Hoven Droven

Truus van Bueren, Care for the Here and the Hereafter: a Multitude of Possibilities; Samuel K. Cohn, Jr., Triumph over Plague: Culture and Memory after the Black Death.

Wizard of Strings Geir Sundstøl is back with his fourth solo album, St.Hanshaugen Steel. The title is an homage to the long gone steel factory located on his own stomping ground, and also a reference to Sundstøl’s reputable broad spectrum-treatment of the pedal steel guitar.

There is much to admire in “Songs of Bukovina.” It reveals before our eyes the world that is quiet, luminous, and downright happy (as opposed to the poignant “Odessa,” which shakes you to the core, leaving you gasping for air.) In fact, to watch this “Songs” is to partake in a festive village gathering and to experience what it feels like to be on a sunny afternoon in the area of the title, Bukovina, a picturesque region located on the northern side of Carpathians. When you watch “Songs,” you envision the bright rays of the sun illuminating the ground and almost feel a breeze of fresh mountain air. (These effects are in no small part due to the gorgeous lighting, created by Brad Fields, which floods the stage with an appealing golden glow and create a summery atmosphere.)

Professor Emeritus of Jazz Studies (Eastman College of Music, Univ. of Rochester) Harold Danko pays homage to Be Bop’s song-smith Duke Jordan here in an inaugural meeting with New York’s rising star cornetist Kirk Knuffke. Duke Jordan’s distinctive melodies receive Danko/Knuffke duo’s refined and creative reading and mingle naturally with their free tunes in between.