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Music Reviews

Sonny Rollins: “A Night At The Village Vanguard: The Complete Masters” Review

 

It’s weird; while the popularity of vinyl has resulted in a lot of classic albums being reissued, most of those reissues are not the improved kind. They’re typically just the album as it was when it last got released on CD or digitally, except now on big pieces of grooved plastic.

But the good people at Blue Note Records are bucking this trend with Sonny Rollins’ A Night At The Village Vanguard: The Complete Masters, which is not only bringing this album to record players for the first time in years, but with improved sound quality that’s present on the new CD and digital editions as well.

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PlayStation 5 Reviews Video Games

“Stellar Blade” Review

 

At first glance, the sci-fi hack & slash action game Stellar Blade (PlayStation 5) seems like it was made by people who really love the Devil May Cry games, the Bayonetta series, and other games in which someone uses sharp instruments and expert gymnastics to take down monstrous enemies.

But the more you play Stellar Blade, the more you realize that the good people at Shift Up love other games, too, and it’s that love which has led them to create a compelling and engaging game of their own.

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PC PlayStation 5 Reviews Video Games Xbox Series S Xbox Series X

“Tales Of Kenzera: ZAU” Review

 

Given how often we hear people talking about books and stories transporting us to other worlds, it’s curious how infrequently it’s used as a story device in video games.

But that’s exactly what happens to Zau in Tales Of Kenzera: ZAU (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC), a new side-scrolling action game in which a young man grieving the death of his father reads a Bantu tale written by his dad, only to find himself transported to the land of Kenzera, where, he hopes, he can bargain with Kalunga, the God Of Death, to bring his Baba back to the land of the living.

If only it was that easy.

Or that unique.

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Music Reviews

Sonny Rollins: “Freedom Weaver” Review

 

Like a lot of jazz musicians from the 1950s and ’60s, iconic saxophonist Sonny Rollins had more success in Europe at that time than he did in his native America.

So much so, in fact, that he, like them, often had European concerts broadcast on the radio, while also visiting the radio and TV stations for in-studio performances. Performances that, thanks to different (read: lax) copyright laws, were later released on LP and CD despite not being sanctioned by Mr. Rollins.

Well, now fans of Rollins can enjoy them, and guilt free, thanks to Freedom Weaver: The 1959 European Tour Recordings (CD, digital, vinyl), which presents twenty-five songs, and one short interview, from February 21st through March 11th of 1959, which were originally recorded by European radio and television stations.

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Music Reviews

Matthew Shipp Trio: “New Concepts In Piano Trio Jazz” Review

 

When it comes to the configurations of jazz groups, trios with a piano player, a bassist, and a drummer are as common as, well, quartets with a saxophonist, and quintets fronted by saxophonists and trumpet players.

It’s why the last thing I need is another common jazz trio.

An uncommon one, however…

This brings me to New Concepts In Piano Trio Jazz (CD, digital), the new and promissory album by the Matthew Shipp Trio. Which, for the record, is comprised of Shipp on piano, Michael Bisio on bass, and Newman Taylor Baker on drums.

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Movies Reviews

“Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire” Review

 

Critics often say that bad movies seem like they were made by committee.

Well, Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire is so bad that it not only seems like it was made by committee, but that the people on that committee have the worst taste in monster movies.

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PlayStation 5 Reviews Video Games

“Rise Of The Ronin” Review

 

It’s always struck me as odd how some video game fans — and some video game critics — get annoyed when you compare a game to another game in a review. Or even just mention another game in passing.

Well, those people are going to be really annoyed by this review of Rise Of The Ronin (PlayStation 5), an epic, third-person, open world, hack & slash action / adventure game set in ancient Japan that’s a lot like 2020’s Ghost Of Tsushima, an epic, third-person, open world, hack & slash action / adventure game set in ancient Japan (and which, by the way, is coming to PC on May 16th).

Except that once you get deep into Rise Of The Ronin, you realize it’s as different from Ghost Of Tsushima as it is similar.

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PC PlayStation 5 Reviews Video Games Xbox Series S Xbox Series X

“Welcome To ParadiZe” Review

 

As you’ve probably noticed, most zombie survival games take a serious approach to making you survive the undead apocalypse.

But by striking a different tone — and a slightly different viewpoint — the third-person single-player / co-op Welcome To ParadiZe (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC) manages to put a different spin on the genre. Not a better one; not a worse one; but one that’s certainly different, which, in turn, makes it rather fun.

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Music Reviews

Ivo Perelman, Mark Helias, Tom Rainey: “Truth Seeker” Review

 

When it comes to music, we don’t always know what we’re going to get, even when we know the players.

But occasionally, you can get a good idea.

Case in point: On April 5th, 2024, jazz saxophonist Ivo Perelman and pianist Matthew Shipp will release their latest in a long line of collaborations, Water Music, a quartet recording that also features bassist Mark Helias and drummer Tom Rainey.

But right now, you can get a sense of how well Perelman, Helias, and Rainey work together courtesy of their new trio album, Truth Seeker (digital). And given that Shipp has collaborated with Perelman frequently, and with Helias a couple times (Pathways, The New Syntax), well…

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