Articles by Ralph A. Miriello
Ravi Coltrane with the Geri Allen Trio at The Iridium, NYC
by Ralph A. Miriello
Ravi Coltrane with the Geri Allen Trio The Iridium New York, NY November 21, 2009The Iridium is a major jazz club in the midtown section of New York City. As you approach the club, you can't help but be overwhelmed by the bombardment of intense streaming lights--like a laser light show emanating from adjacent Times Square. On this clear, unseasonably warm evening the club was to feature tenor saxophone icon Pharoah Sanders ...
read moreRon Horton/Tim Horner Little Big Band Plays the Music of Andrew Hill in Teaneck, N. J.
by Ralph A. Miriello
The Ron Horton/Tim Horner Little Big BandPlay the Music of Andrew HillThe Puffin Cultural ForumTeaneck, New JerseyAugust 29, 2009
It was a warm, overcast evening, within a few short miles of the George Washington Bridge, in suburban Teaneck, that offered the rare opportunity to make the trek to the Puffin Cultural Forum to listen to some innovative jazz from a newly-formed group. Trumpter/arranger Ron Horton and drummer Tim Horner's Little Big Band was scheduled to ...
read moreOpening Night: The Tim Hagans Quintet at Birdland
by Ralph A. Miriello
Tim Hagans Quintet Birdland New York, NY July 8, 2009
Established as the Jazz Corner of the World" in 1949, Birdland is the quintessential jazz club in New York City. Tim Hagans, the hi-powered trumpeter, and his quintet began his run of four consecutive nights at the club on a Wednesday night in July. At the start of his first set, he acknowledged his appreciation for the club, its history and its savvy audience. ...
read moreJazz Journalist Association 2009 Awards Dinner
by Ralph A. Miriello
2009 Jazz Journalists Association AwardsJazz StandardNew York, New YorkJune 16, 2009
On Tuesday, June 16th I was privileged to attend this year's Jazz Journalists Association Awards held at the Jazz Standard in New York City. It was a rare opportunity to meet and mingle with some iconic artists, some up-and-coming musical hopefuls and some seasoned but imaginative scribes who have challenged the world of jazz journalism. As the economy goes, so goes the jazz business. ...
read moreVan Morrison Concert in Palace of Jewels: Less Than Dazzling
by Ralph A. Miriello
Van Morrison in Concert United Palace TheaterNew York City March 15, 2008
The air was cool and the streets were filled with middle-aged transplanted white folks from the suburbs, all making there way to the upper reaches of Manhattan island--175th Street and Broadway, to be precise--the area known as Washington Heights. The occasion for this excursion was a much anticipated and somewhat rare performance by the iconoclastic singer/songwriter Van Morrison at the magnificent ...
read moreJack Reilly: Making the Most of the Gift of Life
by Ralph A. Miriello
After nearly three-quarters of a century, Jack Reilly's career is hardly in need of queries from one more interviewer--questions about his past associations, his musical history or his previous recordings and accomplishments. These have been fairly well documented. The accomplished and well-traveled pianist/composer, though undeniably obscure to the general public, has made an indelible mark in both the classical and jazz worlds--especially through his ability to marry two seemingly disparate musical styles, classical and jazz, in ways that continually bring ...
read moreSlow Poke: At Home
by Ralph A. Miriello
This re-mastered recording of Tony Scherr's 1998 basement record, Slow Poke At Home , is a joy for those who can appreciate the slow cooked, steamy sound of master musicians plying their trade in a gutsy, simmering, sweetly rhythmic stew of sounds. The label, Palmetto Records, should be applauded for taking a now defunct band and reissuing the material as a testament to just how good the music was and still is.
Slow Poke was one ...
read morePablo Ziegler: Buenos Aires Report
by Ralph A. Miriello
To hear the delightful sounds of Argentinean tango/jazz pianist, Pablo Ziegler and his trio on Buenos Aires Report is to allow oneself the indulgence of being transported to strolling the streets of Buenos Aires or to be swept into a scene of casual open-air dining at a late night café in Paris. The music is a sensuous combination of tango-inspired melodies with elements of classical music, jazz improvisational techniques and a sprinkling of gypsy bravado. This is definitely ...
read moreBill Mays: Fantasy
by Ralph A. Miriello
For those who have never seriously incorporated classical music in their musical diet, Fantasy, the new crossover album from pianist Bill Mays, trumpeter extraordinaire Marvin Stamm and cellist Alisa Horn, collectively known as The Inventions Trio, is a good starting point for some exposure to classical pieces rendered with a sensibility toward improvisation.
Mays, perhaps best known for his longtime association with the marvelous singer Sarah Vaughn, is a consummate musician who has taken classical works from Rachmaninoff, ...
read moreJoe Friedman: Cup O' Joe
by Ralph A. Miriello
Cup O' Joe is a surprisingly upbeat and enjoyable debut album for St. Louis-born guitarist Joe Friedman. After playing alongside contemporaries like Cyrus Chestnut and ably providing guitar duties on tour for chanteuse Eartha Kitt, Friedman was given the chance to record his first album as a leader by a fellow Oberlin College alumni, producer and drummer Neal Smith. Alumni brotherhood aside, Smith obviously saw a certain special something in Friedman's playing and his instincts were apparently right on the ...
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