Jazz Articles

Leila Pinheiro: O Melhor de - Bencao

by William Grim
January 20, 2003

O Melhor de - Bencao is an excellent compilation album of some of Leila Pinheiro's best known recordings, assembled from albums released over the last decade. Those not familiar with Brazilian music beyond the songs of Antonio Carlos Jobim and the recordings of Sergio Mendes would do well to consider this album as a starting point for further exploration of that country's music.

Guilherme Arantes is one excellent composer whose works are represented here. His often recorded "Coisas ...

Leila Pinheiro: Coisas do Brasil

by William Grim
November 25, 2002

Leila Pinheiro is one of the most versatile singers from Brazil today. She is equally adept at bossa nova, samba, MPB, ballads and music from the Ary Barroso pre-bossa nova era. Her arrangements are always interesting and she always combines songs together in fascinating juxtapositions and medleys. And as of late she is performing more and more backed up by a full choir.

Coisas do Brasil ("Brazilian Things") is one of Pinheiro's most eclectic offerings. This highly polished ...

Patricia Barber: A Distortion of Love

by William Grim
July 17, 2002

Singer/pianist Patricia Barber never fails to amaze with her original material and her very unique takes on old standards. She is that rarest of jazz musicians--highly thoughtful, at times even cerebral, but always swinging--the kind of jazz musician Gerry Mulligan used to call a “wailing wig."

A Distortion of Love from 1992 showcases Patricia Barber the consummate jazz pianist as well as the chanteuse with the husky voice which has become her trademark of late. There are some ...

Charlie Haden: The Art Of The Song

by John Sharpe
December 1, 1999

In the early-’60s bassist Charlie Haden worked with avant-garde jazz pioneers Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry. In 1969 he founded The Liberation Music Orchestra, an aggregation committed to performing complex, politically charged music. When Haden formed Quartet West in 1986, listeners quickly noted that this group represented a 180 degree shift in his focus. Where the Liberation Orchestra was abrasive and confrontational, Quartet West wallowed in the nostalgic, accessible mainstream. The Art Of The Song is an evocative collection of ...

Will Bernard 4-tet: Medicine Hat

by Rick Bruner
February 1, 1998

On Medicine Hat, their first release, the Will Bernard 4-tet came to groove. The disc kicks off with “Close Shave (Pt. 1)," a James Brown inspired romp that introduces these fine San Francisco-based players. Will Bernard is a hot guitarist who was heard with T. J. Kirk, which included the now well-known Charlie Hunter and drummer Scott Amendola, also heard here laying down his rock solid rhythms with typical finesse. The 4-tet is rounded out with newcomers Rob Burger on ...