Jazz Articles
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John Lurie: Painting With John
by Mark Corroto
Once a week, since 2021 the HBO series Painting With John gave viewers a glimpse into the world of John Lurie. If you just happened upon the television show without any prior knowledge of the man, you begin to realize the program was not at all like the kitschy PBS series The Joy Of Painting with Bob Ross. Although you might imagine Lurie entertaining the idea of adding some happy little trees, Painting With John, just like his 1990's TV ...
read moreGarage A Trois: Calm Down Cologne
by Chris May
Formed by guitarist Charlie Hunter, saxophonist Skerik and drummer Stanton Moore in 1999, Garage A Trois has sparked a slew of “But is it jazz?" debates with every new release. Calm Down Cologne will do it again. GAT has been through various incarnations since its debut EP, The Mysteryfunk (Fog City Records, 1999), necessitated by the departure of Hunter. The group's last album, 2011's Always Be Happy, But Stay Evil (Royal Potato Family), was actually made by a ...
read moreMike Dillon: Rosewood
by Doug Collette
Texas-born Mike Dillon moves in as many different directions as his varied skills allow. Witness his work with, among others, Garage A Trois, Critters Buggin' and Nolatet. Yet none of his adventures are as satisfying as when he adheres to his niche as vibraphonist/percussionist, so Rosewood makes a suitable companion piece to the similarly conceived and executed Functioning Broke (Royal Potato Family, 2016). As a matter of fact, Rosewood is almost a direct extension of that album. A ...
read moreKirk Knuffke: Brightness Live In Amsterdam
by Doug Collette
Kirk Knuffke's well-developed musical pedigree compelled the ever-so-astute drummer/composer/bandleader Allison Miller to recruit him for her forward-thinking ensemble Boom Tic Boom. It's the same premise upon which guitarist Charlie Hunter enlisted this man with the horns accompaniment for Everybody Has A Plan Until They Get Punched In The Mouth (Self-Produced, 2016). And in also assuming the roles of bandleader/composer for Brightness Live in Amsterdam, Knuffke calls upon his well-honed versatility as well. Accordingly, this forty-five minutes begins with ...
read moreAllison Miller's Boom Tic Boom: Glitter Wolf
by Jennifer DeMeritt
Some jazz musicians dare you to follow them to the rarefied realm of their imagination, where you might discover paradise, or you might get lost in a forest of abstraction. Allison Miller says, “Hey, let's take a ride!" then revs the engine and takes you on a grand tour of a carnival of sounds. A masterful jazz drummer and composer, Miller has also performed with Natalie Merchant, Ani DiFranco, and Brandi Carlile, among others, and she brings a rock musician's ...
read moreGrayson Capps: Scarlett Roses
by Doug Collette
It makes perfect sense for Grayson Capps' Scarlett Roses to conclude with a cut called “Moving On" (and for a lyric sheet to be included). The music on this album sounds like it comes from a place just beyond the world as most of us know it. Like the appropriately designated title song, the material itself and the pointed musicianship arising out of it manifests a clarity arising from deep reflection and thoughts of a better future. That ...
read moreJenny Scheinman: Here on Earth
by Doug Collette
Originally commissioned as music to accompany the film Kannapolis: A Moving Portrait, but actually dating back to sources of inspiration from the artist's childhood, the music on violinist/composer Jenny Scheinman's Here On Earth stands on its own terms as an unconventional work of string music. Fifteen tracks pass in quick succession from “A Kid Name Lily," all of which, in some proportion or another, echo the combination of melancholy and fortitude permeating the arrangement of that opener. Scheinman ...
read moreHolly Bowling: Better Left Unsung
by Doug Collette
As wry as is the implication of its title, Holly Bowling's double album of Grateful Dead material, Better Left Unsung, is utterly absorbing. These thirteen wholly instrumental, solo piano renditions of material spanning the spectrum of the iconic San Francisco band's songbook illuminate why the songs are so memorable on their own terms as well as fodder for inspired improvisation. Perhaps it's Holly Bowling's her background as a classically trained pianist, but she never dumbs down her playing. ...
read moreSeth Walker: Gotta Get Back
by Doug Collette
With Gotta Get Back, Seth Walker aligns himself with arguably the most authentic of Americana artists, the Wood Brothers. Both siblings contribute to this, the ninth album of the Southern-born and raised songwriter/musician, while the 'adopted' member of their brethren, Jano Rix, produced the record, adding not only his own multi-instrumental and vocal skills, but setting a casual tone that helped in no small part to conjure the inviting ambiance of this album. As such, this alliance is ...
read moreMike Dillon: Functioning Broke
by Doug Collette
As idiosyncratic as Mike Dillon's work has been with Critters Buggin' and Garage a Trois, it's well-nigh impossible not to fall under the spell of the music he creates all by himself on Functioning Broke. A deep dream-like quality emanates from his musicianship, most resonant in the warm glow of vibes that open “Half Right" and continues virtually unabated for the course of this unfortunately abbreviated (thirty-five minutes plus), right down to the similarly insinuating sounds of Indian percussion on ...
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