Jazz Articles
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Roger Glenn: My Latin Heart
by Pierre Giroux
Roger Glenn, son of the renowned instrumentalist Tyree Glenn, has never been content to stay in one lane. A master of reeds and vibraphone, he continues to embody the spirit of crossing boundaries. On My Latin Heart, Glenn undertakes an energizing session that celebrates the rhythmic vitality of the African diaspora as much as it serves as a personal manifesto. Flanked by a stellar ensemble of seasoned collaborators--pianist David K. Mathews, guitarist Ray Obiedo, bassist David ...
Continue ReadingMichael Spiro/Wayne Wallace: Canto América
by James Nadal
The historical evolution of the Caribbean Basin and specifically the Greater Antilles, has been over five hundred years in the making. The triangular connections between Europe, Africa, and the New World with its ensuing social and economic constraints, established the conditions for an innovative culture in the region. The enculturation process led to the creolization of the music and the creation of hybrid religions as Santeria in Cuba, and Voudou in what was then Hispaniola (Saint-Domingue), adding an intriguing dimension ...
Continue ReadingWayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet: Intercambio
by James Nadal
The music that commenced as accompaniment to ancestral rituals and gained its popularity in dancehalls and ballrooms, has come of age. Latin infused jazz, has been steadily evolving since the African drums came to the Caribbean, and melded with European musical influences. Trombonist, composer, arranger, and producer Wayne Wallace is aptly tuned into this evolutionary process and presents Intercambio, a cross cultural interaction of musical counterpoint. With his Latin Jazz Quintet--and its exemplary members--Wallace has taken a sophisticated ...
Continue ReadingMitch Shiner And The BloomingTones Big Band: Fly!
by Dan Bilawsky
"Hoosier Jazz" isn't an actual sub-genre of music, but that geographical tag fits this album so well. Drummer/Percussionist Mitch Shiner, a graduate of Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, put together a Bloomington-based big band built around his IU chums, be they students, alums, local hotshots or professors. Then he simply fed them some killer arrangements and let them spread their wings. Fly!, the maiden voyage of Mitch Shiner And The BloomingTones Big Band, is a tight ...
Continue ReadingWayne Wallace: Latin Jazz Jazz Latin
by Jeff Dayton-Johnson
Trombonist Wayne Wallace and his Latin Jazz Ensemble have a well-oiled record-making machine that seems incapable of turning out a subpar album.Therein lies the mystery. The ingredients that Wallace and his bandmates pour into the machine are eminently predictable--a studiously well-sampled array of Latin rhythms, didactically specified in the liner notes; a mixture of strong original compositions and Latin settings of jazz standards; tight ensemble playing by the quintet with plenty of space to breathe; a smattering of ...
Continue ReadingAmikaeyla & Trelawny Rose: To Eva, With Love: A Celebration of Eva Cassidy Live
by C. Michael Bailey
Singer Eva Cassidy was a force of nature, an incandescent slice of lightening that flashed and was no more. Best described as a song stylist, Cassidy was an excellent guitarist capable of interpreting standards from any genre in an almost violently refreshing and personal manner. Cassidy's career lasted barely 10 years and never garnered the attention she deserved. Closing in on 30 years after Cassidy's death from malignant melanoma, it is humbling to consider such immense talent would only garner ...
Continue ReadingWayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet: To Hear From There
by Bridget A. Arnwine
Trombonist/composer Wayne Wallace and his music could probably be characterized by any number of clichéd phrases, but why use a cliché when the truth will do. The truth is that Wayne Wallace's To Hear From There is a far better record than its Grammy-nominated predecessor, ¡Bien Bien! (Patois, 2009), and that's saying a lot. Wallace's greatest gift to the music on To Hear From There is that he approaches it respectfully. Wallace, an American man of African ancestry, performs Latin ...
Continue ReadingWayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet: To Hear From There
by Raul d'Gama Rose
Trombonist Wayne Wallace is one of the most melodic players on his instrument. And although he might inhabit a somewhat narrow range--eschewing the very high register--he is also one of today's most expressive trombonists. His husky tone is one of a kind and gives his playing tremendous character. Moreover, he is one of the few players who comfortable in virtually every idiom, and this is something unique as it enables him to extend his playing with subtle changes in rhythmic ...
Continue ReadingWayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet: To Hear From There
by Bruce Lindsay
Trombonist and composer Wayne Wallace knows how to have fun, and on the delightfully upbeat To Hear From There his Latin Jazz Quintet makes that fun leap out of the speakers. The group--Grammy-nominated for 2009's ¡Bien Bien! (Patois Records)--is energetic and exceptionally tight. Wallace leads this fine and funky band through a selection of tunes that combine Latin, African and West Coast styles to create a mix of tunes that swings and grooves from start to finish. ...
Continue ReadingWayne Wallace: To Hear From There
by Wilbert Sostre
Wayne Wallace continues to explore the infectious Afro-Cuban rhythms on To Here From There, the follow-up to his 2010 Grammy-nominated album, Bien Bien! (Patois Record, 2009).Wallace is a trombonist with vast experience that includes collaborations with artists such as Count Basie, Joe Henderson, Lionel Hampton, Sonny Rollins and Tito Puente. Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet plays like they were born in Cuba.The danceable “La Escuela" with its piano montuno and the distinctive clave of the Cuban son ...
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