Jazz Articles

Scotty Anderson: Classic Scotty

by Dan McClenaghan
November 9, 2003

Classic Scotty twangs to life with a back porch, sittin' and pickin' take on the traditional “Going Down and Feeling Bad," with a couple of classic guitar pickers, Scotty Anderson and Harold Kennedy sounding like good old country boys kickin' back and relaxing; and it's a fitting opening for a set that shifts back and forth between back country sounds and gritty hard driving blues and blues-inflected rock. Indeed, the second cut, “La Grange," slinks in on a crawlin' kingsnake/boogie ...

Aaron Goldberg: Unfolding

by Jack Bowers
October 1, 2001

I’ve heard a number of masterful young pianists recently, and here’s another one. Like any perceptive keyboard artist, Aaron Goldberg writes poetry with his fingertips, evoking the same feelings of warmth and desire, sadness and joy that are common to the written or spoken word. Unfolding, Goldberg’s second J Curve album, consists of seven of his compositions, John Coltrane’s “Equinox” and Stevie Wonder’s “You Are the Sunshine of My Life.” It’s a picturesque and eventful journey on which he’s accompanied ...

Aaron Goldberg: Unfolding

by Jim Santella
August 1, 2001

Impressionism drives the jazz piano trio. Aren't we all storytellers? Listeners' interpretations can vary, and that's what makes art special. Just let yourself go.

On his second recording as leader, Aaron Goldberg unfolds seven original stories and two classic pieces. His trio works in close proximity, with an intuitive feel. There's a fair amount of freedom for each artist. Bass and drums provide independent lines that complement the pianist's thoughts. Goldberg, 27, shares a thorough understanding of the blues, Latin ...

Aaron Goldberg: Unfolding

by Bob Powers
August 1, 2001

Jazz often translates to the unitiated as noise without meaning. Folks who love jazz in all its variations would make a good choice if their jazzless neighbors or co-workers were introduced to Aaron Goldberg. In his second album, Unfolding for the Cincinnati-based label J Curve, Goldberg provides ample evidence that he's ready to climb the top rung of pianists.

Working regularly as a member of the Joshua Redman Quartet, Aaron Goldberg shows in Unfolding that he's a clever, thoughtful, and ...

Mark Gross: Riddle of the Sphinx

by Dave Nathan
July 1, 2001

Alto/soprano saxophonist Mark Gross and his cohorts carry on in music man's fascination with trying to solve the riddles associated with Egypt's greatest monument the Sphinx. The first track, the mysterious sounding “Valley of the Dry Bones" establishes the overall setting for what's to follow over the next 50 or so minutes, viz., Middle Eastern musical themes built on Gross' probing sometimes querulous soprano. But on the next track, “Moses In Egypt", there's a discernable feeling of hope created, again ...

Darren Barrett: Deelings

by Dave Nathan
July 1, 2001

Darren Barrett, winner of the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition in 1997, is emerging as a leader in the New Bop movement, a jazz form that combines elements of hard bop (there is lots of that here), fusion and modal music. His second album has a musical agenda of mostly original compositions mixed with two standards.

Barrett is a monster trumpet player. But here he is hindered, and sometimes defeated, by most of the material he has chosen to ...

Darren Barrett: Deelings

by Jerry D'Souza
June 1, 2001

To play with two masters of their craft certainly says a lot. It is not surprising, however, that Darren Barrett is now a member of the Elvin Jones Jazz Explosion, where he helps extend the perimeter of the band, and also has his time playing for Jackie McLean. That they should consider him worthy enough to be with them speaks volumes for his credentials.

Barrett's has grown as a player since the time of his debut album. His technique is ...

Darren Barrett: Deelings

by Jack Bowers
June 1, 2001

This is the second J Curve release by trumpeter Darren Barrett, a relatively young firebrand who won the Thelonious Monk trumpet competition four years ago. As on the previous album ( First One Up ), what Barrett and his companions lay down sounds much like the Blue Note sessions from the ’50s and ’60s that featured such nimble–fingered players as Donald Byrd (who produced this album), Lee Morgan or Freddie Hubbard. Neo–bop? Call it what you will; there’s little doubt, ...

Darren Barrett: Deelings

by Jim Santella
May 1, 2001

We are products of our environment. Darren Barrett chooses his. Strong influences have helped shape the trumpeter's sound, and he seems determined to allow nothing to affect his choices unless it's at the very top of the form. Clifford Brown's legacy appears through two classic ballads. Barrett has refined his tone quality to the point where few can match the purity. The rest of the program consists of the leader's hard-driving originals. Barrett's hard-hitting, energetic approach recalls Freddie Hubbard in ...

Various: Cincinnati Jazz Collection, Volume II

by Dave Nathan
October 1, 2000

Cincinnati, Ohio sitting in the Southwest corner of the state has pro football and baseball teams and is a weekend get away for students from Miami University of Ohio from nearby Oxford. It also abounds in jazz resources as this compilation, put together by the city's jazz J-Curve Records, confirms.

Given the city's rather conservative bent, mainstream, straight ahead jazz dominates the album, but is not exclusive. There's a sampling of smooth jazz represented by Triage headed by keyboard player ...