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 future articles page. Read our daily album reviews.
Sign in to customize your My Articles page —or— Filter Article Results
Gary Husband: A Meeting of Spirits: Interpretations of the Music of John McLaughlin
by John Kelman
As a followup to his remarkable The Things I See: Interpretations of the Music of Allan Holdsworth (Angel Air, 2001), veteran drummer/keyboardist Gary Husband tackles another guitar legend on A Meeting of Spirits. Both records are wonderful solo piano tributes to their sources' distinctive compositional skills and harmonic innovations. But Husband's latest effort takes the concept of homage a step further by including original compositions that live in McLaughlin's universe, but continue to define his own personal sphere as well. ...
read moreJason Smith: Think Like This
by John Kelman
Sometimes you have to get beyond the biases suggested by an artist's past experience. Drummer Jason Smith has been a busy west coast session player on soundtracks and pop records by artists like Enrique Iglesias. Not exactly a pedigree bound to generate excitement on the jazz front. Still, he's also worked with Mike Keneally, the guitarist from Frank Zappa's last touring ensemble--not fitting a purist's jazz definition, perhaps, but demonstrating a chameleon-like ability and veering towards fusion territory, at least ...
read moreAllan Holdsworth: Against the Clock: The Best of Allan Holdsworth
by John Kelman
It's rare enough to find artists who have developed a voice so unique that they can be recognized within the space of a few notes. Rarer still are those who have evolved such a distinctive vernacular that their music can be identified without them personally playing a single note. Scarcer still are those who can work within someone else's framework, altering the complexion to fit their own musical universe--indelibly stamping whatever musical situation they find themselves in, not just through ...
read moreRiptyde: Sonic Undertow
by John Kelman
Sonic Undertow is the culmination of nearly ten years of occasional studio finagling by multi-instrumentalist Chris Hoard, also one half of the team that runs the fledgling Alternity Records, which made its mark last year with its first release, Then! , an archival live release from '90 by guitar phenom Allan Holdsworth. Upon reading the liner notes, the concept of blending progressive rock with a certain hip hop sensibility held a potential for certain disaster. Surprisingly though, Sonic Undertow manages ...
read moreAllan Holdsworth Group: Then!
by John Kelman
Recorded twelve years before his latest release, the similarly-live All Night Wrong , and at the same location in Tokyo, guitarist Allan Holdsworth demonstrates that while he's come a long way in the ensuing years, there's absolutely no reason not to look back at archival material such as this and stand in awe of a stylist who has singularly redefined the potential of his instrument. Then! captures Holdsworth and his band, keyboardist Steve Hunt, bassist Jimmy Johnson and drummer Gary ...
read more
Giveaway
Days remaining: 5
