Jazz Articles

Arntzen Family: Arntzen: 3 Generations in Jazz

by Tom Greenland
March 24, 2006

Following in the family band tradition of “Prof Willis Handy Young (Lester's father) and Ellis Marsalis comes Lloyd Arntzen, a 78-year-old clarinetist/soprano saxophonist/vocalist/songwriter hailing from the hinterlands of Bad Lake, Saskatchewan, the proud patriarch of a dynamic dynasty of musical progeny. Arntzen's sons Tom (piano, vocals) and Leif (trumpet, guitar, vocals) and their sons--Evan (saxophones, clarinet, vocals) and fourteen-year-old Miles (drums, guitar, vocals), respectively--are all accomplished players with enough verve to put a smile on grandpa's face and set his ...

The Leif Arntzen Band: Channeling Chet

by Michael P. Gladstone
February 19, 2006

In pursuing the musical spirit of Chet Baker, Canadian trumpeter/vocalist Leif Arntzen and his group take on a dozen compositions almost entirely associated with the late icon. Does the success of this album depend upon just how close Arntzen gets in emulating Baker? To my mind, that is not the issue.

Arntzen is a good player, and his instrumental style is not that closely associated with Baker's. Since many of these tunes are performed as ballads, Leif Arntzen ...

The Leif Arntzen Band: Channeling Chet

by Jim Santella
February 1, 2002

From Vancouver, Leif Arntzen is one of those guys who hasn't yet become a household name. He worked with Gil Evans. These days, he's gigging around New York City. Singing and playing trumpet, Arntzen pays homage to the memory of Chet Baker on Channeling Chet. It's a perfect copy. In the same manner that Baker would place his unpolished singing voice out front in a bare, naked spotlight for all the world to experience, Arntzen assumes the role. With only ...