Jazz Articles
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Kenny Reichert: Live in Chicago
by Glenn Astarita
Kenny Reichert has been steadily building his reputation within the modern jazz world, and Live in Chicago stands as perhaps his most revealing statement to date. Recorded at Pro Musica with a hand-picked quartet featuring alto saxophonist Lenard Simpson, bassist Ethan Philion, and drummer Devin Drobka, this five-track collection captures something increasingly rare in contemporary jazz recordings: genuine, unvarnished spontaneity within a live setting. What is immediately striking about this record is its commitment to expansiveness. Each of ...
Continue ReadingBuddy Guy at Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago
by Sandra Kozintseva
In January, as he has done for decades, Buddy Guy returned to Chicago for a residency at his Buddy Guy's Legends club. This year the 89 years old blues legend presents 16 shows to a packed audience. ...
Continue ReadingMichael Dease: MSU Jazz Trombones: Spartan Strong
by Jack Bowers
Michael Dease, widely admired as one of the world's foremost jazz trombonists but rather less-known as an educator, dons his professorial garb on Spartan Strong, supervising a splendid session by a special corps of undergrads (and students in his trombone studio) who together comprise the MSU (Michigan State University) Trombones, twenty-three members in all when one counts Dease and the group's half-dozen bass trombones. Dease lets the students have full rein, soloing only twice (on Steve Turre's smoothly ...
Continue ReadingNorth Sea Jazz Festival 2025
by Giovanni Guadalupi
A collection of photos from the North Sea Jazz Festival in Ahoy from July 11th 2025 to July 13th 2025 featuring Jamila Woods, The Philharmonik, Rotterdam Philarmonic Orchestra conducted by Clark Rundell, Sheila E. and the E-Train, Judith Hill, Herbie Hancock, Dino D'Santiago, Mary J. Blige, Alfredo Rodriguez, Nduduzo Makhathini, Aja Monet, Zo! Gospel Choir, Samara Joy, Maxwell, Celeste, Cory Wong, Thee Sacred Souls, Ambrose Akinmusire, Odeal, Sabrina Starke, Dominique Fils-Aimé, Durand Bernarr and Jazzmeia Horn. To read my festival coverage, go here. ...
Continue ReadingLarry Stabbins: Aurora
by John Sharpe
After a long hiatus, reedman Larry Stabbins' renewed presence on the British scene offers cause for celebration. All the more so as Sarost, one of his prime contemporary outlets, matches him with partners of equal standing. Flanking him in a co-operative trio--whose name, derived from the first two letters of their constituent surnames, affirms the group's egalitarian ethos--reside drummer Mark Sanders and bassist Paul Rogers. Four studio cuts unfold a spacious dialogue built on sensitive listening and instrumental virtuosity, whether ...
Continue ReadingWith Words, Without Words: The Art of Vocalese
by Larry Slater
Some of the best loved songs in jazz began life as jazz instrumentals with lyricists later transforming them into vocal showcases. Writing lyrics is an art, and the 20th century featured some truly great lyricists in and out of the jazz world. There is a form of vocal writing and singing that is unique to jazz called Vocalese. Vocalese uses recognizable lyrics that are sung to instrumental solos. Eddie Jefferson was the inventor of the idiom, ...
Continue ReadingLeo Genovese, Ellen Arkbro, B.I.T. Duo, Keith Oxman, Elipsis
by Cheryl K.
During this week's two-hour program of jazz and improvised music--good stuff! We begin the show with unissued material by cult jazz musician Yusuf Mumin; then, onto pianist/composer Leo Genovese; vocalist and trombonist Steve Berndt; lyra player Sokratis Sinopoulos and pianist Yannis Kirimkiridis; organist/composer/sound artist Ellen Arkbro; the B.I.T. Duo; pianist Haeun Joo; tenor player Keith Oxman; and the trio Elipsis.Playlist Yusef Mumin “Journey to the Ancient “ from Journey to the Ancient (WeWantSounds) 11:49 Cyrus Chestnut “Prelude for ...
Continue ReadingNorth Sea Jazz Festival 2025
by Giovanni Guadalupi
Various ArtistsNorth Sea Jazz FestivalRotterdam, The NetherlandsJuly 11-13, 2025 North Sea Jazz Festival is not just one of the many music festivals around the world; to thousands of people, it is The Festival. Unlike most music festivals, it is not built around hype, trends, or spectacle. It is built around attentive listening, deep legacy--dating back to 1976--and passionate, emotional musical conversation. Its uniqueness comes from how it treats music, musicians, and audiences. At ...
Continue ReadingJoel Ross and Others at the 2026 Winter Jazzfest's Brooklyn Marathon
by Paul Reynolds
Manhattan Marathon | Brooklyn Marathon Joel Ross and Others Winter Jazzfest Brooklyn MarathonNew York, NY January 10, 2026 New York's Winter JazzFest--to its credit--does not present stars of pop and other non-jazz genres to expand its audience and fill the festival coffers. But the January jazz mainstay is not averse to programming jazz-adjacent musicians or jazz artists who are dabbling in crossover projects that are shaded with non-jazz influences. Both kinds ...
Continue ReadingRoger Glenn: A Lifelong Latin Heart
by Mark Sampson
The photograph shows the hero of this tale, Roger Glenn, sometime in the late 1940s when he was five or six, learning to play the marimba with his father, Tyree. An alumnus of the Swing Era, Tyree Glenn played trombone with Cab Calloway during the orchestra's “Hi-De-Ho" prime between 1939 and 1946 and with the small-group-within-a-group, the Cab Jivers. He was even implicated in the notorious “spitball" incident that led to a young disruptive Dizzy Gillespie getting his marching orders. ...
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