Articles by Matt Merewitz
Chris Cheek: Blues Cruise
by Matt Merewitz
Even though he has turned in one stunning performance after another on albums by Paul Motian's Electric Bebop Band, Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra, Guillermo Klein's Los Gauchos and various lesser-known, though equally interesting ensembles, Chris Cheek is still a lurker.
Your only good chance of seeing this reedman live is in New York or on the other side of the pond, where he makes frequent tours. The problem has nothing to do with Cheek's playing. It's the ...
Continue ReadingOscar Perez: Nuevo Comienzo
by Matt Merewitz
Pianist Oscar Perez has not exactly gone unnoticed. Sure, you may not have heard of him before now. But esteemed trombonist Wycliffe Gordon has taken note, as have saxophonist George Garzone, trombonist Curtis Fuller, and composer George Russell, all of whom have incorporated the young New York-based pianist into their ensembles. Perez shows his ample skill on this first self-released album, incorporating the stylistic elements of Tyner, Hancock, Larry Willis, and Chucho Valdes.
A graduate of the LaGuardia High School ...
Continue ReadingSam Bevan: The Fine Line
by Matt Merewitz
If anything, Bay Area bassist Sam Bevan's debut instrumental album is appropriate for cold Sunday afternoons and rainy weekdays at work. Funk lite here, ambient guitar there... perhaps a brief swinging passage. For better or worse, the ever-so-familiar distorted guitar echoes are the foundation of The Fine Line, reflecting the unmistakable influence of Bill Frisell. Not surprising from a twenty-something jazz bassist. It seems this is the soundtrack of today's educated jazz musician. Very composed forms interspersed with a shuffle ...
Continue ReadingJeff Coffin Mu'tet: Bloom
by Matt Merewitz
Saxophonist Jeff Coffin is capable of so much. But I've wondered why he doesn't stick more to the Trane-inspired post bop, which he does so well. I guess you gotta make a living these days and if having a sound that borders on the cheesiness of Michael Brecker, Ed Calle, and the late Bob Berg is the price you pay, well, I guess I'm OK with that for the following reasons. The Nashville-based musician makes up for it in his ...
Continue ReadingThe Bad Plus: Blunt Object: Live in Tokyo
by Matt Merewitz
A turbulent foray into experimental terrain recorded live at the Blue Note in Tokyo, bassist Reid Anderson, pianist Ethan Iverson, and drummer David King, who together make up the The Bad Plus, explore a plethora of styles on their third Columbia release Blunt Object: Live In Tokyo. It is most certainly their most inventive, risk-taking session to date; a logical outgrowth of their rock and shock reputation.
Can you believe its been over two years now that the ...
Continue ReadingJohn Levy: Nonagenarian Talks Music and Management
by Matt Merewitz
Ever heard of Nancy Wilson? How about George Shearing, Dakota Staton, Ahmad Jamal, Cannonball Adderley, Wes Montgomery? What do these great artists all have in common? They were all managed by John Levy.Who is John Levy, you ask? Born in New Orleans in 1911, Levy grew up in Chicago taking in some of the finest music ever to grace the ears of America. He was raised on big band, jazz, blues, and anything else he heard on the ...
Continue ReadingDavid Sanchez: A Candid Look at Music and Business Part 2-2
by Matt Merewitz
Part 1 | Part 2
It's hard to gauge what the jazz community knows about saxophonist David Sanchez. If you have BET Jazz, you may have seen him on those corny interludes - “How did you discover your sense of jazz?" Albeit, a lot of people I've talked to, know very little about Sanchez. “Go look at the records - then you'll see I've been around for quite a while," says Sanchez in the lobby of the Sheraton Hotel in ...
Continue ReadingDavid Sanchez: A Candid Look at Music and Business, Part 1 of 2
by Matt Merewitz
Part 1 | Part 2
It's hard to gauge what the jazz community knows about saxophonist David Sanchez. If you have BET Jazz, you may have seen him on those corny interludes - “How did you discover your sense of jazz?" Albeit, a lot of people I've talked to, know very little about Sanchez. “Go look at the records - then you'll see I've been around for quite a while," says Sanchez in the lobby of the Sheraton Hotel in ...
Continue ReadingRebecca Coupe Franks
by Matt Merewitz
What can a change of scene do for a musician? First of all, it can change your daily routine; your outlook on things. It can change your feeling of self as part of a greater whole. It can make you humble or arrogant, set you free or box you in - neither the former nor the latter is necessarily better or worse. For a musician, it can inspire you to do different things than you might have done in the ...
Continue ReadingRhubumba: Rhubumba
by Matt Merewitz
Palm Beach-based Sea Breeze Records has quietly crept up as one of the most prolific of contemporary boutique jazz labels. Sea Breeze not only exposes the talents of prodigious college groups and faculty combos, it captures many regional acts that haven't yet broken into the national consciousness. The LA-based collective Rhubumba (a made-up word) fits the bill perfectly. Blending straight-ahead with evident Latin sensibilities, this group shows with its self-titled album that it doesn't need star power (though veteran trumpeter ...
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