Jazz Articles

Our daily articles are carefully curated by the All About Jazz staff. You can find more articles by searching our website, see what's trending on our popular articles page or read articles ahead of their published dates on our Coming Soon page. Read our daily album reviews.

Genius Guide to Jazz

How the Other Half Swings

by Jeff Fitzgerald, Genius
July 6, 2017

If there has been a frequent criticism of the Genius Guide, besides the fact that it's hard to tell what the hell I'm going on about most of the time, it would be that I have largely ignored the contributions of women to Our Music. One would think, from the body of my work to this point, that Jazz is an exclusively male club. I've profiled everyone from Duke Ellington to Dave Douglas, discussed the who, what, and why of ...

In Pictures

Vision Festival 2017

by Frank Rubolino
July 6, 2017

New York's Vision Festival of innovative music marked its 22nd anniversary last month with another stellar lineup boasting pioneers of the avant-garde playing alongside a premier cadre of younger musicians. Presented at the historic Judson Memorial Church in the heart of Greenwich Village by Arts for Art, the festival featured six nights of challenging music, much of it instantly composed. Each year, the festival honors a living legend with a Lifetime Achievement award. This year's recipient was Cooper-Moore, who was ...

Album Review

Sebastian Schunke: Genesis, Mystery And Magic

Read "Genesis, Mystery And Magic" reviewed by Mark Sullivan

by Mark Sullivan
July 6, 2017

German composer/pianist Sebastian Schunke continues on his unlikely Latin jazz path with Genesis, Mystery And Magic. The band is a blend of members of his Berlin quartet and New York City players. This album was recorded in Berlin, but Schunke studied in New York and has recorded there in the past--in some ways this session integrates all of his playing experiences better than anything in his prior discography. The opener “Adelante" makes his case as a Latin jazz ...

Album Review

Vadim Neselovskyi: Get Up And Go

Read "Get Up And Go" reviewed by Jerome Wilson

by Jerome Wilson
July 6, 2017

Ukrainian pianist Vadim Neselovskyi has an affecting, organic sound that draws more from classical and folk idioms than the usual jazz materials. It can range from fragile to overpowering and on this CD, it allows him to establish a strong, individual presence in the crowded piano trio field.On fast pieces like “On A Bicycle" and “Who Is It?" Neselovskyi's playing is busy and relentless and stays in close rapport with bassist Dan Loomis and drummer Ronen Itzik who ...

Live Review

Chris Potter Quartet and Melissa Aldana Group at SFJAZZ

by Harry S. Pariser
July 6, 2017

Chris Potter Quartet/ Melissa Aldana Group SFJAZZ San Francisco, CA June 13, 2017 It is rare that two saxophonists share a bill with their quartets. It's even less common when one of the two is female. The two were Chris Potter and Melissa Aldana, and they shared the stage at SFJAZZ in San Francisco's Hayes Valley. Aldana seemingly came out of nowhere to win the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition in 2013, ...

Album Review

Noah Kaplan Quartet: Cluster Swerve

Read "Cluster Swerve" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
July 6, 2017

Saxophonist Noah Kaplan's second album for the Switzerland-based hatOLOGY label equates to a six-year gap, following his debut, Descendants (2011). But the artist has been productive by pushing the envelope via his multi-purposed activities with various ensembles amid his status as a PhD candidate in Music Composition at prestigious Princeton University. He skirts the free-zone here, along with revered improvising guitarist Joe Morris. During Kaplan's studies at the New England Conservatory he learned some broad concepts under Joe ...

Album Review

George Colligan: More Powerful

Read "More Powerful" reviewed by Roger Farbey

by Roger Farbey
July 6, 2017

Pianist George Colligan's twenty eighth album as leader sees him joined by long-time colleague Rudy Royston on drums, bassist Linda May Han Oh and newcomer Nicole Glover, Colligan's former student at Portland, on reeds. Colligan has a long career in jazz and, in addition to teaching at Portland State University where he's the Jazz Area Coordinator, he has collaborated with the likes of Jack DeJohnette, Larry Grenadier, Don Byron and Cassandra Wilson. This set of sprightly numbers all ...

Album Review

Akiko Tsuruga: So Cute, So Bad

Read "So Cute, So Bad" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
July 5, 2017

On more than one occasion I've sat back while listening to jazz organ giants of yore and thought to myself, “they don't make 'em like this anymore." And while it's true that one-of-a-kind greats like Jimmy Smith, Shirley Scott, Big John Patton, Brother Jack McDuff, Charles Earland, and Jimmy McGriff are gone for good, and nobody can duplicate exactly what they gave us, it's somewhat small-minded to ignore the fact that other talents are right in front of us, carrying ...

Live Review

Tony Bennett at Birmingham Symphony Hall

by David Burke
July 5, 2017

Tony Bennett Birmingham Symphony Hall Birmingham, UK July 3, 2017 The ghost of Frank Sinatra crackled over the PA, introducing Tony Bennett as “the greatest singer in the world." He was, The Voice declared, “gonna tear the place up"--a boast that seemed hardly credible as the dapper nonagenarian shuffled on stage for what was surely his adieu to Birmingham. But a boast that Bennett did his damndest to affirm in the following ...

Album Review

Jorge Fernandez: J.I.G.E.N

Read "J.I.G.E.N" reviewed by Mark Sullivan

by Mark Sullivan
July 5, 2017

Mexican drummer/composer Jorge Fernandez leads his quintet through an eclectic collection of modern jazz (the name J.I.G.E.N. means “Jazz, Impro, Groove, Electric, Noise"). “Hacia Las Barrancas II" opens the set with some of the promised instrument noises before going into a long line over a pulse: then a gentle swing section. That's a lot of variety in the first three minutes! The tune also features fine solos from tenor saxophonist Diego Franco, guitarist Juan José López and baritone saxophonist Remi ...