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.

Extended Analysis

Phish: St. Louis '93

by Doug Collette
April 1, 2017

The pastel color scheme on the front and back covers of Phish St. Louis '93 is quietly evocative of the six CD's of music enclosed in the slim slip case, but no more or less than the deeper tones on the individual sleeves and the discs themselves that mirror the intensity of the playing at its peaks on these two shows four months apart almost twenty- five years ago. Recorded in stereo from the soundboard by Paul Languedoc ...

Extended Analysis

The Rascals: The Complete Singles A's & B's

by Doug Collette
April 1, 2017

The career trajectory of the 'Young' Rascals took them from a point in music culture where singles were the focal point of both art and commerce to a point where the album was a work unto itself rather than a collection of singles. As much as it's aimed at a true devotee of the band, The Complete Singles also holds great attraction for the musiclover who wants to delve into this particular period of contemporary rock and pop: in that ...

Live Review

Barry Guy & Izumi Kimura At The Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin

by Ian Patterson
March 31, 2017

Barry Guy & Izumi Kimura The Hugh Lane Gallery Dublin, Ireland March 12, 2017 The Hugh Lane Gallery has been hosting free Sunday afternoon concerts in Dublin for over forty years--a remarkable feat by any yardstick. It's the quality of the music, however, that makes this weekly event something truly special. This Sunday saw Barry Guy and Izumi Kimura together for the first time, as part of the inaugural Spectrum festival, a weekend celebration of ...

Album Review

David Feldman: Horizonte

Read "Horizonte" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
March 31, 2017

Fans of the music always remember their first aural encounters with talents of note. In the case of this writer's awakening to the wonder that is pianist David Feldman, the initial point of contact was drummer Duduka Da Fonseca's Plays Toninho Horta (Zoho Music, 2011). That date--the first of three fine outings that Da Fonseca's trio has produced for that imprint, leading the way for New Samba Jazz Directions (Zoho Music, 2013) and Jive Samba (Zoho, 2015)--served several purposes. Its ...

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Live Review

Kim Nalley's Tribute to Nina Simone

by Walter Atkins
March 31, 2017

Kim Nalley Tribute to Nina Simone Freight & Salvage Berkeley, CA March 3 2017 Popular San Francisco vocalist Kim Nalley skillfully painted a stunning portrait of the iconic Nina Simone, using her voice like an artist's brush and Simone's songbook like a sonic canvas. The captivating evening celebrated Simone's music and covered the full scope and legacy of this uniquely American music paragon. Nalley's top-notch group included: Nalley (vocals), Tammy ...

Album Review

University of Toronto Jazz Orchestra: Sweet Ruby Suite

Read "Sweet Ruby Suite" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
March 31, 2017

"The Music of Kenny Wheeler Featuring Norma Winstone and Dave Liebman" is the subtext of this new (March 2016) recording by the first-rate University of Toronto Jazz Orchestra, more than half of which is devoted to Wheeler's picturesque “Sweet Ruby Suite," whose genesis and rationale aren't made clear, as there are no liner notes. Be that as it may, the suite itself is elegant and engaging, and having celebrated artists such as Winstone and Liebman on board ...

Album Review

Jason Rigby: Detroit-Cleveland Trio: One

by Dan McClenaghan
March 31, 2017

The saxophone/bass/drums format has its challenge: the lack of a harmonic instrument to add depth and structure to the sound. Sonny Rollins put out a classic of the form: A Night At The Village Vanguard (Blue Note, 1958). But he's Sonny Rollins, and all the other saxophonist aren't. Same thing with Ornette Coleman and his two At The “Golden Circle" Stockholm sets (Blue Note, 1965), wonderful and dynamic sounds that sit on the top of the heap of his form. ...

Album Review

Bob Downes Open Music: It's A Mystery

Read "It's A Mystery" reviewed by Roger Farbey

by Roger Farbey
March 31, 2017

Pursuing his self-styled Open Music route, multi-instrumentalist Bob Downes treads a very thin and courageous line between written jazz and total improvisation. Of his many recordings, some funky jazz rock, others wholly extemporized, there are several which involve organised pieces evolving into often lengthy improvisations. It's A Mystery (not to be confused with the pop song by punk star Toyah Willcox) contains archival previously unreleased recordings spanning the length of his career from the early 1970s onwards. The ...

Album Review

Abbey Rader Quartet with Kidd Jordan: Reunion

by John Sharpe
March 31, 2017

Drummer Abbey Rader first encountered celebrated reedman Kidd Jordan when he was touring with Billy Bang and Frank Lowe back in 2000, as a member of the outfit featured on One For Jazz (No More Records, 2001). Jordan sat in, and the ensuing mix was successful enough for Rader to intend a follow up. That didn't happen until 2012, when Jordan connected with the drummer's regular band in the Miami date documented here. As with Rader's First Gathering (Abray Productions, ...

New York Beat

Collegiate Jazz at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola

by Nick Catalano
March 31, 2017

For the better part of a decade I've escorted my jazz class at Pace University on trips to Dizzy's to see the Manhattan School of Music Concert Jazz Band perform. The series was forged by veteran jazz academic Justin DiCioccio whose leadership and programming has prompted a rarely noticed success of Collegiate jazz bands across the country. Since DiCioccio's pioneering efforts schools such as Juilliard, Purchase, and Temple have organized similar groups and also appeared at Dizzy's. ...