created an intricate musical tapestry with the release of his debut recording BloodLines. Like master weavers, the music created by Jones, guitarist Max Light, bassist Joe Martin and drummer Nasheet Waits involves an endless series of choices and decisions…
-
Continue reading →: Dave Sewelson, Steve Swell, Matthew Shipp, William Parker & Steve Hirsh: Muscle MemoryMAHAKALA MUSIC (RELEASED MARCH 2025) Mahakala Music delivers another outstanding session of seamlessly shifting spontaneous sounds. Seamless, because the musicians — Dave Sewelson on baritone sax, Steve Swell on trombone, Matthew Shipp on piano, William Parker on bass and Steve Hirsh on drums — have a knack for effortlessly moving…
-
Continue reading →: Jacob Chung: Live at Frankie’s Jazz ClubCELLAR MUSIC (RELEASED JULY 11, 2025) It’s not groundbreaking. It’s not political. It’s not abstract. Saxophonist Jacob Chung’s latest record, Live at Frankie’s Jazz Club, is simply solid. Everything about it — the tunes, the musicianship, the solos — speaks to one truth — the vitality of hard-driving jazz. For…
-
Continue reading →: Gonzalo Rubalcaba: First Meeting5 PASSION RECORDS (RELEASED JULY 11, 2025) Jason Olaine, vice president of programming at Jazz at Lincoln Center, has a proven track record for presenting Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba in various settings. When he was artistic director at Yoshi’s in Oakland, California, Olaine arranged a duo session for Rubalcaba and…
-
Continue reading →: Jaleel Shaw: Painter of the InvisbleCHANGU RECORDS (RELEASED JULY 11) Recording the 11 tracks on Painter of the Invisible must have been a highly emotional experience for saxophonist Jaleel Shaw. For starters, it was his first album in 13 years! Second, each composition serves as a tribute to significant figures in Shaw’s life. Accompanied by…
-
Continue reading →: Jimmy Bennington: Blue Veils and Bright StarsTHATSWAN! RECORDS 1013 (RELEASED MAY 2025) Drummer Jimmy Bennington unearthed a treasure with the release of Blue Veils and Bright Stars. Recorded in 2005, this session features Bennington with legendary trombonist Julian Priester and Canadian bassist Paul Blaney, truly a talent deserving wider recognition. Bennington and Priester were working with…
-
Continue reading →: Itai Kriss: DaybreakJOJO RECORDS (RELEASED JUNE 27, 2025) If Itai Kriss’ intent was to showcase the versality of the flute on Daybreak, he succeeded.His sixth release covers everything from hard bop burners to Latin American grooves and ballads to Middle Eastern motifs. If his purpose was to demonstrate his virtuosity on flute,…
-
Continue reading →: Amina Claudine Myers: Solace of the MindRED HOOK RECORDS (RELEASED JUNE 20, 2025) In the late 1970s and early 1980s, pianist Amina Claudine Myers added her rich musical roots in Baptist and Methodist church music, gospel and rhythm and blues to the recordings of Lester Bowie, Muhal Richard Abrams, Frank Lowe and many other forward-thinking musicians…
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.
Join the fun!
Stay updated with our latest reviews.
PAPATAMUS REDUX 