Chris Eldridge and
John Zorn. Some projects have been better than others, especially as his instrumental skills grew faster than his writing abilities. But he truly got better with every album, and they’ve all led up to
Squint, his leader debut for the revered Blue Note label.
Lage has always claimed as many influences from rock, blues, folk and country as from jazz, and as he’s gotten older, he’s folded them into his music with increasing subtlety. This is no blowing session, where he shows off every style he can play. Instead Lage uses just the right bits of his experiences to serve each song. Witness the effortless swing of “Boo’s Blues,” which nods to the genre in the title without being an overt 12-bar showcase, or the vibrant post bop of “Familiar Flowers,” which draws from the same eclectic well as John Abercrombie without copying the late master. “Quiet Like a Fuse” displays a sure touch on soulful balladry, while a cover of
Guitarist Greg Skaff s latest album,
Polaris, finds the former Wichitan and longtime New York City resident accompanied by two of the greatest living jazz players: bassist Ron Carter and drummer Albert Tootie Heath.
Comprised of original material from Skaff as well as a bevy of standards, the record demonstrates Skaff s particular genius on his instrument, including his singular phrasing and the ability to reimagine standards in such a way that renders them new.
Not a small feat, but then neither is recruiting two legends for your record and finishing the LP at the dawn of a pandemic.
Polaris, as Skaff tells it, was tracked in two quick bursts of activity: The first in August 2019 and the second in March 2020, amid circumstances that were filled with levity (in the case of Carter and Heath reuniting for the first time in decades) and gravity (the arrival of COVID-19 and the fate of sessions hanging in the balance).
Guillermo McGill Quartet en Bilbao elcorreo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from elcorreo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Beatrix Potter s Jemima Puddle-Duck. Credit: Alamy
Once regarded as a rival to Bewick and Audubon, but now largely forgotten, ornithological artist Jemima Blackburn (1823–1909) was a formative influence on the young Beatrix Potter. Ian Morton takes a closer look.
Consider Jemima Puddle-Duck, one of the most revered figures in children’s literature. The name, mellifluous and memorable, is a subtle creation, its two internal alliterations inducing an endearing quality that has sustained this quaint character through the decades.
Within that name lies a personal tale: the choice of Jemima was a tribute to a Scottish artist who had been influential in Beatrix Potter’s early development as a writer and illustrator and who remained lifelong in her high regard. On her 10th birthday, Potter had received a copy of a book of paintings by Jemima Blackburn, one of the most respected ornithological artists of the time. In due course, the two were to meet.