John Irabagon

"Jon Irabagon releases the latest installment of his I Don't Hear Nothin' but the Blues series, adding rising star Ava Mendoza to his no-frills, brutal ensemble.

Mostly Other People Do The Killing - The Coimbra Concert (2011) {2CD Clean Feed CF214CD}
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© 2011 Clean Feed / Trem Azul | CF214CD
Jazz / Post-Bop / Avant-Garde Jazz

The stand-up comic begins, "I went to a day of rage riot the other day, and a Moppa Elliott concert broke out." He might continue with, "Take my jazz canon, please." That is just what the bassist's quartet, Mostly Other People Do The Killing, does—seize the jazz standard and demolish it. The Coimbra Concert is the first live recording by the group, following its fourth studio record, Forty Fort (Hot Cup, 2009).

Mostly Other People Do The Killing - Shamokin!!! (2007) {Hot Cup 063}
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© 2007 Moppa Music / Hot Cup Records | Hot Cup 063
Jazz / Post-Bop / Avant-Garde Jazz

Bassist Moppa Elliot is clearly fond of Ornette Coleman's music, and this second quartet date with his unctuously titled band Most Other People Do the Killing, or MOPDTK for short, expands on that influence. Free swing and funk with a piquant edge, a taste for harmelodics, ragged rhythm, and approximate note phrases identify their sound. Trumpeter Peter Evans and alto saxophonist Jon Irabagon, two notable rising star jazz improvisers, create the tension-and-release elements that spark this music, backed by Elliott's playful and bold basslines and the loose, craggy drumming of Kevin Shea.

Mary Halvorson Octet - Away With You (2016) {Firehouse 12 FH12-04-01-024}
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© 2016 Firehouse 12 / Mary Halvorson | FH12-04-01-024
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Guitar

Continuing her streak of outstanding releases, guitarist extraordinaire Mary Halvorson once again shows her determination to build upon her unique style as a composer and bandleader. She's taken her septet from 2013's superb Illusionary Sea and added an eighth member, pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn, and the resulting music is typical Halvorson: harmonically complex, emotionally compelling, and full of interesting moments worth savoring.

Brooklyn-based guitarist, composer, and MacArthur fellow Mary Halvorson’s new album, Cloudward, is due January 19, 2024 on Nonesuch Records. The album features eight new compositions by Halvorson, performed with her sextet Amaryllis; the improvisatory band that performed on her critically praised 2022 albums Amaryllis and Belladonna comprises Halvorson, Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), Nick Dunston (bass), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), Jacob Garchik (trombone), and Adam O’Farrill (trumpet). Labelmate Laurie Anderson also is featured on the album track “Incarnadine.” The dual 2022 releases’ acclaim included being named Jazz Album of the Year in DownBeat’s annual Critics Poll.

Mostly Other People Do the Killing - Blue (2014) {Hot Cup 141}
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© 2014 Hot Cup Records | HC 141
Jazz / Modal Music / Post-Bop / Avant-Garde Jazz

Mostly Other People Do the Killing have recreated one of the greatest and most important jazz albums of all time. By attempting to make an identical copy of the original recording, this album poses several interesting questions about music in the 21st century.