Jazz Articles
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Shai Maestro: Solo: Miniatures & Tales
by Neil Duggan
Shai Maestro fired the imagination when he joined Avishai Cohen's trio when only 19 years old, contributing to four well-received albums. In 2010, Maestro formed his own trio and released a string of albums as leader before moving to ECM Records with two excellent trio albums, The Dream Thief (2018) and Human (2021), which enhanced his reputation as a major influence in contemporary jazz. Along the way he has worked with Oded Tzur, Theo Bleckmann and Ben Wendel. He continues ...
Continue ReadingYaron Herman: Radio Paradise
by Anastasia Bogomolets
"When I started working on this album, the first thing that came to my mind was melody. I have been writing a lot over the last few years, mostly in my notebooks, for myself. On the road or at home, anything from long lines to short fragments. With time, (and hard work) these “motifs" started to take shape and turn into 'songs,'" Yaron Herman shares about his backstage process. Even though there are no human vocals on the ...
Continue ReadingAvishai Cohen: Brightlight
by Neil Duggan
After gaining exposure in Chick Corea's trio in the late 1990s, Avishai Cohen has taken his dramatic acoustic bass sound mixed with Jewish folk music, jazz, world and classical influences and weaved them into a distinctive and accessible style. That style and his abilities as a showman and performer have given him global recognition and a wide network of influence, cementing his position as one of the top bass players of his generation. Israeli-born Cohen has used many ...
Continue ReadingStacey Kent: Summer Me, Winter Me
by Neil Duggan
With her album sales measured in millions, Stacey Kent is one of the great success stories in modern jazz. Her multi-lingual abilities allow her to record in various languages and she has appeared in over fifty countries. Her appeal is global and it is her vocal ability which has taken her to these heights. Her voice is light but commands attention with her ability to engage and communicate the narratives of love and regret, often in a simple and minimalist ...
Continue ReadingAirelle Besson and Nelson Veras: Prelude
by C. Michael Bailey
French trumpeter and composer Airelle Besson and Brazilian guitarist Nelson Veras have stuck up quite the duet relationship that manifests itself properly on the present Preludes. The trumpet/guitar format is not your typical duo, but it works extremely well in the hands of these two like-minded musicians. The two share a warm aural intimacy even more profound than various piano-based duets. Besson is a lyrical trumpeter who favors long melodic lines not afraid to tell a story ...
Continue ReadingSophie Alour: Shaker
by Dan Bilawsky
French saxophonist Sophie Alour has gone organ-ic for her fifth album. Shaker finds her fronting an organ trio, delivering music that's alternately funky, rocking, and (occasionally) soothing. Alour put together a program of tunes that focuses on groove, melody, and the beauty that exists when those two elements work together. She often looks to create uncluttered, catchy, upbeat music, but that's not the whole story. Exuberance certainly oozes from the band when it lets the funk flag ...
Continue ReadingAnthony Strong: Stepping Out
by Bruce Lindsay
Not too many years ago it seemed that the art of the male jazz vocalist was heading in the same direction as black and white televisions and 8-track cartridges. One or two notable voices kept the flame alive, but new, young, vocal talent wasn't emerging. Then it started: a slow process, but new male singers began to appear. In the UK the most obvious example of the new breed is the million-selling Jamie Cullum. Anthony Strong's performance on Stepping Out ...
Continue ReadingDavid El-Malek: Music from Source Vol. II
by Nicholas F. Mondello
With distant musical worlds drawing closer via technological invention/access and displayed through exploration by innovative composers, it's no surprise that this effort from French-Israeli saxophonist David El-Malek offers highly intriguing music. The music and Israeli-Arab talents under El-Malek's leadership yield a fascinating brew of Middle Eastern-flavored selections mixed with a smattering of Western jazz improvisationIn contrast to El-Malek preceding Music from Source (Harmonia Mundi, 2008), where he fronted a smaller, brass-laden group, Music from Source Vol. II incorporates ...
Continue ReadingDavid Linx, Maria Joao and the Brussels Jazz Orchestra: A Different Porgy and Another Bess
by C. Michael Bailey
The French classical label Naive has made a successful foray into jazz with recordings like Mina Agossi's Red Eyes (2012); and Tania Maria's Tempo (2012). A Different Porgy and Another Bess is the first thematic big-band offering from the label. Drawing from the George Gershwin/DuBose Heyward opera, Porgy and Bess (1935), A Different Porgy highlights eleven vocal pieces from the book. The music performed by the Brussels Jazz Orchestra, under the direction Frank Vaganee, features David Linx in the role ...
Continue ReadingMina Agossi: Red Eyes
by C. Michael Bailey
The French Classical Naive label continues its campaign into jazz with Mina Agossi's Red Eyes. Her second recording for the label after 2010's Just Like A Lady, Red Eyes finds the French singer staking out her rightful claim on what only can be described as the furthest molecule on the cutting edge of jazz vocals, before everything turns to infinity. While it is true that Agossi's vocal style still colors within the lines of conventional jazz wisdom, she erases those ...
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