Cory Smythe tells stories. About stories. Specifically, a father’s tales in the rural heartland of America; ingredients that a listener might assume had shaped Smythe’s imagination in ways that go far beyond music.
Pianist Cory Smythe is emerging as a significant pianist in free improvisation and new music circles. He has appeared on recordings such as Planktonic Finales with Stephan Crump and Ingrid Laubrock, as a member of Tyshawn Sorey’s trio and with …
Cory Smythe’s Circulate Susanna is a mysterious meditation on rural America (and minstrel songs) as heard through the ears of a pianist with history in both new music and improvised music, featuring extended vocal technique and detuned guitar.
Although most contemporary music institutions continue to toe the line with improvisation practice–shutting it out for one reason or another, whether because it doesn’t fit established models or because the clueless can’t see the rigor and commitment it requires, often …
Pianist Cory Smythe, an experimental visionary artist who has collaborated with Tyshawn Sorey, Ingrid Laubrock, and Peter Evans, releases his first album as a bandleader. For that purpose, he convenes the quirky guitarist Daniel Lippel, a bandmate in the International …
Thanks to all the critics for their vote for the Rising Star Artist and Piano Category! See article here
At 7 a.m., 90 minutes before our scheduled interview on Christmas Eve morning, Kris Davis sent an email: “bad night of sleep — call you when I’m up — around 9:30.” We were supposed to speak the previous night, but …
Kris Davis / Craig Taborn Octopus (Pyroclastic) An oceangoing organism with one brain and eight independent neuron-bearing links is the perfect image to invoke for a rather intense collection of piano duets. Taborn’s guest appearance on Davis’ 2016 album Duopoly …
Kris Davis & Craig Taborn’s “Octopus”: A continuation of sorts for Davis’ 2016 album “Duopoly,” which paired her expressive piano with a variety of composers from the front edge of jazz, this album is drawn from live performances with a …
I’ve written quite a bit about New York-based pianist Kris Davis in recent years, taking note of the versatility that enables her to not just blend in naturally in disparate contexts but make them better. She recently released a stunning …
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