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Continue reading →: Maria Kaushansky: Northbound to FinchFLAT SIXTH RECORDS 1001 (RELEASED OCTOBER 17, 2025) Maria Kaushansky’s music on Northbound to Finch is inspired as much by her years growing up in Toronto as it is by the pianistic stylings of Brad Mehldau, Joni Mitchell and Chick Corea as well as her classical training. So, it not…
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Continue reading →: David Kikoski: Weekend at SmallsCELLAR MUSIC (RELEASED SEPTEMBER 26, 2025) Pianist David Kikoski could have easily assembled a group of Smalls’ regulars and run through a set of standards for his two-night booking at that New York City club. Thankfully, for Weekend at Smalls, he opted for something a bit more challenging played by…
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Continue reading →: Brandon Suarez: IntroducingCELLAR JAZZ (RELEASED SEPTEMBER 19, 2025) Looking at the label, songs and musicians on a recording can give you an indication of what the music might sound like. Such is the case for Introducing from up-and-coming tenor player Brandon Suarez. Recorded on the Canadian Cellar Jazz label usually assures you…
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Continue reading →: Satoko Fujii & Natsuki Tamara: KiLIBRA RECORDS 102 081 (RELEASED SEPTEMBER 19) What do two Japanese jazz artists have in common with a German architect? Three words — “less is more!” Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe popularized that phrase as a way of saying that beauty and impact are achieved by stripping down elements…
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Continue reading →: Billy Lester: High StandardsULTRA SOUND RECORDS 342 (RELEASED SEPTEMBER 12, 2025) If he had not come under the tutelage of legendary pianist and Lennie Tristano disciple Sal Mosca, Billy Lester’s new recording would probably be like many other piano triosworking through a set of familiar standards. Thankfully, because of Mosca’s impact on Lester,…
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Continue reading →: Eric Alexander: Like SugarCELLAR MUSIC (RELEASED SEPTEMBER 10, 2025) Putting Stanley Turrentine’s Sugar on the stereo in my record store back in the early 1970s would assure me of a sale. The music was accessible, soulful and intoxicating. Much the same can be said about Like Sugar, the newest release from tenor saxophonist…
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Continue reading →: Neal Miner: InvisibilityCELLAR JAZZ (RELEASED SEPTEMBER 5, 2025) There is something very familiar with the music of bassist Neal Miner, saxophonist Chris Byars and drummer Jason Tiemann on Invisibility. Many of the tunes bear a striking resemblance to the music of jazz legends such as Charlie Parker, Horace Silver, Kenny Dorham or…
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Continue reading →: Timo Vollbrecht: Bremen/New YorkBERTHOLD RECORDS (RELEASED SEPTEMBER 5, 2025) Saxophonist, Doctor of Philosophy, Ivy League professor, and scholar Timo Vollbrecht is working on a book about ECM legend Manfred Eicher. So, it is no surprise that his new release, Bremen/New York, is a textbook example of what ECM is all about — meticulously…
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Continue reading →: Conrad Herwig: Reflections-Facing SouthSAVANT (RELEASED AUGUST 29, 2025) I’ll admit it, I am not a huge fan of Lartin jazz! Too often the sensuous and lyrical melodies are obliterated by blaring trumpets and overpowered by the incessant beat of congas, timbales and other drums. Thankfully, that is not the case with the music…
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Continue reading →: Miguel Zenon: Vanguardia SubterraneaMIEL MUSIC (RELEASED AUGUST 29, 2025) If you need further proof that saxophonist Miguel Zenón is an energetic and exciting player, listen to Vanguardia Subterránea. The energy comes from Zenón’s compositions which blend his Puerto Rican heritage with contemporary jazz, his note-after-note assaults and the explosive playing of pianist Luis…
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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