Jazz Articles

Pony Boy All-Star Big Band: This Is Now

by Jack Bowers
November 12, 2024

This Is Now is a venturous and engaging concert date by the Pony Boy All-Star Big Band, taped in May 2024 at Boxley's jazz club in North Bend, Washington. Pony Boy refers to the band's label, Pony Boy Records, while the term All-Star is, as always, in the eye (and ear) of the beholder. Clearly, there are some stars in this firmament, not least of which is drummer and music director Greg Williamson. Trumpeter Jay Thomas has long been a ...

Kareem Kandi Band: Hourglass

by Paul Rauch
May 18, 2017

The jazz organ trio, with saxophone and drums, is an efficient concept in terms of musical identity; it exposes the members to the core of their collective musical being, laying bare the total expressiveness of the players, and the strengths and weaknesses of the collective. It's like a mini-big band, with B3 sounds swirling and creating foundational remnants from which the rhythmic aspects and melodic input of both the drummer and saxophonist give rise to musical adventurism. The Kareem Kandi ...

Frank Kohl: Rising Tide

by Geannine Reid
May 16, 2017

Guitarist Frank Kohl releases his fourth album as a leader, entitled, Rising Tide. The Seattle-based guitarist is joined by bassist Steve LaSpina, pianist (and brother) Tom Kohl, and drummer Jon Doty. Kohl penned five of the eight tunes, with the balance pulling from the standards repertoire.Kohl's guitar sound is warm, clear and sounds as a “box" guitar should, lending to a delightful jazz guitar authenticity. The group has a tight interplay and a palpable joy in performing together. ...

The Young Lizards: Our Modern Lifestyle

by Jack Bowers
August 9, 2011

The organ trio, once a focal point of soul-drenched jazz in the heyday of such elder statesmen as Jimmy Smith, Richard “Groove" Holmes, Brother Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, Charles Earland, Don Patterson and others, hasn't been nearly as prominent in recent years as the ranks of virtuosic organists (Joey DeFrancesco notwithstanding) have thinned. Nevertheless, the organ remains a persuasive jazz instrument, capable of creating uncommon qualities and textures that are implausible in its absence. When a horn is added, as ...

Dave Anderson Quartet: Clarity

by Edward Blanco
August 16, 2010

Having built a reputation as an exceptional reedman in Seattle, Dave Anderson presents a sparkling debut on the melodically rich Clarity, alternating between alto and soprano saxophones on eight original compositions and two covers. Having performed extensively throughout North America with luminaries like Jim McNeely, Clark Terry and the late great Mel Tormé, Anderson moved to Seattle in 2005 from his native Minnesota, forming Dave Anderson Quartet after a one-nighter at Egan's Ballard Jamhouse. The group consists of pianist John ...

The Jim Cutler Jazz Orchestra: In Progress

by Jack Bowers
October 29, 2006

It's not true that I never met a big band I didn't like. I just haven't met any lately--especially not from the Seattle area, which gradually and without fanfare has become a breeding ground for invigorating contemporary big band jazz. Case in point: the Jim Cutler Jazz Orchestra, whose debut CD, In Progress, is a corker from start to finish, and a textbook example of how admirable a regional “no-big-name band can be if everyone is on the same page ...

The Jim Cutler Jazz Orchestra: In Progress

by Edward Blanco
October 7, 2006

The Jim Cutler Jazz Orchestra, a hard-driving local house band from Seattle, debuts with this album sculpted in the finest big band tradition. Led by saxophonist and composer Jim Cutler, the sixteen-piece big band features the best talented musicians from the Puget Sound area. The thirteen lively big band arrangements here are entirely comprised of new original compositions from Cutler and trumpeter Daniel Barry, except for John Coltrane's “Dear Love.

The repertoire conveys a modern swing rhythm, ...

Emerald City Jazz Orchestra: Come Rain or Come Shine

by Jack Bowers
November 27, 2005

A rule of thumb for any artistic endeavor is that a sequel is seldom as good as the original. The qualifier “seldom must be used because there are occasional exceptions to the rule. As luck would have it, here comes one now--the Emerald City Jazz Orchestra's remarkable followup to its debut album, Alive and Swingin'! (SMP 0004). In reviewing that earlier enterprise, I noted that “section work is immaculate, soloists are superb, and the rhythm section simply kicks ass. I ...

Buddy Catlett: Here Comes Buddy Catlett

by Mark Sabbatini
May 15, 2005

Buddy Catlett is a snapshot of everything that's right and wrong with jazz today. A player with legends for more than fifty years--and supposedly Count Basie's favorite bassist--he's currently gigging as a sideman in a Seattle club on Thursday nights. Such unpretentiousness and enduring passion for the craft is what makes so many longtime players so admirable. So why aren't there enough admirers to pack the house on weekends?

Part of the answer lies in his 2004 trio ...

The Jim Cutler Quartet: For Real

by Michael P. Gladstone
June 11, 2004

For its second outing, the Jim Cutler Quartet delivers twelve tracks, of which all but one are original compositions—mostly from Cutler, with two from pianist Brian Olendorf and one from bassist Philip Demaree. The personnel for this Seattle-area group is the same as on its 2002 debut, JCQ.

The music presented on For Real is straight down the middle of the fairway. Cutler is a good melody player and his tenor styling is lyrically in the Scott Hamilton ...