Jazz Articles

Frank Zappa: The Grand Wazoo

by Eric Pettine
April 10, 2009

Frank Zappa didn't invent the word “wazoo" or proliferate its usage. However, he was the first to use it in an album and song title that, surprisingly, had no accompanying provocative/potentially censorable lyrics. The Grand Wazoo is one of the most playful, scatologic-free and accessible big band jazz/rock CDs that Zappa--or anyone else--recorded. The aural quality of the album possesses a life-affirming spirit, while the intermittent blurps, bleeps and “inside" soap opera buffoonery--once salient features amidst often brilliant instrumental interludes ...

Meral Guneyman: Playful Virtuosity

by Terrell Kent Holmes
April 9, 2008

Pianist Meral Guneyman appeared to be slightly nervous when she took the stage recently at the 92nd Street Y's concert “Piano Players: New York Mix." But after a glowing introduction from the show's artistic director Dick Hyman, she launched into a powerful solo version of “The Clothed Woman," one of several Ellington classics she played that evening with strong emotion and arresting dexterity. Later Hyman sat at another piano and they reprised his challenging arrangement of “Solitude," skillfully filling in ...

Vinicius Cantuaria: Silva

by Ernest Barteldes
February 4, 2006

Back in the '80s, Vinicius Cantuaria wrote the lullaby-like “Leaozinho, which became a major hit for Caetano Veloso and prompted him to embark on a solo career as a sophisticated pop musician. Although the gamble didn't quite work in Brazil, he found an audience here for his bossa nova-inflected tunes. Today, like many other of his fellow expatriate musicians (Bebel Gilberto and Flora Purim come to mind), his talents are more recognized abroad than in his native land.

Frank Stallone: In Love in Vain

by Franz A. Matzner
October 3, 2003

It’s not quite clear why Frank Stallone has chosen to pursue classic big-band crooning, nor is it immediately apparent whether his is purely a project of nostalgia or something more ambitious. Upon first hearing his latest release, In Love In Vain, one thing, however, becomes immediately obvious, namely the album’s undeniable quality. Supported by a series of shrewd Sammy Nestico arrangements, an orchestra committed to dead-on note placement, and excellent production quality, each of the album’s twelve ...

Truco & Zaperoko: Fusi

by Javier AQ Ortiz
March 1, 2002

Truco & Zaperoko Fusión Caribeña Ryko Latino 1999

In Puerto Rico there is a rather illustrious ferryboat called La lancha de Cataño that traverses the bay between San Juan and the seaside town of Cataño. Joe Quijano wrote a celebrated song to it and that city has the dubious reputation of counting one of Puerto Rico's most gaudy politicians, “El Amolao, among its figures. Los Pleneros del Truco, fortunately, also come from ...

Jimmy Bosch: Salsa Dura

by Javier AQ Ortiz
March 1, 2002

Bosch's second release, under Ryko Latino, carried the unveiling of the soul of a trombonist's air. His first recording as a leader, Soneando trombón, was decidedly autobiographical. Salsa Dura, is no exception. In the recording's cover, he is playing his trombone on top of New York, hence, on top of the world, while contemplating a burning sky. Ironically, only New York seems to be impervious to the celestial fiery glow that also covers the other side of the Hudson. “El ...

Robert Cray: Shoulda Been Home

by Al Rearick
September 1, 2001

Who says sticking to a proven formula is a bad thing?

For those of you who thought Cray’s last effort was a nice sizzling slab o’ soul, his follow-up continues the tradition. Shoulda Been Home picks up where Take Your Shoes Off left off, and carries the groove forward in a manner that would have made the folks at Stax proud. In fact, Cray and the band proudly display such influences on most of the tracks here.

A word of ...

Robert Cray: Take Your Shoes Off

by AAJ Staff
July 1, 1999

If ever a title captured the mood of an album, this is it. Take Your Shoes Off, Cray's latest release from Ryko, is a bit of a departure from what we might expect from Robert and his band. The album flows effortlessly from beginning to end, allowing us to listen to it in it's entirety; a true phenomenon these days. The track list here, as the title suggests, is composed mostly of bright melodic tunes, but that's not to say ...

The Oranj Album: Oranj Symphonette

by Ed Kopp
November 1, 1998

Anybody who reads this review first needs to understand my cast of mind. A brief description of a trip I took to Manhattan a few months ago should do the trick. It was a Friday afternoon, and I was riding in a taxicab when a swinging big-band version of “Meet The Flintstones" came on the radio. I wasn't in the cab long enough to find out who the band was, but I immediately abandoned most of my weekend plans to ...