Articles by Robert Dugan

Tom Harrell: Roman Nights

by Robert Dugan
April 18, 2010

Since signing with the HighNote label in 2006, Tom Harrell has released the most significant CDs in his three decades-plus of recording. It's no coincidence that, for this same period, he has been leading a true dream band of younger players. His previous output for RCA was of the highest quality, particularly Paradise (2001), a unique date with strings, and the exemplary Live At The Village Vanguard (2002). Lately, Harrell sounds more intensely engaged than ever, and thoroughly enjoying the ...

Craig Handy: The Busiest Man In Jazz

by Robert Dugan
March 22, 2010

Saxophonist Craig Handy is a musician's musician. Those “in the know" know about him, which is why he's been a first call player in New York for over two decades. He is a careful, thoughtful improviser—expansive and precise. His solos build on a rich knowledge of the tradition at the same time as they often set out for the edge, walk it, but never fall off. While he derives portions of his vocabulary from the'Trane/Shorter axis, there is a shrewd ...

Conrad Herwig's Latin Side All Star Band: Intensity On A Cold City Night

by Robert Dugan
January 23, 2010

Conrad Herwig's Latin Side All Star BandThe Blue NoteNew York, New YorkJanuary 11, 2010“Que Viva Miles, 'Trane, Herbie & Wayne."For more than a decade, trombonist Conrad Herwig has created a highly identifiable niche in contemporary jazz with his series of Latin Side CDs, which began with the startling The Latin Side of John Coltrane (Astor Place, 1996). That Grammy-nominated recording revealed how naturally Coltrane compositions could be adapted to smartly appropriate Afro-Caribbean arrangements. ...

Sun Ra Quartet in Italy, 1978

by Robert Dugan
January 4, 2010

The poet T.S. Eliot said “Mankind cannot take too much reality." Some people feel the same about keyboard player, bandleader and composer Sun Ra. Approaching Ra's output, both concert and studio recordings, can be daunting even for the initiated. Because the music was originally released in haphazard fashion, and has gone in and out of print on often obscure labels, it may seem near impossible to keep track of, let alone wrap your mind around. Some believe the work is ...

Seamus Blake: Bellwether

by Robert Dugan
December 19, 2009

This is a great period for tenor players, with some of the best in our midst: Chris Potter, Jimmy Greene, Donny McCaslin, Marcus Strickland, and Seamus Blake, among others. Surfacing in the Mingus Big Band during the nineties, Blake's aggressive edginess was impressive in a group which took no prisoners. The tenor saxophonist more than held his own. Recently, he seems to be refining and elaborating his improvisational style while further developing his compositional skills.

With Bellwether, Blake brings a ...