Articles by Don Ball
Steve Rawlins: Word on the Street
by Don Ball
Steve Rawlins has been known as more of a behind-the-scenes kind of guy than a band's frontman for the past few decades, but that may be changing with his release Word on the Street. Rawlins is accredited for his work as an arranger and musical director for artists such as Smokey Robinson, Bette Midler, and Chaka Khan, as well as for television programs such as The Merv Griffin Show, The John Davidson Show, and Academy Award and Emmy Award ceremonies. ...
Continue ReadingCharles Downs: Inner
by Don Ball
It has been a long time coming for Charles Downs' debut recording as a leader. He began his career in the 1970s playing as Rashid Bakr with the likes of Cecil Taylor, Jemeel Moondoc, William Parker and others before reverting to his birth name in the new century. Since then, he has performed as part of the Flow Trio with Joe Morris and Louis Belogenis, as well as playing with Larry Ochs, Joe McPhee, and Peter Brötzmann, among others. At ...
Continue ReadingPascal Niggenkemper: D'une rive à l'autre
by Don Ball
Tuvalu is a tiny Western Pacific island nation with a rich cultural life, but it may not be around much longer. From the consequences of climate change, scientists expect that Turvalu will be uninhabitable in a few decades, taken back by the rising ocean. And that's why bassist/composer Pascal Niggenkemper wants you to know about it before it disappears altogether. Niggenkemper put together Ensemble Tuvalu to express artistically how we deal with the loss of habitats and cultures ...
Continue ReadingMike Caudill: Caught at Dusk
by Don Ball
Mike Caudill acquits himself well on his first trio recording as a leader, Caught at Dusk. The saxophone/bass/drums trio has been all but a rite of passage for young saxophonists ever since Sonny Rollins released his trio recordings, Way Out West (Contemporary Records,1957) and A Night at the Village Vanguard (Blue Note Records,1958). It is a tricky configuration, with no chordal instrument, like a piano or guitar, for support. That allows unprecedented freedom to play outside the chords, but requires ...
Continue ReadingJanel Leppin: Ensemble Volcanic Ash: Pluto In Aquarius
by Don Ball
Janel Leppin's title choice for her 2026 Ensemble Volcanic Ash (EVA) recording gives a hint of what kind of music to expect. Pluto being in Aquarius is a momentous sign, one of change and tension, and lasts 20 years (we are currently in one such phase). The last time Pluto was in Aquarius was 1777 to 1798--during the American and French Revolutions. Whether you believe in the astronomy or not, the Pluto in Aquarius is certainly bursting with tension and ...
Continue ReadingFilipa Santos ~ Miguel Moreira: Now Swim
by Don Ball
Atmospheric does not begin to describe Filipa Santos and Miguel Moreira's recording Now Swim. The music emits from another dimension, a soundtrack from the bottom of the ocean: exotic and dense, weird and abrasive, soothing and lulling, often simultaneously. Santos' saxophone, flute and voice are often unearthly, being manipulated electronically and creating an eerie, ghostly presence. Moreira's guitar and percussion programming vary from providing a deep rhythm to creating a cacophony of noise that explodes in the middle ...
Continue ReadingHow Now Brown Cow: Don't Drink the Milk - It's Spoiled
by Don Ball
Instrumental funk/soul bands are often spurned by the jazz aficionados as less serious than “real" jazz bands, but that would be a mistake with How Now Brown Cow. Despite the playfulness of the band name and song titles, in addition to having a great deal of fun playing, they are serious musicians and this is seriously good music. How Now Brown Cow has played in the Seattle , Washington community for more than a decade, often as a ...
Continue ReadingRevolutionary Snake Ensemble: Serpentine
by Don Ball
Any jazz band, especially a brass band, that is willing and capable of taking on the erratic rhythms and wild fluctuations of a Frank Zappa instrumental is worthy of kudos. And the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble's take of “Son of Mr. Green Genes" on their release Serpentine demonstrates their immense musical capabilities. The group was formed by saxophonist, flautist and composer Ken Field in 1990, and the album documents their performance at the Regattabar in Boston as part of their ...
Continue ReadingMarta Sánchez: Hitting a Different Note
by Don Ball
Marta Sánchez has established herself as one of the up-and-coming musicians in the jazz field, as evinced by her 2025 DownBeat Critics Poll in the Rising Star Pianist category win. In addition to her prowess on the piano, she is a skilled composer, whose compositions with her quintet over the past decade have shown an intricate capacity for writing for horns and interweaving her piano with the other instruments. In the past few years, she has been paring down her ...
Continue ReadingGiovanni Hidalgo: Jubilation
by Don Ball
While Bad Bunny is making Puerto Rican culture better recognized in contemporary popular music, jazz has long championed the island's rich musical traditions and artists, from the legendary composer and trombonist Juan Tizol to the rollicking pianist Eddie Palmieri to the soulful saxophonist Miguel Zenón, among many others. Included in that group would be Giovanni Hidalgo, whose release Jubilation demonstrates why he is considered one of the premier conga players performing in jazz. Commissioned by the island's arts ...
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