Articles by Paul Rauch
Charlie Porter: Cipher
by Paul Rauch
Trumpeter Charlie Porter's Cipher (PHP, 2025) carries with it a concept that provides clues to a treasure hunt and cash money--an interesting and different idea not broached here. Instead, the focus becomes the music contained within this, his eighth release as a leader. Porter, having spent time in both Portland and New York, has enjoyed fine musical friendships that manifest in this session. The trumpeter / composer has long been acclaimed for his large and lyrical sound that interfaces with ...
Continue ReadingLouis Jones III: Motions
by Paul Rauch
Drummer and composer Louis Jones III is an artist steeped deeply in the Detroit jazz tradition. A Motor City native, Jones is a prominent figure on the scene there, applying his talents across a variety of genres. That versatility is ever-present in his jazz playing but, to be clear about this, he is a jazz drummer first while being a gatherer of musical innovation from multiple sources. Motions is his most complete recording project and a formidable one ...
Continue ReadingThe Monday Night Jam at the Seattle Jazz Fellowship
by Paul Rauch
Beginning on January 20, 2025, the weekly Monday night jam session at the Seattle Jazz Fellowship became something very different from any session that had historicially taken place in Seattle--it became an extremely popular weekly destination for gen-z patrons in their teens and twenties looking for a place to socialize and dig into an art form they had only recently been made unaware of. While the 7:30 PM session had previously drawn younger musicians from area high school and college ...
Continue ReadingWilliam Hill III: Keep it Movin'
by Paul Rauch
The story surrounding the young Detroit pianist William Hill III reads like many in today's jazz world--raised in the fertile ground of a dynamic local jazz scene and then on to New York to pursue the music. This is the case even when that local scene is one of the most prolific in the history of jazz in Detroit--the best tend to move on, in Hill's case, to the acclaimed Manhattan School of Music. While steering steadily through that modern ...
Continue Reading2025 Detroit Jazz Festival: All Free, All Jazz
by Paul Rauch
2025 Detroit Jazz Festival Hart Plaza & Cadillac Square Detroit, MI August 28-September 1, 2025 There is a story Detroit Jazz Festival President and Artistic Director Chris Collins loves to tell about an intimate conversation he had with Gretchen Valade. Valade had rescued the festival from the brink of financial demise with a generous endowment, and wanted to be very clear with Collins about her intent and wishes for the event well into the future. ...
Continue ReadingKahlil Childs and Jacob Hart: Two Young Stars Rise From Detroit
by Paul Rauch
The Detroit Jazz Festival is a huge draw. For fans, it is the largest free jazz event in the world, removing financial barriers and accommodating over 300,000 attendees over Labor Day weekend annually. Over four days, four stages present the best the jazz world has to offer and in the process, celebrates the great jazz history in Detroit by booking the best of the local scene and giving them ample time on the festival's main stages. A very unique aspect ...
Continue ReadingRavi Coltrane Quartet: Live at Jazz Alley in Seattle
by Paul Rauch
Ravi Coltrane Quartet Jazz Alley Seattle, WA August 21, 2025 I suppose there are still those who attend Ravi Coltrane sets out of curiosity, or some attempt to somehow access the Coltrane legacy in real time. It's true that the son of John Coltrane and Alice Coltrane has not been one to record in great frequency, and that he has spent a lot of touring currency on performing the music of his mother, music he ...
Continue ReadingMike Clark: Standard Deviations
by Paul Rauch
Bringing new life to jazz standards is a longtime tradition in jazz, whether it be on the bandstand or in the studio. With their latest Sunnyside recording, Standard Deviations, the iconic drummer Mike Clark and Los Angeles-based tenor saxophonist Michael Zilber venture there once again, following Mike Drop, their 2021 Sunnyside release. The result is a swinging session of jazz pearls in quartet mode, with pianist Joe Davis and bassist Alex Claffey joining in the fun. Clark, for ...
Continue ReadingChris McCarthy: Add a Zero
by Paul Rauch
Chris McCarthy is a wonderfully lyrical pianist, and an unexpected joy to hear. “Unexpected" you might ask? Allow an explanation. He is imaginative, highly skilled and has gained a reputation of excellence on the New York scene. His accompaniment and solo strides on his acclaimed duo release, Life's a Gig (Fresh Sounds, 2024), with vocalist Vanisha Gould make her deep dive into old soul magic seem grounded, adorned with subtle and spacious harmony that keeps the music buoyant and free ...
Continue ReadingHal Galper: Adventures In The Zone
by Paul Rauch
This article was first published on All About Jazz on October 20, 2020. The career of Hal Galper has earned the pianist acclaim as both a performer and educator. Perhaps most importantly, it has drawn attention to his contributions to the music as a true innovator. While other pianists of his era gained more recognition, Galper sought out a career path where acclaim would be genuine among his peers and his audience, and not measured by the value ...
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