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.

Album Review

Bobby Selvaggio: Quantum Man

Read "Quantum Man" reviewed by C. Andrew Hovan

by C. Andrew Hovan
April 11, 2017

For lack of a better description, the latest project by Cleveland-based musician Bobby Selvaggio is a melding of textures between the saxophonist's jazz quartet and a string quintet consisting of two violins, two violas, and cello. It's a heady assignment that many have tried over the years. In fact, there have been more failures in this genre than successes. A highpoint of this type of fusion has always been The October Suite a 1966 Impulse date featuring pianist Steve Kuhn ...

Album Review

DK Anderson's Cypher: 8th Window

Read "8th Window" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
April 11, 2017

Saxophonist DK Anderson showcases his mature style and superb musicianship on his debut 8th Window. Leading his band Cypher, Anderson interprets, with passion and elegance, five of his heady originals and three covers including an intriguing take on rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix's classic “Manic Depression." Anderson opens the latter tune with his fiery honking wails adding a spiritual edge to it. As bass and drums rumble guitarist Dave DiStefano embellishes the melody with resonant chords seamlessly transforming it ...

Album Review

Michael Rabinowitz: Uncharted Waters

Read "Uncharted Waters" reviewed by Roger Farbey

by Roger Farbey
April 11, 2017

Like the harp, oboe and tuba, bassoon in jazz is not a common instrument but all have been occasionally successfully employed as lead soloing instruments. Amongst a handful of others, Illinois Jacquet and Lindsay Cooper both played bassoon in a jazz context. Cooper, who died of MS in 2013, was depicted playing the bassoon in John Fordham's excellent 1993 Dorling Kindersley primer Jazz . On the instrument, Fordham states: “The bassoon's sound was described by writer Sacheverell Sitwell as 'like ...

Bailey's Bundles

Blues Men – Johnny Mastro, Ray Fuller, Lew Jetton, Billy T, Chris Antonik

by C. Michael Bailey
April 11, 2017

According to Digital Music News, as of 2015, Rhythm & Blues / Hip Hop made up 22% of the recording market (Jazz and Classical make up but 2% each, go figure). I am pretty sure that straight blues is simply folded into the R&B category since I can find no mention of blues alone in my cited reference. That said, like in jazz, the number of people recording blues is far more than that being sold. That is staying power ...

Album Review

Dominic Lash Quartet: Extremophile

Read "Extremophile" reviewed by John Eyles

by John Eyles
April 11, 2017

Back in 2012, the Dominic Lash Quartet combined bassist Lash and three players with whom he had at least five years playing experience, keyboardist Alexander Hawkins plus Spain's Ricardo Tejero on reeds and Javier Carmona on percussion. By the time the four recorded an album, Opabinia (Babel), in January 2013, they had gelled nicely. Fast forward four years, and the release of this second disc credited to the Dominic Lash Quartet brings a surprise--Alexander Hawkins is gone, to ...

Album Review

Jeff Weinmann: Alma Matters

Read "Alma Matters" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
April 10, 2017

Soul matters, educational foundations matter, inclusive music scenes matter, and this album--conceptually invested in all of those beliefs--most certainly matters. With Alma Matters, multi-instrumentalist Jeff Weinmann reunites with some of his preferred collaborators from years past and times present, honoring the rich history of the Berkeley scene that's nourished and inspired him for decades on end. Many of the musicians who join in here have linked origin stories that point toward positive experiences in the music program(s) in the Berkeley ...

Album Review

Dayna Stephens: Gratitude

Read "Gratitude" reviewed by Geno Thackara

by Geno Thackara
April 10, 2017

Dayna Stephens is happy to be here. It's not just in the obvious “Hello Clevelaaaand!" sense you'd get from any visiting performer saying hello to a crowd (not that that's a bad thing), but a heartfelt conviction. After a battle with a rare kidney disease and a life-saving donation from his aunt, the New Jersey saxophonist is acutely aware of how great it is to still be present and able to make beautiful music. His picturesque eighth album is meant ...

Album Review

Kelly Moran: Bloodroot

Read "Bloodroot" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
April 10, 2017

It seems that pianist Kelly Moran's approach to crafting her artistry requires a trip to Home Depot, for the purchase of a variety of screws and bolts. An observer of this purchase might assume an imminent assembly of a back yard patio set, but in reality, these items--among other things--are destined for insertion inside Moran's piano, between the piano strings, creating alterations to the vibrations, resulting in sounds you may never have heard before. It's called “prepared piano," a page ...

Album Review

Kevin Eubanks: East West Time Line

Read "East West Time Line" reviewed by Geannine Reid

by Geannine Reid
April 10, 2017

Philadelphia-born guitarist, composer Kevin Eubanks has been building a creative catalog and playing style since his 18-year tenure as the guitarist and music director of TV's, The Tonight Show Band ended in 2010. Eubanks took New York by storm, starting out in straight ahead jazz clubs, followed by progressive albums for contemporary jazz giant GRP Records and legendary Blue Note Records, frequent collaborations with cutting edge bassist Dave Holland, on “The Tonight Show" he played with seemingly every meaningful musician ...

Album Review

Ryan Meagher: Mist. Moss. Home.

Read "Mist. Moss. Home." reviewed by Jim Olin

by Jim Olin
April 10, 2017

Mist. Moss. Home. is the newest album by inventive indie jazz guitarist/composer Ryan Meagher. Consisting of eight original tracks, it caters to both jazz fans and college progressives. It showcases his talents in producing unconventional, inspiring music, supported by a lineup of top Portland artists. “The Hipster's Folly" has a laid back vibe into it. The title could be in reference to Portland's reputation as a town of cool kids but there are no creative pretensions here. The ...