Jazz Articles

Mark Murphy: Bop for Kerouac

by William Grim
August 1, 2002

Bop for Kerouac is one of Mark Murphy’s best albums, and that’s saying a lot because over the years he has recorded some of the finest and most innovative jazz vocal albums of all time. It’s a concept album that is focused on the aesthetic of the Beats and features vocalise adaptations of Charlie Parker tunes and solos as well as texts taken from the writings of Jack Kerouac, particularly the novel On the Road.

The album starts ...

Mark Murphy: I'll Close My Eyes

by William Grim
July 15, 2002

Every album by Mark Murphy is a gem and I'll Close My Eyes is no exception. Starting with the title track, Murphy displays his uncanny sensitivity to the relationship between words and music by delivering a very emotional reading of the song's verse, a text that is overlooked by most performers. Added to the performance's appeal is a tasty obbligato by Brazilian trumpeter Claudio Roditi.

The song “If" is all too often a staple of karaoke bars and Holiday Inn ...

Jaki Byard: Solo/Strings

by Derek Taylor
November 1, 2000

Jazz history is rife with piano geniuses: Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Cecil Taylor, Herbie Nichols, and so many others. But aside from the monolithic figure of Art Tatum few if any have succeeded in blending virtuosity, imagination and a complete command of the instrument like Jaki Byard did. His senseless murder last year marked the demise of an instrumental intellect virtually unparalleled not just in Jazz, but in modern music as a whole. All that is left now are the ...

Jaki Byard: Family Man

by Jim Santella
March 1, 2000

Named for his family members, several movements from Jaki Byard’s “Family Suite" relate the deep affection the pianist harbored for his home and family. Byard made his decision early on in his career to work close to home rather than travel. Recorded in 1978, long out of print, but reissued last month for the first time on compact disc, Byard’s Family Man offers a glimpse toward several of the many styles this pianist espoused during his 60-year career as teacher/composer/performer. ...

Jaki Byard: On the Spot!

by C. Andrew Hovan
January 1, 2000

It is without exaggeration to suggest that the late Jaki Byard was probably one of the most complete pianists that jazz has seen or will likely ever see again. For this iconoclast, everything from the stride of James P. Johnson to the thundering cacophony of Cecil Taylor was fair game for further maturation and he managed to develop a style that took in the music's history, combining disparate elements with deceptive ease.

Beginning in 1961, Byard would embark on what ...

Jaki Byard: On the Spot!

by Derek Taylor
January 1, 2000

When Jaki Byard was murdered early in 1999 it was a blow to jazz music felt by many, but one that is softened slightly when one considers the incredible legacy and eclectic body of work the man left behind as an outcome of his nearly seven decades behind the keys. Over the last several years Prestige has finally been getting around to reissuing all of the invaluable sessions Byard cut for the label during the late 1960s. This disc presents ...

Jaki Byard: On the Spot!

by AAJ Staff
December 1, 1999

Jaki Byard was an encyclopedia unto himself; in a French concert it’s said he went “from James P. Johnson to Cecil Taylor." You hear that in his albums, even in the same song; with Mingus he would take explosions and follow them with classical beauty. On this date there’s more variety than ever: studio and live tracks, a program that covers six decades, an alto sax on two numbers. Thank his resourcefulness, his broad knowledge. And thank the talent that ...

Hannibal Peterson: One With The Wind

by AAJ Staff
July 1, 1997

There are not many jazz productions that I can say I like every song performed on the CD or LP. One of those select CD's is Hannibal Peterson's One With The Wind. The opening track, “Nile's Song," written for Hannibal's son, sets the tone for an exceptional work of art led by an individual who does not record enough material as a leader. Warning: This CD requires active listening to feel the emotion and drive of this gifted composer.

“God ...