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Brad Barrett
“A true virtuoso of the double bass with unlimited abilities. The possibilities of Free Music afford him the challenge to operate on the frontier of music, while his great technique grounds him with precision and musicality.”
–Joe Morris
Brad Barrett is a bassist, improviser, and educator. His practice engages the tools of improvisation and southern musical traditions to interrogate the complex interplay between freedom and structure. The Jazz Times has described Barrett’s style as “diced bits of Derek Bailey skronk” infused with “Delta blues twang,” and the Free Music Collective has lauded his playing as “singularly rhythmically genius.” In 2019, his first album, Cowboy Transfiguration—featuring Joe Morris on guitar and MacArthur Fellow Tyshawn Sorey on percussion—garnered critical acclaim for its distinctive sonic landscapes and virtuosity. Unlike conventional approaches to composition that place decision-making authority in the hands of a single composer, the compositional frameworks in Cowboy Transfiguration challenge players to maximize their creative freedom while adhering to rules for shared leadership. Over the past decade, Barrett has worked as an in-demand freelance musician; has performed with jazz luminaries such as Jason Moran, Sheila Jordan, Julian Lage, Evan Parker, Jerry Bergonzi, George Garzone, Taylor Ho Bynum and Rakalam Bob Moses; and has appeared on several noteworthy albums. In addition, Barrett is an award-winning educator whose innovative teaching practice has been consistently supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Barrett holds a DMA in Contemporary Improvisation and a MM in Jazz Performance from the New England Conservatory.
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Yoko Miwa: Keep Talkin'
by Angelo Leonardi
Tra le jazz ladies giapponesi che operano negli Stati Uniti (ad esempio Satoko Fujii e Miho Hazama), Yoko Miwa è la meno nota al pubblico italiano ed è un peccato visto l'alto valore di questo disco e dei sette già realizzati. Nata a Kobe 49 anni fa, Yoko ha studiato pianoforte nel suo Paese dall'età di quattro anni e ha proseguito al conservatorio e con Minoru Ozone, organista jazz e padre di Makoto Ozone. Nel 1997 ha vinto ...
Continue ReadingYoko Miwa Trio: Keep Talkin'
by Dan McClenaghan
Pianist Yoko Miwa was born in Japan, but she has set up shop in Boston, where she teaches at Berklee College of Music. She has alsobeginning in 2003 with Fadeless Flower (Polystar Records)previously released seven CDs. The superb Keep Talkin' brings that number of recorded offerings from Miwa to eight. The music of Keep Talkin' says that Miwa has fully embraced an American state of mind, beginning with the title tune, a Miwa original that sounds like something ...
Continue Reading" . . . Playing that is both skittering and exact, intelligible and energetic - it sounds like musicians are listening to each other with relaxed intensity and responding with trip-wire reflexes."
- New York City Jazz Record
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- New York City Jazz Record