AAJ's Guide to NYC Jazz Venues in the New Decade
In its nearly eight years of existence, All About Jazz has become the foremost chronicler of live jazz in New York City. Our monthly issues, like bibles in hotel rooms, have found a place in nearly every jazz venue in the city and concertgoers have looked to its pages to keep them abreast of new arrivals. ...
Charlie Parker: Bird in Time & Washington, DC, May 23, 1948
Charlie Parker Bird in Time 1940-1947 ESP-Disk 2008 Charlie Parker Washington DC, 1948 Uptown Jazz 2008
In the liner notes to Washington, DC, 1948, Ira Gitler reaffirms an assessment made in his 1966 classic The Masters of Bebop: “The period of 1947-48 was the zenith of Charlie Parker's ...
Brooklyn Jazz Underground
With a name that conjures smoky clubs in cab- forsaken neighborhoods, the approachably progressive ethnic and global appeal of Brooklyn Jazz Underground (BJU) might surprise the uninitiated. The association, which has thrived on the practical notion of collective strength and shared PR, has also served as another example of the musical microcosm its namesake borough has ...
Mark Turner & Fly
From the first authoritative notes of Sky & Country, the trio Fly's new release on ECM records, saxophonist Mark Turner lays out a conundrum. Over the ambling underpinnings of bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard, the saxophonist conjures a sense of ease while unleashing a stream of ideas that take him from the middle to ...
Henry Grimes: Like He's Never Been Away
Henry Grimes The Call ESP Disk 2008
The disappearance and re-emergence of Henry Grimes after almost 30 years is one of jazz music's great resurrection stories. The Juilliard-trained double bassist, who began his career in the late 1950s with the likes of clarinetist Benny Goodman and saxophonist Gerry Mulligan before ...
Bob Stewart: Brassy Bass Lines
Over his 40-year career, tubaist Bob Stewart has redefined his instrument's role in modern jazz. His thundering, breathy grooves and fluid improvisations have been integral to the work of a who's who of creative musicians, including Arthur Blythe, David Murray and Carla Bley, as well as to Stewart's own impressive discography as a leader.
All About ...
Sara Shoenbeck: One Dance Alone & Ostinato And...
Wayne Horvitz Gravitas Quartet One Dance Alone Songlines 2008 Diana Wayburn Ostinato And... Self Published 2008
Wayne Horvitz' Gravitas Quartet has come a long way in the two years since its exquisite debut Way Out East. The group has refined its genre-bending chamber music ...
George Garzone: Steering Clear of Ideology
An esoteric system and guru status among musicians makes for an easy target in today's niche-driven market. Terms like musician's musician and classicist start getting thrown around as a way to commodify and explain away public indifference. This, luckily, is a non-issue for George Garzone. The veteran saxophonist has avoided pigeonholing his entire career, letting his ...
Steve Swallow: Embracing Music and Greater Awareness
For 50 years, Steve Swallow has represented the pinnacle of jazz bass playing. First on acoustic, then exclusively on electric bass, the versatile Swallow approaches every musical situation with grace and understated virtuosity. His discography reads like a Who's Who of the important improvisers of the 20th and early 21st Century. Swallow continues to tour extensively ...
Solo Percussion: Ibarra, Bennington, Centazzo & Drury
Susie Ibarra Drum Sketches Innova 2008 Jimmy Bennington Jazz Kaleidoscope: Solo Drums Live at On The House That Swan! 2006 Andrea Centazzo Fragments 2 Ictus 2007 Andrew Drury Renditions (Solos 2004-2007) Creative Sources
Violin & Piano: Distich & Minamo
Mat Maneri/Denman Maroney Distich Nuscope 2007 Carla Kihlstedt/Satoko Fujii Minamo Henceforth 2007
As a reviewer, it's vitally important to resist the urge to compare two albums that, on the surface, have so much in common. While both Distich and Minamo share the relatively unique ...
Nels Cline: Downpour, Draw Breath, Smoke Inside and Duo Milano
Nels Cline/Andrea Parkins/Tom Rainey Downpour Victo 2007 Nels Cline Singers Draw Breath Cryptogramophone 2007 Daniele Cavallanti Electric Unit Smoke Inside Long Song 2007 Nels Cline/Elliott Sharp Duo Milano Long Song 2007
Jazz ...
Joe Hunt
It's been a long time since drummer Joe Hunt called New York home, but you wouldn't know that to talk with him. “I want to spend more time in New York," intoned the veteran drummer over the phone during a recent interview between reminiscences of Ornette, The Five Spot, Bill Evans and the whirlwind pace of ...
Nicole Mitchell: Frequency & Indigo Trio: Live in Montreal
Ed Wilkerson/Nicole Mitchell/Harrison Bankhead/Avreeayl Ra Frequency Thrill Jockey 2007 Nicole Mitchell/Harrison Bankhead/Hamid Drake Indigo Trio - Live in Montreal Greenleaf Music 2007
Flutist Nicole Mitchell may not be the most recognizable name on the venerated AACM roster - she falls between the late Art ...
