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Continue reading →: Roberto Magris: Lovely Day(s)JMOOD 025 (RELEASED SEPTEMBER 1, 2025) What kind of pianist is Roberto Magris? This rare solo recording from the Italian jazz master answers that question. Roberto Magris is an investigative pianist. Unencumbered from a rhythm section and free from his outstanding arrangements for larger ensembles, Magris gets the opportunity to…
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Continue reading →: Anat Fort: The Dreamworld of Paul MotianSUNNYSIDE RECORDS (RELEASED AUGUST 15, 2025) Ever wonder what the DNA double helix might sound like if it were music? The answer is Anat Fort’s The Dreamworld of Paul Motian. Pianist Fort and guitarist Steve Cardenas are two linked strands that wind around each other as they explore the music…
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Continue reading →: Bruce Gertz: Octopus DreamsOPEN MIND JAZZ 017 (RELEASED AUGUST 15, 2025) The image of an octopus gracefully navigating through shifting currents is an apt description for the music on bassist’s Bruce Gertz’s Octopus Dreams. The quintet gracefully glides through the lyrical melodies, inviting harmonies and shifting rhythms of seven Gertz originals. The music…
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Continue reading →: Ivan Farmakovsky: Epic PowerSTEEPLECHASE RECORDS (RELEASED AUGUST 8, 2025) A jazz pianist born and raised in Russia dreams of recording with bassist Christian McBride and drummer Jack DeJohnette. That dream came true in 2010, and the results of that encounter are now available on Ivan Farmakovsky’s Epic Power. This third release from Farmakovsky…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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