Jazz Articles

Canela & Vidal: Univers Miles

by Michael P. Gladstone
June 21, 2004

For this recording made in Barcelona, Spain in 2002, vocalist Carme Canela and pianist Lluis Vidal undertook the challenge of presenting songs from the Miles Davis Songbook. I've given up counting the various tributes over the course of the past twelve years, but Canela-Vidal should be credited with coming up with ten selections that avoid the usual tunes that one finds in this type of effort. I would certainly include “'Round Midnight" and “All Blues" in that category. Most of ...

Gorka Benitez: The Free Session

by AAJ Staff
June 17, 2004

The Free Session presents Basque saxophonist Gorka Benitez in a dizzying variety of stylistic approaches. These mostly short performances focus more on the leader as a composer than as an improviser. And while some of the music may indeed by characterized as free jazz, some of the pieces are through-composed, and some are urgently swinging post-bop.

Benitez offers a glimpse of himself as a tenor saxophone soloist on “Diatonicism," which sounds like it could be a swinging but very abstract ...

Rob Wilkerson: Imaginary Landscape

by AAJ Staff
June 9, 2004

There is a new style of jazz composition emerging, one which seeks to combine the melodic hooks and sonic ambiance of such pop artists as Radiohead and Björk with the harmonic and rhythmic imperatives of jazz. This approach can be heard in the work of such younger artists as Steve Cardenas, Eli Degibri, and Rob Wilkerson, the leader of this unique and imaginative recording.

In the booklet notes, Wilkerson states that he seeks to use melody and color ...

Magali Souriau Trio: Petite Promenade

by Joshua Weiner
June 3, 2004

Nowadays, jazz artists release records less frequently than they once did, and partly because of this, each new album takes on an air of supposed (and usually record-company suggested) “importance” that often undercuts the music. I’ve mentioned previously my irritation with the proliferation of “theme” records, as if one has to have a special angle to get anyone to listen to new jazz.

Petite Promenade, the new Fresh Sound recording by pianist Magali Souriau, saxophonist Chris Cheek and bassist Matt ...

Guaranteed Swahili: Three More Years

by Mark F. Turner
May 23, 2004

With music that makes use of saxophone harmonies against a backdrop of free jazz, Guaranteed Swahili’s third release, Three More Years, intricately delivers expressive and tightly knit musical ideas. The piano-less quartet which now resides in New York was formed in 1995 in the vibrant Boston jazz scene with associations with other popular area musicians such as the sax group Dead Cat Bounce and widely known artists Danilo Perez and Joe Lovano.

The first thing that grabs the inner ear ...

Fernando Huergo: Live at the Regattabar

by Joshua Weiner
May 21, 2004

Though released on Fresh Sound's “World Jazz" imprint, this live album by Fernando Huergo's Jazz Argentino band captures a fantastic set of Latin-influenced modern jazz that does not deserve to be pigeonholed. Bassist and composer Huergo reunited the musicians that made 2002's Jazz Argentino studio album (save for new pianist Mika Pohjola) for a burning gig at Boston's Regattabar, recorded in excellent fidelity for WGBH Radio. Expansive and exploratory, with memorable tunes (all by Huergo), excellent solos, and compelling rhythms, ...

Steve Lehman Quintet: Artificial Light

by Mark F. Turner
May 19, 2004

There have been some quiet rumblings about the young Steve Lehman. The New York alto saxophonist won Downbeat's award for “best alto saxophonist under 21" in 1997 and has studied under sax greats Jackie McLean and Anthony Braxton. His recent associations with his contemporaries include bassist Mark Dresser and pianist Vijay Iyer, with the trio Fieldwork. In his mid-twenties, he plays and sounds beyond his years, but what is really interesting lies in the intensity and progressiveness that make Artificial ...

Steve Cardenas: Panoramic

by AAJ Staff
May 18, 2004

An observation we might make about jazz albums today, as opposed to the days of vinyl, is that there are a lot more first-rate musicians recording today, for a welter of small, independent CD labels. This means that there is a lot more available, high-quality jazz product today, if the astute listener knows where to look. Which brings us to Panoramic, the latest CD by guitarist Steve Cardenas.

If an album as good as Panoramic had been released ...

Loren Stillman: Gin Bon

by Russ Musto
April 24, 2004

Gin Bon reunites gifted young saxophonist Loren Stillman with the inspired rhythm section of Russ Lossing, Scott Lee and Jeff Hirshfield from last year's acclaimed How Sweet It Is ; and, on half the session, guitarist John Abercrombie, the altoist's band mate from the group Jackalope. Stillman's sumptuous sound and well-developed technique are matched by his remarkably mature aptitude for composing engaging melodies in variety of forms and feelings.The opening 'Psalm No. 3' is a soulful and seductive ...

Steve Cardenas: Panoramic

by Phil DiPietro
March 19, 2004

Steve Cardenas has worked as a superb accompanist to classic groovers Eddie Harris and Jay McShann, classic modernists Charlie Haden and Paul Motian, and a newer breed of female vocalists, such as Kate McGarry, Rebecca Martin and even Miss Norah Jones. Unusually, he's best-known for work in ensembles that spin twin guitars, as a member of Motian's Electric Bebop Band (where he's split duties with Kurt Rosenwinkel and now, Ben Monder) and Joey Baron's “Killer Joey" (with Brad Shepik).

Release ...