Jazz Articles

Mark Dagley: Mystery of the Guitar

by Florence Wetzel
March 27, 2011

It's interesting how some CDs fit into daily life better than others. You might not, for example, put on Sun Ra if your mother was coming over for tea, but you might not be inspired by music that seeps harmlessly into the woodwork. Mystery of the Guitar is one of those special CDs that can function as both background and foreground; it possesses the unique virtue of being both soothing and interesting. Mark Dagley is a genuine Renaissance ...

Devorah Day: Standard

by Derek Taylor
April 15, 2004

Vocalist plus accompanist sessions constitute a small but singular niche in the ever-ballooning CIMP catalog. As with the label’s other projects, these dates have a strong element of risk. Engineer Marc Rusch’s method of recording offers nothing in the way of compensatory tampering for the singer’s voice. What you hear is exactly what was sung or spoken, pure and undiluted.

The “without-a-net" nature of such an arrangement has a surprisingly solid track record. Previous projects by Rosella ...

Devorah Day: Light of Day

by Florence Wetzel
November 14, 2003

Light of Day is an unusual CD, featuring a rare appearance by the great saxophonist Marion Brown. Although vocalist Devorah Day has been around the New York music scene for some years, this 1999 session is her first, and her voice is a revelation. In Brown's liner notes he refers to Day's vocal gymnastics, and the description is apt. Day's voice has tremendous range, from great delicacy to “a bass note that made me jump out of my seat," as ...

Devorah Day: Light of Day

by Franz A. Matzner
August 25, 2003

In an odd metaphysical sense, the avant-garde always sounds the same. Abstract, startling, disconcerting, slightly opaque, sometimes impenetrable, razor-sharp, and to the right kind of ears, irresistible. All of this characterizes jazz vocalist and songwriter Devorah Day’s debut release, Light of Day. As with anything of this nature, it remains to be seen whether Day has arrived at her present position by traveling jazz singing’s current developmental trajectory at an accelerated pace, or in fact condensed out ...