Jazz Articles
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Sun Ra: At The Showcase (Live In Chicago, 1976-1977)
by Mike Jurkovic
It is an unchallenged law of nature that wherever or whoever anyone happens to be when they encounter Sun Ra, they are certain to be somewhere and someone else after the meeting. That holds especially true of Sun Ra at the Showcase: Live in Chicago. Captured during two barn-burning performances at the Windy City's venerable Showcase Club in '76 and '77, this limited 2-LP, 2 CD set--released by the equally venerable Zev Feldman's Jazz Detective label to celebrate ...
Continue ReadingSun Ra: At The Showcase (Live In Chicago, 1976-1977)
by Glenn Astarita
Embark on a cosmic odyssey with Sun Ra and his Arkestra as they unveil At the Showcase Live in Chicago 1976-1977, a celestial offering dripping with mystique and intrigue. This transcendent collection not only unveils previously unreleased tracks but also grants access to the legendary Showcase Lounge, overseen by the venerable Joe Segal. Complemented by a captivating booklet featuring insights from Marshall Allen and reflections from jazz luminaries like David Murray and Matthew Shipp, this album becomes a veritable treasure ...
Continue ReadingSun Ra: At The Showcase (Live In Chicago, 1976-1977)
by Troy Dostert
Describing the music of Sun Ra is always challenging--perhaps even more so when it is documented on a live recording. A case in point is this offering from the Jazz Detective label, a substantial slice of Ra taken from two concerts at Chicago's Jazz Showcase in the mid-'70s. It can be dense and opaque, even impenetrable at times. But it also swings mightily, with a generous big-band sound which should appeal to all but the most closed-minded jazz listeners. It ...
Continue ReadingChet Baker & Jack Sheldon: In Perfect Harmony: The Lost Album
by Pierre Giroux
In Perfect Harmony: The Lost Album presents an intriguing collaboration between trumpeters Chet Baker and Jack Sheldon. Derived from a newly unearthed studio session from 1972 and released on the Jazz Detective label, it was co-produced by Zev Feldman and film producer Frank Marshall. Backed by a stellar ensemble featuring Jack Marshall (guitar), Dave Frishberg (piano), Joe Mondragon (bass) and Nick Ceroli (drums), the sextet swings through a repertoire drawn mostly from the Great American Songbook, supplemented by one original ...
Continue ReadingAhmad Jamal: Emerald City Nights: Live at The Penthouse, 1966-1968
by Mike Jurkovic
It was a time of warring nations, either within themselves or without. John Coltrane had fallen as Miles Davis was firing up the jazz/funk. It was a time of young men screaming, their bodies on fire. Black and white images of villages savaged and children starving. Into these unrivaled moments--they had just taken down a holy man in Memphis a month before--Ahmad Jamal, his uncluttered allegiance to cool, underscored syncopation, and profound ease and understanding of Erroll Garner's ...
Continue ReadingCal Tjader: Catch The Groove: Live at the Penthouse 1963-1967
by Troy Dostert
It would be unusual to hear vibraphonist Cal Tjader mentioned alongside the all-time greats on his instrument. He is not remembered for being a fearless improviser like Bobby Hutcherson, or as deeply soulful as Milt Jackson, or as hard-swinging a presence as Lionel Hampton. Moreover, one will search in vain in his biography for the hard-fought personal struggles that have typically been the bread and butter of jazz legend: no tortured tales of substance abuse, or bouts with poverty or ...
Continue ReadingAhmad Jamal: Emerald City Nights: Live at the Penthouse
by Karl Ackermann
2022 marks the ninety-second year of pianist and composer Ahmad Jamal. An NEA Jazz Master and Grammy winner, in 2007 he was designated a Kennedy Center honoree as a Living Jazz Legend. His first release was The Three Strings (Epic, 1951) and, throughout that decade, he recorded a dozen albums, all in a piano trio format. Of Jamal's approximately seventy recordings, he has employed orchestras, choirs, and larger ensembles but his catalog includes dozens of trio releases. His groundbreaking At ...
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