Jazz Articles

Spooky Actions: Quartet for the End of Time

by Ty Cumbie
February 12, 2006

The young Olivier Messiaen famously composed and premiered “Quartet for the End of Time in 1940-41 as a prisoner of the Nazis during World War II. One can apply just about as much meaningful drama to this story as one wants. It has even been suggested that Messiaen defeated the Nazis, in spirit at least, with this work of art before the physical act could be accomplished by the Allied powers. In any case, the work is widely worshipped. In ...

Ursel Schlicht/Bruce Arnold: String Theory

by Ty Cumbie
September 25, 2005

Of the thousands of improvising musicians in New York, there are untold legions of gifted players who have scarcely been recognized. Ursel Schlicht should be counted among them. Her relative obscurity is partly self-imposed, as she seems uninterested in plopping herself comfortingly in a single marketable style, but the “industry and its attendant (or co-dependent?) slothful behavior of mainstream listeners are at least equally culpable.

Never mind: Schlicht displays not a jot of concern for this condition, showing ...

Spooky Actions: Early Music

by Rex Butters
July 3, 2005

Bruce Arnold and John Gunther return with their Spooky Actions project, an inventive improvisational interpretation of musics not often tackled by jazz-based units. Having already rearranged the thorny intricacies of Webern and the soaring power of Native American melodies, here they address the haunting subtleties of early music, including variations on themes by Monteverdi, Dufay, and Von Bingen, as well as Gregorian chant. The quartet achieves a skillful balance in creating modern arrangements that retain connections to the deep reverence ...

Bruce Arnold/Mike Miller: Two Guys From South Dakota

by AAJ Staff
May 10, 2005

Guitar duos are an honorable and deep jazz tradition that reaches back to the music's beginnings. Two Guys From South Dakota is a superior, bop-based addition to that lineage, and it fits right in. Arnold and Miller are in fact from South Dakota, and they keep things swinging throughout. They have stylistic roots in Jim Hall, and to a lesser extent, Pat Metheny, although neither of them are mere imitators. They do favor Hall's lyrical, relaxed swing, however. ...

Spooky Actions: Early Music

by Jim Santella
April 6, 2005

Spooky Actions may seem an unusual name for a chamber quartet that makes serious study of music and interprets these thoughts with a unique spirit. The name is derived from a comment by Albert Einstein where he noted that certain seemingly unrelated objects could nevertheless exert a powerful influence upon each other. He called these relationships “spooky actions."

Along with Early Music, Spooky Actions has issued projects interpreting Native American melodies and the music of Anton Webern.

Bruce Arnold & Olivier Ker Ourio: Duets

by Jim Santella
March 2, 2005

Moody jazz and blues from the modern mainstream allow this duo to explore currents that emphasize melody and harmony over rhythm. Together, Bruce Arnold and Olivier Ker Ourio weave intricate patterns of sound on Duets that belie a melancholy refrain into which emotions fall loosely and untangled.

Their aim is perfectly clear: to paint languorous pictures where a soul can rest alongside ocean waves of sensuous music. Ker Ourio's harmonica wafts on an easygoing breeze, rising and falling ...

Bruce Arnold & Mike Miller: Two Guys from South Dakota

by Jim Santella
February 17, 2005

The guitar duo of Bruce Arnold and Mike Miller interprets familiar standards on this pleasant session. Musically interesting and filled with inspiration, they provide the listener with an inside look at each classic piece. Their performance is laid-back and introspective.

As they alternate melodic and rhythm roles, the two guitarists swing lightly and maintain a close-knit groove. Their lyrical caresses reveal a coolness in their passion, as each picks his instrument delicately. Crisp and clear, their interwoven phrases ...

Bruce Arnold: Give `Em Some

by Dave Nathan
April 18, 2002

Guitarist Bruce Arnold continues his odyssey of using the twelve tone in bringing together elements of jazz, rock and funk. His companions on this serious undertaking are Ratzo B. Harris and Tony Moreno, a duo with whom Arnold has been performing for more than 10 years. This music is not easy to listen to and will never find itself as an example in a “Jazz for Dummies" primer. As soon as the first few measures of the kick off tune ...