Jazz Articles
Our daily articles are carefully curated by the All About Jazz staff. You can find more articles by searching our website, see what's trending on our popular articles page or read articles ahead of their published dates on our Coming Soon page. Read our daily album reviews.
Sign in to customize your My Articles page —or— Filter Article Results
Chris McDonald: A Big (Band) Swinging Christmas!
by Jack Bowers
A Big (Band) Swinging Christmas! is at least the tenth holiday album recorded by the peerless arranger Chris McDonald's impressive Jazz Orchestra--but the first one whose title has been amplified by an exclamation mark. Could it be that this one is extra-special? That's hard to say, as the albums that preceded it have all been remarkably well-designed and pleasurable. And yet... there is that exclamation mark. Before proceeding, it should be noted that McDonald is a maven ...
Continue ReadingNo Pews Required: Chris McDonald Jazz Orchestra
by Jack Bowers
A glance at the name and song titles on Chris McDonald's new album might lead to an assumption that this is a Christian manifesto masquerading as big-band jazz, when in fact the reverse is true--McDonald, a superlative arranger, happens to be a man of faith who uses Christian themes as the basis for some of the most powerful and exhilarating big-band music you're likely to hear anywhere. This is in every respect the Chris McDonald JAZZ Orchestra, and the emphasis ...
Continue Reading
