Jazz Articles

Jacques Lesure: For the Love of You

by Jack Bowers
October 21, 2017

For one to whom almost every well-strummed guitar sounds basically the same, an honest appraisal of any guitar-led group must begin with other earmarks such as group interplay, individual dexterity, choice of material and over-all level of musicianship. Happily, guitarist Jacques Lesure's latest recording, For the Love of You, scores high in every respect, making the album a pleasure to hear and enjoy. Lesure, a Detroit native whose jazz roots can be traced to such masters as ...

Eric Reed: Something Beautiful

by Greg Simmons
January 7, 2012

Eric Reed's Something Beautiful is well-named: a collection of mostly standards, delivered with sensitive hands and unerring taste. The pianist shows a knack for choosing great material, mostly staying away from jazz's grossly overplayed warhorses in favor of lesser-known material that is, nonetheless, classic and elegant. The album offers a unified atmosphere of down- and mid-tempo melodies--sometimes melancholy, sometimes bouncy, and occasionally even uplifting. Jesse Tabish's “Black Tables" is almost hymn-like, with deep left-handed chords creating gravity under ...

Eric Reed: Stand!

by Andrew Velez
March 16, 2009

This eighteenth release by pianist Eric Reed is a spiritual melding of gospel and jazz idioms. Though not yet 40, Reed has accumulated considerable mileage. He was with Gerald Wilson at a mere 16, enjoyed a long association with Wynton Marsalis, and displayed a marked flair for the American Songbook. This outing offers a rich outpouring of Reed as composer and orchestrator. The opening title track is a hard driving and muscular piece with an African-tinged reference ...

Wycliffe Gordon / Eric Reed: We 2

by Jim Santella
November 5, 2007

WyclifWycliffe Gordon and Eric Reed give one of the best jazz performances of 2007 in this expressive and highly creative program of eleven familiar pieces. Armstrong, Ellington, Sinatra, Monk and Stevie Wonder are represented with deep respect and musical purity; yet, both artists carve into the modern mainstream with free-flowing thoughts. Gordon and Reed came onto the modern jazz scene at about the same time, but from different geographical directions. Musically, they've pursued the same goals while ...

Cyrus Chestnut: Soul Food

by Craig W. Hurst
November 1, 2001

Cyrus Chestnut’s latest Atlantic release Soul Food provides a veritable smorgasbord of musical delicacies. Combining original and classic material, Chestnut and his band mates deliver a complete and balanced diet of delectable bites of sound performed at an epicurean level of artistry that would satisfy any jazz gourmet.

Joining Chestnut on Soul Food are bassist Christian McBride, Lewis Nash on drums, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, Marcus Printup on trumpet, saxophonists James Carter and Gary Bartz and Stefon Harris on marimba and ...

Cyrus Chestnut & Friends: A Charlie Brown Christmas

by Derek John
December 1, 2000

Good grief! That time of year is, indeed, here once again, and with it a fresh batch of seasonal CD releases. Although nothing new, a few years back it suddenly became especially vogue for many artists to cut an album of holiday favorites. The result, more often than not, has been a senseless butchering of once-classic songs for a quick buck.

Rarely, does a contemporary artist have anything new to offer, other than recycled variations on a Yuletide theme. Accomplished ...