Articles by CJ Shearn

Pat Metheny: Orchestrion Tour, Binghamton University October 19, 2010

by CJ Shearn
November 4, 2010

Pat MethenyAnderson Center for the Performing Arts, Osterhout Theater, Binghamton UniversityBinghamton, New YorkOctober 19, 2010 Guitarist Pat Metheny's mastery of the intricacies of his Orchestrion was on dazzling display Tuesday evening, October 19, 2010, at the Anderson Center for the Performing Arts, Osterhout Theater, on the campus of Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York. The concert was a homecoming of sorts, as the guitarist returned to the upstate New York town after a decade ...

Steve Davis Quartet: Alone Together

by CJ Shearn
May 20, 2007

Trombonist Steve Davis has been a veteran of the New York scene for many years. Hailing from Binghamton, New York, he quickly established a presence as one of the best trombonists in the area as a teenager. Upon his arrival in New York City in the mid-1980s, Davis' talents were noticed by such luminaries as drummer Art Blakey and saxophonist Jackie McLean. Davis' quartet release on Mapleshade, Alone Together , is a tip of the hat to his former boss--a ...

Mike LeDonne: On Fire

by CJ Shearn
January 14, 2007

The organ combo, a time-tested format, can stick to your ribs like a good meal. Organist Mike LeDonne, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, guitarist Peter Bernstein and drummer Joe Farnsworth together are a tight working band, displaying all the qualities that make this formation classic and still relevant on their second Savant release, On Fire. LeDonne, best known for his stint in the late Milt Jackson's group as its pianist/musical director, has spent the past several years making ...

Miles Davis: The Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions

by CJ Shearn
November 10, 2006

The Miles Davis Quintet The Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions Prestige Records 2006 (1955-56)

This box set includes the final five albums trumpeter Miles Davis made for Prestige. Davis recorded as a leader for the label from 1951-1956 and the albums capture an artist in the process of finding his own voice. They also present Davis recording with his first real working group, on material the band had regularly been performing on live dates. And ...

Pat Metheny / Brad Mehldau: Metheny Mehldau

by CJ Shearn
October 24, 2006

This collaboration between Pat Metheny and Brad Mehldau reveals them to be a perfect match for each other. Although they have contrasting, profoundly personal approaches, they share a certain admiration for each other's music. Metheny was transfixed upon hearing the pianist's playing on the minor-key piece “Chill, from Joshua Redman's Moodswing (Warner Bros, 1994), while “Are You Going With Me? from the Pat Metheny Group's essential Travels (ECM, 1983) was the tune that converted Mehldau to a lifelong appreciation. This ...

Pat Metheny Group: The Way Up - Live

by CJ Shearn
October 22, 2006

Pat Metheny Group The Way Up--Live Eagle Eye Media 2006

The Pat Metheny Group expands on its masterpiece with this live performance. Throughout the group's 27 year existence, these musicians have consistently redefined what a contemporary jazz ensemble can be, and who they are as a band, each album containing something of immense value. This DVD captures the full-length version of Metheny's composition “The Way Up," as performed live in Korea. The ...

Trio Beyond: Saudades

by CJ Shearn
October 22, 2006

Jack DeJohnette always admired his peer, the late great Tony Williams (1945-97). He assembled Trio Beyond with guitarist John Scofield and keyboardist Larry Goldings, with the goal of exploring the music of the Tony Williams Lifetime from 1969, an ensemble that embraced jazz and rock, treating the combination as an entity all its own. The group's debut album, Emergency! (Polygram, 1969), featuring guitarist John McLaughlin and organist Larry Young, a potent mix of jazz and rock rhythms foreshadowed things to ...