Jazz Articles

Darryl Harper: The Edenfred Files

by C. Michael Bailey
August 23, 2013

Clarinetist Darryl Harper has five previous recordings to his credit (all released on HipNOTIC) and has had precious little coverage at All About Jazz. A longtime member of violinist Regina Carter's band, Harper has been chipping away at the edges of hard bop and post-bop since his 2001 recording, The Onus: Recurring Dream. At first blush, Harper might appear as a free jazz or avant-garde advocate in the mold of Jimmy Giuffre but, while those elements are present, Harper has ...

Jeff Ray: The Walkup

by C. Michael Bailey
March 25, 2004

I might have completely written this disc off as simply another anemic adult contemporary offering for the Rippingtons/Shadowfax lemmings had I not made it five tracks deep to the title cut. There I found the greasy guitar-organ funk running deep. “The Walkup" has an insistent groove established by guitarist and leader Jeff Ray and maintained by bassist Darryl Hall. Drummer Victor Wise provides the song its underpinning and Aaron Swinn adds the fat calories with his salt pork B3. This ...

Jeff Ray: The Walkup

by Eric J. Iannelli
November 4, 2003

After four years spent cutting his teeth in clarinetist Darryl Harper's jazz project The Onus, the Ohio native Jeff Ray has released his debut solo recording, a largely self-penned collection of extended electric jams and a collage of musical genres. "Solo recording," however, is a descriptive term that offers quite a lot of slack. The overall impression of The Walkup – named for the urban stretch between Ray's flat and the Harlem jazz hotspot St. Nick's Pub ...

Jeff Ray: The Walkup

by Franz A. Matzner
October 3, 2003

Fully embracing electric jazz, Jeff Ray’s new release Walk Up is a politely laid-back jam album dominated by Ray originals. The combination of Ray’s guitar and Aaron Swinn’s soft keyboard work with Daryl Hall’s electric bass and Victor Wise’s seventies-influenced drumming creates a consistently mellow atmosphere. Tunes like “Hot Music" and album highlight, “Cinnamon Lenses," offer solid grooves and bass flourishes, while the album’s most adventurous piece, “Wise Ton J," combines a funky beat with a shifting ...

Matthew Parrish: Circles

by C. Michael Bailey
May 10, 2002

The Flood of superb Post Bop continues...

Lacking the angularity of the Classic Trio Meets Eric Alexander (Sharp Nine, 2002), Circles represents another important addition to the acoustic contemporary canon. Matthew Parrish is a young double-bassist who displays formidable chops in performance, arrangement, and composition. Circles is his debut recording and is impressive as a first outing. Parrish's own compositions range from the fringe contemporary of “Bee-Doe-Lot" to the bluesy “This One's For Al" to the extended ballad consideration of ...

The Onus: Reoccurring Dream

by C. Andrew Hovan
January 1, 2001

First glances suggested this was going to be another quirky avant-garde project (taking in account the name of the band and the album cover), yet things proved to be quite different and in the end Reoccurring Dream blossomed into a mainstream set of substantial strength. Now just because we’re talking about working “within the tradition,” doesn’t mean this is another one of those hard bop retreads. For one thing, the ensemble make-up assures that. Lead instrumentalist and clarinetist Darryl Harper, ...

The Onus: Reoccurring Dream

by C. Andrew Hovan
January 1, 2001

First glances suggested this was going to be another quirky avant-garde project (taking in account the name of the band and the album cover), yet things proved to be quite different and in the end Reoccurring Dream blossomed into a mainstream set of substantial strength. Now just because we’re talking about working “within the tradition,” doesn’t mean this is another one of those hard bop retreads. For one thing, the ensemble make-up assures that. Lead instrumentalist and clarinetist Darryl Harper, ...