I’ve fallen behind in my listening and reviewing, so to catch up a bit, here are four short reviews of ear-worthy releases from reedman Michael Blake’s septet, bass soloist Brandon Lopez, pianist Jean-Michel Pilc’s trio, and the duo of altoist Pierrick Pédron and pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Happy listening, to one and all.
On Marbles, pianist/composer Falkner Evans employs a sextet (occasionally septet) of stellar and well-known New York musicians to produce richly colored harmonies across nine original compositions. On Tides, the Swiss quartet Phraim, fronted by vocalist Nina Reiter, delivers a robust collection of distinctively original compositions that blend elements of rock, jazz, and art song.
