Articles by Francis Lo Kee
Fred Anderson: Black Horn Long Gone
by Francis Lo Kee
Fred Anderson is one of today's most powerful and singular saxophonists. Recorded in 1993, this trio (with bassist Malachi Favors and drummer Ajaramu--aka AJ Shelton--who have both since passed away) flies blissfully to new heights for piano-less sax trios. To call Anderson a member of the free jazz movement produces an incomplete picture. His technical facility and penchant for swinging is more influenced by Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young and Charlie Parker. Even an unaccompanied solo homage, “Ode To Clifford Jordan," ...
Continue ReadingKenny Dorham: Kenny Dorham - The Flamboyan, Queens, NY, 1963 - featuring Joe Henderson
by Francis Lo Kee
Kenny Dorham's big splash in the bebop business was taking over the trumpet chair in Charlie Parker's Quintet. He then became one of the most productive members of the Blue Note community, and his composition “Blue Bossa" has since become a jazz standard. This excellent live set is another wonderful and important issue from Uptown Records. The copious notes describe how the young (and not-yet-well-known) tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson began his productive musical relationship with Dorham, and why this live ...
Continue ReadingHarold Danko: Escapades & Gone
by Francis Lo Kee
Harold DankoEscapadesSteepleChase2009 Rich PerryGoneSteepleChase2009 Pianist Harold Danko is well known in the jazz education field as chair of the Jazz Studies Department at the Eastman School of Music. One would suppose that, while taking his educational work seriously, this 'steady job' allows him to pick and choose the best moments for creative musical statements. ...
Continue ReadingBilly Lester: Visceral
by Francis Lo Kee
On this set of five standards and one original, pianist Billy Lester displays a strong original approach to jazz improvisation. He also leads a flexible, yet muscular trio, that moves along with him with telepathic skill. Lester has a wide range of approaches: single-note right-hand lines, dissonant block chords, left-hand bass runs that move in counterpoint to the right hand (and his use of the low register piano is fairly unique to most of what you hear ...
Continue ReadingAzar Lawrence: Prayer for My Ancestors & Speak The Word
by Francis Lo Kee
Azar LawrencePrayer for My AncestorsFurthermore2009 Azar LawrenceSpeak the WordZarman Productions2009 The tenor and soprano saxophonist Azar Lawrence should be known to all by his seminal work with pianist McCoy Tyner, especially on the double LP set Enlightenment, which is one of the most powerful recordings of the '70s. The two modern CDs reviewed here ...
Continue ReadingJohn Abercrombie: Wait Till You See Her
by Francis Lo Kee
John Abercrombie = 3242, whose history with ECM stretches back to the early '70s, now releases his fourth CD with the same quartet of violinist Mark Feldman and drummer Joey Baron, newcomer Thomas Morgan replacing previous bassist Marc Johnson. Though there are rambunctious moments, Abercrombie chooses to open with “Sad Song," a somewhat misleading title. The playing is tender, thoughtful and melodically floating, speaking to an artist's confidence that one doesn't have to start a journey by proving how fast ...
Continue ReadingKhan Jamal: Cool
by Francis Lo Kee
Always interesting and quite different from one to the next, vibraphonist Khan Jamal's recordings have charted a unique course through the world of improvisational music, from trio recordings with bass and drums or guitar and drums to sessions with great horn players (eg. Grachan Moncur III, Byard Lancaster, Charles Tyler, et. al.) to the somewhat psychedelic (1972's Drum Dance To The Motherland). Cool, self-released minimally by Jamal in 2002, is no exception. Originally recorded in 1989, the ...
Continue ReadingReggie Nicholson: Timbre Suite & Surreal Feel
by Francis Lo Kee
Reggie Nicholson Timbre Suite Abstract 2008 Reggie NicholsonSurreal FeelAbstract2009 Timbre Suite is a six-movement composition that focuses on the percussion instruments and the “sound-color" of which those instruments are capable. The suite and the titles of its movements ("Purple," “Green," etc.) are a little play on words and indeed the music has a playful ...
Continue ReadingCharnett Moffett: The Art of Improvisation
by Francis Lo Kee
A fascinating recording, The Art of Improvisation is as mysterious as it is a showcase for the formidable bass playing skills of its leader Charnett Moffett; his playing on electric and acoustic basses has a grounded, vocal quality--he always seems to be singing through his instruments.
Even when he is playing a fusillade of notes (and Moffett does have fleet fingers), the feel of various folk musics (Asian, Middle Eastern, African, even Celtic) are invoked, as heard through both parts ...
Continue ReadingThe String Trio of New York: The River of Orion: 30 Years Running
by Francis Lo Kee
The String Trio of New York (STNY) started in 1977 with John Lindberg (bass), James Emery (guitar) and Billy Bang (violin). Lindberg and Emery have been constant while there have been a number of violinists since Bang left in 1986: Charles Burnham, Regina Carter and Diane Monroe. Now with violinist Rob Thomas, they may have their most unified musical vision. Though he contributes no compositions here, his playing is strong on every level and, because of the register of his ...
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