Jazz Articles

Kidd Jordan: On Fire

by John Sharpe
April 16, 2012

Incendiary similes have always proven popular as descriptors of free jazz. Indeed, “Fire Music," has been used as a label for the whole genre. New Orleans-based saxophonist Kidd Jordan's 2006 outing, the superb Palm of Soul (AUM Fidelity), essayed a meditative calm, music which couldn't be more different from the accurately named 50-minute studio session On Fire. While bassist Harrison Bankhead and drummer Warren Smith would be eminently suited to a contemplative, even melodically inclined date, here they too pursue ...

Kidd Jordan: On Fire

by Hrayr Attarian
March 22, 2012

Tenor saxophonist Edward “Kidd" Jordan is one those rare musicians who is able to imbue the freest, most advanced improvisations with extreme lyricism and build complex harmonies out of dissonant notes. On Fire showcases his sublime musicianship to the fullest. On “Officer, that Big Knife Cuts My Sax Reeds," Jordan's breaths fire on an emotionally cathartic and furious solo, replete with honks and shrieks that grow more quietly contemplative yet also more elaborate as the piece progresses. ...

Stephen Haynes: Parrhesia

by John Sharpe
January 21, 2011

There's something about the plain brown recycled chipboard sleeve of Parrhesia, with its letter-pressed script, which relates to the music contained inside. It's not just the concern for sustainability, but also the understated, organic yet singular nature of the package. Trumpeter Stephen Haynes' leadership debut has been a long time coming, which perhaps suggests undue modesty. Mentor Bill Dixon looms large in the trumpeter's resume, but Haynes has been active since the early '70s, with many renowned leaders including composer ...

Fred Anderson: Staying in the Game

by Jerry D'Souza
August 8, 2009

Tenor saxophonist Fred Anderson, one of the founding members of the Associateion for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) has a spotty recording output. This creative force in free jazz has made amends over the last five years with strong CDs including Timeless: Live at the Velvet Lounge (Delmark, 2006), Back Together Again (Thrill Jockey, 2004) and From the River to the Ocean (Thrill Jockey, 2007), on which he showed that he could still play with creative energy. He continues ...

Fred Anderson: Staying in the Game

by Lyn Horton
July 14, 2009

Bassist Harrison Bankhead and drummer Tim Daisy open with a rhythmic standard for tenor saxophonist Fred Anderson in Staying In The Game. An innate sense of melody springs from Anderson, a pure-tone player if there ever was one. But even more noteworthy is the ease with which Anderson improvises on one set of phrases.

“Sunday Afternoon" absorbs nearly half of the recording. Mastery of his musicianship over sixty years allows Anderson to manufacture unstoppable variations on his first back-and-forth, up-and-down ...

Fred Anderson: Staying in the Game

by Raul d'Gama Rose
July 13, 2009

Of all the tenor saxophonists still making music today, Fred Anderson--like Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp and, at times, Wayne Shorter--still has the ability to get under the skin. Anderson's tone is so warm and rich and sensuous that when he sounds a note, it echoes under the body's largest organ, and not necessarily inside the head. Programmatic music tends to be cerebral, but not Fred Anderson's; this is because there is something quite extraordinarily urgent and heartfelt about the music ...

Fred Anderson: Staying in the Game

by Henry Smith
June 24, 2009

Tenor saxophone veteran Fred Anderson has remained a fixture on the free jazz scene since his co-founding of the AACM. Seemingly never inactive, Anderson follows up the critically acclaimed quintet album From the River to the Ocean (Thrill Jockey, 2007) with a more intimate trio outing. Featuring the previous album's bassist, Harrison Bankhead, alongside drummer Tim Daisy, the album is a true showcase for Anderson and the supple rhythm section backing him.

Opening with the lengthy ...

The Moving Form: Year of the Endless Moment

by Franz A. Matzner
September 6, 2004

Terrifically and unapologetically pretentious, the Moving Form's current release, Year of the Endless Moment, combines poetry recitation with world music-tinged jazz improvisation to create a musical experience that most closely resembles the offspring of a casual dalliance between Rage Against The Machine and Michael Brecker. Channeling the urban angst of Zack de la Rocha and sounding distressingly similar to recordings of Jim Morrison's poetry recitations, vocalist Will Hasley (listed in the liner notes as The Incomparable Poet ...