Jazz Articles

Wycliffe Gordon and Jay Leonhart: This Rhythm On My Mind

by Marcia Hillman
July 3, 2007

Trombonist Wycliffe Gordon and bassist/vocalist Jay Leonhart went into the recording studio and pulled off a plum with This Rhythm On My Mind. Using original material written by both, as well as two jazz standards, the duo successfully blended their individual skills and similar senses of humor. There are many magic moments. For example, Gordon's vocal-- á la Louis Armstrong-- on the title track or Leonhart doing his own lyric to Eddie Harris' “Freedom Jazz Dance with ...

Global Jazz Trio: Live in Detroit: Global Jazz Trio at Baker

by C. Michael Bailey
March 19, 2007

Perhaps the post beautiful thing about Live in Detroit: Global Jazz Trio at Baker's Keyboard Lounge is that the Global Jazz Trio does not sport keyboards, it is a Sonny Rollins-style saxophone trio, circa 1958, except for the pronounced reverb and echo on Mark Hershberger's saxophones and the Richard Smith's electric bass rather than the acoustic double bass. The Global Jazz Trio's performance has much in common with Toph-E and the Pussycats' Live in Detroit (M'Bubba Musc, 2006). Both bands ...

Wycliffe Gordon / Jay Leonhart: This Rhythm On My Mind

by Budd Kopman
March 12, 2007

Sometimes jazz as art does not have to solve the world's problems, just bring a bit of joy to an otherwise tired and dismayed soul, especially in this day and age. This Rhythm On My Mind--an antidote to the mundane and the depressing--accomplishes just that, but instead of using, say, energy to conquer the blues, it blows fresh air and spreads sunshine. Comparing trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, who also plays tuba and didjeridoo, to Louis Armstrong is a ...

Wycliffe Gordon and Jay Leonhart: This Rhythm On My Mind

by Michael P. Gladstone
February 2, 2007

File under: Louis Armstrong meets Jack Teagarden redux! That description is accurate with respect to the vibe of the recording, but not the instrumentation: the two musicians featured here play the trombone and acoustic bass, respectively. Trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, a much in-demand musician who has toiled in various Wynton Marsalis organizations over the past decade or so, joins forces with one of the most popular bassists in jazz, Jay Leonhart.

They have formed a musical cooperative, on this ...

Wycliffe Gordon and Jay Leonhart: This Rhythm On My Mind

by Mark F. Turner
January 14, 2007

In times of social, political, and global challenges, music has always helped to ease the burdens of the people. Jazz artists such as trumpeter Louis Armstrong did more than just play instruments; they were also entertainers that spirited listeners into better times. This Rhythm On My Mind remembers those sentiments. The recording features two prominent musicians--trombonist Wycliffe Gordon and bassist Jay Leonhart--who not only play their respective instruments with complete expertise, but also prove to be jazz ...