Jazz Articles about Clark Gayton

Michael Blake: Combobulate

by Chris May
November 5, 2022

The instrumentation alone promises something out of the ordinary. Saxophone, two tubas, trumpet, trombone, drums. Then there are the musicians, luminaries of downtown New York jazz. Michael Blake, Bob Stewart, Marcus Rojas, Steven Bernstein, Clark Gayton, Allan Mednard. And within seconds of the needle descending on track one, side one, Combobulate starts delivering on the promise. The album is one of four marking the return of audiophile-vinyl label Newvelle after a two-year hiatus. The approximate meaning of its ...

Juliet Varnedoe: Cajun Bleu

by C. Michael Bailey
September 13, 2022

New York City vocalist Juliet Varnedoe has developed a keen feel for the collective music of New Orleans. Her first single from her self produced 2022 release Cajun Blue, “Mon Chéri" revealed an international approach to the regional music that freely mixed Dixieland with zydeco, the blues, and sleek Caribbean sounds, creating a languid, humid and organic breeze. On her follow-up single, “Sing High Sing Low," Varnedoe swerves hard into the direction of zydeco, taking full advantage of ...

Juliet Varnedoe: Cajun Blue

by C. Michael Bailey
January 21, 2022

New York based singer songwriter Juliet Varnedoe has a plan. She has developed a New Orleans themed recording, Cajun Blue, which is to be released later this year, a collection of eight original blues and jazz songs combining the disparate influences of King Oliver Creole Band, the classical French chanson as realized by Blossom Dearie and Juliette Greco, with an alchemic shot of the cool scintillating vibe of Serge Gainsborough. In preparation for the delivery of Cajun Blue, Varnedoe is ...

Monika Ryan: Windmills

by Edward Blanco
March 24, 2017

Jazz vocalist Monika Ryan has recorded a series of albums as leader since 2000 with the sensuous and audacious Windmills, a tribute to the lyrics of composers Alan and Marilyn Bergman, one of her latest projects. Voicing a repertoire of beautiful love songs and ballads, Ryan caresses the lyrics of each song with a measure of emotion and taste making for a vocal jazz album that's a pleasure to hear often. Supporting her crisp vocal instrument are a ...

Ben Allison & Medicine Wheel: Buzz

by Rob Cline
June 1, 2004

Despite its moderate tempo, “Respiration," the opening track on Buzz, sets an insistent tone that drives the album’s first three tracks. Bassist Ben Allison penned all three charts, which feature tight, energetic ensemble playing by the six-piece band as well as plenty of open space for improvisation, including a textured piano solo by Frank Kimbrough on “Respiration" and a blistering tenor solo by either Michael Blake or Ted Nash (the promo copy of the disc does not specify) on “Buzz." ...

Ben Allison and Medicine Wheel: Buzz

by John Kelman
May 21, 2004

On the fourth album with his group Medicine Wheel bassist Ben Allison continues to push the boundaries of structured music with a programme of six originals and one Beatles cover. With a straightforward sound that belies a richer complexity, Allison continues to present invention masked in simplicity, combining intelligence with emotional depth.

Buzz opens with Allison’s “Respiration,” a 9/4 piece that is insistent, with simple interweaving bass, piano and electric piano parts laying the groundwork for a snake-like horn theme ...

Ben Allison: Buzz

by Jim Santella
May 3, 2004

Ben Allison and Medicine Wheel have a history of going against the grain, with their provocative form of New York jazz. Allison has said that “a composition should create a landscape in which a musician can freely explore and find an individual voice.”

With its fourth release, however, Medicine Wheel turns collective and moves its circle closer to the center. Voices move together as one. Pleasant harmony and smooth rhythms support simple melodies. Their “New York buzz” ...