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Jazz Articles about John Stowell
Jason Keiser: Shaw's Groove
by Jack Bowers
The “Shaw" in guitarist Jason Keiser's album Shaw's Groove is the late great Woody Shaw, one of the more innovative and influential jazz trumpeters of the twentieth century. Even though he lived only forty-four years (he died in May 1989), Shaw was an important role model whose sweeping influence remains strong to this day, both as a player and composer. The first four songs on Shaw's Groove were written by Shaw himself, among the many he composed ...
read moreMickylee, John Stowell, Ulf Bandgren: Portuguese Blue
by Nenad Georgievski
Portuguese Blue is a record that joins the talents of three jazz guitarists, Mickylee, John Stowell, and Ulf Bandgren. It is one of those “guitar summit" recordings which combines the talents of exceptional guitarists and, as such, is an inviting document. Groups consisting of three guitarists are not unheard of in jazz music but they are not very common. Duo conversations open many possibilities but trios can open even wider harmonic possibilities. Sometimes these types of records feature good playing ...
read moreScenes: Variable Clouds: Live at the Earshot Jazz Festival
by Paul Rauch
Scenes'' first album dates back to 2001, but the origins of the band dates back to the early 1990s, when saxophonist Rick Mandyck, bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop initiated a trio gig. On occasion guitarist John Stowell would drop in if he was off the road and in Seattle. The band that began as a trio reverted back to that format after that inaugural recording, this time Stowell in tow as Mandyck slipped into a decade-long hiatus from ...
read moreScenes: Variable Clouds: Live at the Earshot Jazz Festival
by Dan McClenaghan
The group Scenes has released seven excellent albums over two decades of recording together, beginning with their eponymous debut (Origin Records, 2001). All of those are studio efforts. The group's 2022 outing, Variable Clouds is a first for Scenes--their first album recorded live in front of an audience, in 2021 at the Earshot Jazz Festival. This is a return to the group's original line-up. Saxophonist Rick Mandyck sat out for a time due to health problems, leaving Scenes ...
read moreJohn Stowell / Dave Glenn & The Hawcaptak Quartet: Violin Memory
by Dan McClenaghan
Guitarist John Stowell does not hesitate when it comes to taking on unconventional projects. 2021 saw him teaming with vocalist Dan Dean on Rain Painting (Origin Records)--an album of featuring an overdubbed layering of voices (Dean's) making for lush and enriching choir-like harmonics, accompanied by Stowell's various guitars. The Seattle-based guitarist's follow-up finds him teaming with trombonist Dave Glenn, a longtime collaborator, and bringing in a classical string quartet to enhance the atmosphere. The results are a unique ...
read moreJohn Stowell & Dan Dean: Rain Painting
by Dan Bilawsky
Now here's a uniquely compelling set from two of the Pacific Northwest's great individualists on one of jazz's most stalwart imprints. Guitarist John Stowell and multi-hyphenate Dan Dean have each made their respective marks on many Origin dates in the past. The former's instruments have figured into more than 25 recordings there, from solo sets to duo meetings with Dave Liebman and sideman appearances to a string of albums with collective combo Scenes; and the latter has spanned worlds and ...
read moreJohn Stowell / Dan Dean: Rain Painting
by Dan McClenaghan
Guitarist John Stowell has spent two decades recording for Seattle's Origin records, collaborating with artists such as saxophonists Dave Liebman and Michael Zilber, drummer John Bishop, bassist Jeff Johnson and guitarist Ulf Bandgren. His work with the band Scenes—with Bishop and Johnson, and (twice) saxophonist Rick Mandyck—is particularly noteworthy. Bassist Dan Dean—with a sparser discography than Stowell's—has made more of a name for himself as a producer and audio and recording engineer for the label; but his status as a ...
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