Jazz Articles
Our daily articles are carefully curated by the All About Jazz staff. You can find more articles by searching our website, see what's trending on our popular articles page or read articles ahead of their published dates on our future articles page. Read our daily album reviews.
Sign in to customize your My Articles page —or— Filter Article Results
Chucho Valdes & the Afro-Cuban Messengers: Chucho's Steps
by Jerry D'Souza
The odyssey of pianist Chucho Valdés has been well documented from his early days in Cuba playing in his father Bebo's Sabor de Cuba Orchestra to the founding of Irakere and on to new pastures as he infused fresh blood into Latin music and jazz. Valdez has never been fettered; his ideas are constantly evolving, finding avenues that give his music broad scope. He filters the narrowest of nooks and fills them with his majestic vision. He is truly a ...
read moreChucho Valdes & The Afro-Cuban Messengers: Chucho's Steps
by Chris May
The semiology contained on pianist Chucho Valdés' magnificent Chucho's Steps points to the character of the music before the disc has even been taken out of its sleeve. First there's the name of the group and its reference to drummer Art Blakey's ferociously swinging Jazz Messengers. Then there's the title of the opener, “Las dos caras" ("Both Sides"), which hints at the two jazz traditions, American and Afro-Cuban, defining its particular style--an idea reinforced by the image of a crossroads, ...
read moreCindy Blackman: Another Lifetime
by Terrell Kent Holmes
Drummer Cindy Blackman has played with acts from Lenny Kravitz to Joe Henderson but it was Tony Williams, one of the greatest drummers of all time, who was her main influence. Blackman's dynamic Another Lifetime pays tribute to her mentor and friend and is centered primarily on Williams' role as a founding father of jazz-rock fusion. The core quartet of Blackman, organist Doug Carn, electric bassist Benny Rietveld and guitarist Mike Stern interprets songs from the repertoire ...
read moreCindy Blackman: Another Lifetime
by Jeff Winbush
When Cindy Blackman took an insult from another musician directed toward her and the late, great drum virtuoso Tony Williams, she got even. She decided that the best revenge would not be to snipe back, but instead to put together a band featuring guitarists Mike Stern and Vernon Reid, tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano, and other like-minded souls to recapture the power and glory of Williams' Lifetime band, the seminal group of jazz-rock.
Does everything work to perfection on Another Lifetime? ...
read moreCindy Blackman: Another Lifetime
by Jerry D'Souza
In paying tribute to her friend and mentor Tony Williams through songs and other material associated with him, drummer Cindy Blackman proves that she is not a slavish imitator. Blackman has always been a tasteful drummer. Never obtrusive, she strikes the right combination of dynamics, harmony, and accent. At home both in jazz and rock, this is the perfect vehicle for her.
The moods on this release are varied. The textures on “Vashkar" are thrust into the open ...
read moreThe Manhattan Transfer: The Chick Corea Songbook
by Jerry D'Souza
The first edition of Manhattan Transfer was formed in 1969 by Gene Pistilli, Tim Hauser, Erin Dickins, Marty Nelson, and Pat Rosalia, splitting after one album. Hauser reformed the band in 1972 and, with Janis Siegel, Laurel Masse, and Alan Paul, established the group in New York, playing several club dates. The Manhattan Transfer (Atlantic, 1975), on which they used jazz musicians including Zoot Sims, was a success, but they moved away from jazz after that to seek a more ...
read more
Giveaway
Days remaining: 5
