Articles by Jack Huntley
Petra's Recession Seven: Live In Chicago
by Jack Huntley
Petra van Nuis' voice is at once alluring and robust. Her tone alternates between delicate playfulness and declarative strength, perfectly suiting the combination of hot jazz and standards on Live In Chicago, an enchanting portrait of her band, Petra's Recession Seven. And oh, what a band it is--capable of captivating backing as well as exciting soloing.Gershwin's “Somebody Loves Me" highlights the septet's upbeat mastery. Kicking off with guitarist Andy Brown's graceful introduction, trumpeter Art Davis surges in on ...
read moreSilencio: Silencio
by Jack Huntley
Composer, guitarist and bandleader Kirk Salopek's Silencio is a concept project that draws its inspiration from the films of David Lynch and the accompanying scores of Angelo Badalamenti. Like Salopek's previous outing, Transitions (Glassville, 2011), with his Mandrake Project, Silencio's strength is its ability to create instant atmosphere and lush, layered arrangements.Salopek's tunes are melody driven, but leave enough open space for the accompanying members of his El Gran Silencio group to play off each others' solos and ...
read moreThe Fat Babies: Chicago Hot
by Jack Huntley
What 's old is new again--or maybe it's more accurate to say, what used to be hip is hot again. The Fat Babies' Chicago Hot harkens back to the early jazz-blues amalgamation of King Oliver, and is as vibrantly interpreted by this seven-piece ensemble as it was when the music was originally pressed onto 78 RPMs. In the past decade, Hot Jazz has been steadily gaining fans as many contemporary musicians find new inspiration in these old forms. The Fat ...
read moreKenny Poole: Heritage
by Jack Huntley
Kenny Poole was a guitarist's guitarist. He never sought the limelight that others with his talents achieved, but his much admired jazz chops attracted musicians in the know. He performed with such luminaries as Jack McDuff, Tal Farlow, Joe Pass, Howard Alden and Jack Wilkins. Sadly, Poole lost his fight with cancer in 2006. But with the release of Heritage, a collection of his live solo performances at Cincinnati's Heritage Restaurant, Poole's soulful and sophisticated finger-style arrangements are available for ...
read moreJenny Scheinman: Mischief & Mayhem
by Jack Huntley
Violinist Jenny Scheinman's Mischief & Mayhem fires on all cylinders. Everything works--from arrangements to overall track cohesion, from the music's fertile energy to the musician's creative interplay, and from the quality of sound engineering to the ingeniously accomplished album art--making this a near-flawless package of musical craftsmanship. Mischief & Mayhem indeed, as the album is nothing if not melodically mischievous within its sparkling sonic mayhem. Scheinman has an innate ability to harness both the spirit and power ...
read moreDavid Budway: A New Kiss
by Jack Huntley
David Budway's accomplished piano abilities are front and center on A New Kiss. Sometimes richly vibrant, sometimes plaintively florid, the overall spirit of Budway's arrangements ooze musical sophistication. Backed by the superb rhythm section of bassist Eric Revis and drummer Jeff 'Tain' Watts, Budway works his way through a mix of originals and standards, with each track highlighting a shifting stylistic element. At its most engaging, Budway's musicality floats like a melodic ether over the gritty tug of the rhythm ...
read moreBob Riesman: I Feel So Good - The Life And Times Of Big Bill Broonzy
by Jack Huntley
I Feel So Good: The Life And Times Of Big Bill BroonzyBob RiesmanCloth; 336 pagesISBN 97800226717456University of Chicago Press2011 Guitarist and singer Big Bill Broonzy is one of those musicians whose reach cannot be limited to his immediate musical era or genre. Like his peer Leadbelly, Broonzy effected attitudes toward civil rights through his songs. Like Robert Johnson, Broonzy's musical style deeply affected the course of history through ...
read moreBilly Fox's Backbirds & Bullets: Dulces
by Jack Huntley
In the liner notes for Dulces, Billy Fox outlines the influence that Bengali writer, artist and composer Rabindranath Tagore had on his own compositional insights, writing “Tagore boldly defied the expectations of each idiom." And after listening to Dulces, it is apparent that Fox learned well. Like his mentor, Fox is able to use various musical idioms as powerful touchstones without lapsing into empty compositional rhetoric. Instead, Fox harnesses the energy and beauty of multiple dialects that culminates in an ...
read moreNicole Mitchell: Awakening
by Jack Huntley
Flautist Nicole Mitchell's generous improvisational abilities are at the musical heart of Awakening. Not only does she move effortlessly from single-note lines and sliding honks to wispy, soft timbres, but she is equally comfortable moving from pure melodic phrasing to more experimental, free content. Coupled with an exceptional trio backing, Mitchell's album crackles with infectious spontaneity. Her music manages to be at once reflective and energetic, accessible as well as clever. “Curly Top" kicks of the set ...
read moreArt Hodes: Up In Volly's Room
by Jack Huntley
Throughout his long career in and around the music industry, Art Hodes was a dedicated lover of what is now termed traditional jazz but was then the current, dynamic confluence of blues, ragtime and Dixieland influences. Coming of age in Chicago's vibrant 1920s music scene, Hodes digested the sounds of transplanted New Orleans musicians such as Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, and Jimmie Noone. The music made a deep impression on Hodes, who became an accomplished pianist, recorded many respected albums, ...
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