Jazz Articles
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Onaje Allan Gumbs: Bloodlife: Solo Piano Improvisations Based on the Melodies of Ronald Shannon Jackson
by John Kelman
Best known for his mainstream work with Woody Shaw on classic albums like The Moontrane (Muse, 1975) and Stepping Stones (Columbia, 1978), it may come as a surprise to learn that pianist Onaje Allan Gumbs was not just a friend and mentor to Ronald Shannon Jackson, but that he also played on the drummer's Decode Yourself (Island, 1985)--an album that, like much of Jackson's Decoding Society work, took Ornette Coleman's harmolodic Prime Time group as a starting point for his ...
read moreOnaje Allan Gumbs: Remember Their Innocence
by William Grim
In our adult-denigrating society, I always cringe whenever I encounter an album that's “for the children." Like books in which the authors claim that part of the proceeds will be donated to charity, it's a certain bet that the there is some defect that the producers are hoping the patina of good will and charity will obviate and make “critic-proof." That is certainly the case here, for this album is a compilation of mostly banal smooth jazz ditties that dull ...
read moreOnaje Allan Gumbs: Remember Their Innocence
by Jerry D'Souza
Onaje Allan Gumbs took his wide experiences as a musician into the studio for his latest recording and came up with a winning combination in Remember Their Innocence. There is strong testimony to his passion for jazz, just as there is for the blues, some soul, a Brazilian tune, and a bit of what is known as contemporary jazz. The last category is not watered down by the hose of blandness, instead elevated by the soulful Dennis Collins, whose remarkable ...
read moreOnaje Allan Gumbs: Remember Their Innocence
by John Kelman
With a résumé that includes lengthy stints with singer Betty Carter, trumpeter Woody Shaw, and drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson, not to mention opportunities to support a variety of R&B and pop artists, pianist Onaje Allan Gumbs' diversity could be considered a double-edged sword. An advantage because he's worked in so many contexts that there's an undeniable verisimilitude to virtually any project he tackles. A disadvantage in that he runs the risk of losing his own voice amidst such a diversity ...
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