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.

Live Review

Steve Reich @ 80: Music for 18 Musicians

by C. Andrew Hovan
March 29, 2017

Eighth Blackbird & Third Coast Percussion Hill Auditorium Steve Reich @ 80: Music for 18 Musicians Ann Arbor, MI March 18, 2017 When it comes to contemporary classical music and specifically the genre known as minimalism, few composers lay claim to the accolades bestowed on Steve Reich. Celebrating his 80th year on the planet, Reich's works continue to be performed regularly around the world. In addition to concerts revisiting trinkets from his large oeuvre, ...

Album Review

Richard Barbieri: Planets + Persona

Read "Planets + Persona" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
March 29, 2017

Prominent British keyboardist Richard Barbieri (Porcupine Tree, Japan, David Torn) and an impressive support lineup give true meaning to the conventional ambient-electronic allusions of space exploration. But the keyboardist ups the ante by incorporating groove-based settings amid pristinely recorded textures, streaming layers and the use of acoustic instruments for augmentation and expansion-type initiatives. Here, every note resonates and provides x-amount of significance. Working with the world class prog rock band Porcupine Tree and numerous solo and side projects, ...

Album Review

Lisa Mezzacappa: avantNOIR

Read "avantNOIR" reviewed by Nicola Negri

by Nicola Negri
March 29, 2017

avantNOIR--an homage to the tradition of hard-boiled fiction and film noir? The imaginary soundtrack for an abstract crime novel? A reimagining of Fifties' jazz combos through the language of avant-garde? This new record by bassist Lisa Mezzacappa is all of the above and much, much more. Equally inspired by the hard-boiled novels of Dashiell Hammett and the existential crime stories of Paul Auster's New York Trilogy--with more than a few hints to the classic film noir canon--avantNOIR ...

Album Review

Manuel Valera Trio: The Seasons

Read "The Seasons" reviewed by Edward Blanco

by Edward Blanco
March 29, 2017

Offering his twelfth recording as a leader, Grammy-nominated pianist Manuel Valera unveils a dynamic session of modern jazz on the vibrant The Seasons and follow up to Live at Firehouse 12 (MAVO Records, 2015). The album also happens to be the second date with his current working trio of jazz luminaries' bassist Hans Glawischnig and drummer E.J. Strickland providing one of the most powerful piano trios in the jazz world today. The main theme of the session is the four-part ...

Interview

Dominic Miller: From Sting to ECM

by Luca Muchetti
March 28, 2017

Dominic Miller's debut album for ECM, Silent Light, has all the qualities to become a sensation. After a career spanning nearly five decades during which he has lent his versatile artistry to the likes of Phil Collins, Tina Turner, Steve Winwood, Peter Gabriel, and Sting since 1993, Miller has released a very intimate and elegant quasi-solo album for Manfred Eicher's label. This record, the eleventh as a leader or co-leader, is a honest self-portrait in music, reflecting Miller's international upbringing ...

Live Review

Ted Ludwig Trio at Little Rock's South on Main

by C. Michael Bailey
March 28, 2017

Ted Ludwig Trio South on Main The Oxford American “Sessions" Series South on Main March 22, 2017 Guitarist and composer Ted Ludwig is a sweet-natured bear of a man. Ludwig and his family floated to Little Rock from New Orleans on the wake of Hurricane Katrina, as did many others, and Little Rock has only benefitted from their collective presence. Part of the Katrina Diaspora, Ludwig brought the gumbo that is Southern Louisiana ...

Album Review

Rocco John Iacovone: Peace and Love: A Tribute to Will Connell

Read "Peace and Love: A Tribute to Will Connell" reviewed by Troy Dostert

by Troy Dostert
March 28, 2017

Rocco John Iacovone has been an under-sung presence in the New York avant-garde scene for some time. Despite several recordings to his name, he's yet to get much big-time recognition. But with this live recording by his octet, the Improvisational Composers Ensemble, that could change. The December 2014 performance at John Zorn's club, the Stone had been arranged as part of a week-long residency curated by Will Connell, another under-acknowledged performer who in the 1960s was involved with Horace Tapscott's ...

Album Review

Lucerne Jazz Orchestra: Oaktree

Read "Oaktree" reviewed by Matthew Aquiline

by Matthew Aquiline
March 28, 2017

Since its inception in 2007, the Lucerne Jazz Orchestra has established itself as one of Europe's most innovative ensembles operating within the contemporary big band idiom. Currently consisting of a vocalist (Karin Meier) and 17 musicians under the musical direction of David Grottschreiber, the group has consistently collaborated with fellow trailblazers and featured works by young composers dispersed throughout Europe, all in an attempt to revise and progress the very musical language from which it originated. Oaktree, the group's sixth ...

Album Review

Valentin Caamaño: Green With Envy

Read "Green With Envy" reviewed by James Nadal

by James Nadal
March 28, 2017

Nearly forty years after his death, guitarist Grant Green is finally receiving the credit and recognition which eluded him during his lifetime. Besides having a distinctive and identifiable style, Green was the most prolific artist on the Blue Note label during the 1960's. His '61 recording of Green Street, contains the track Green With Envy, selected by Spanish guitarist Valentin Caamaño as the title for his sophomore release. Caamaño took great steps to present this record as a sincere tribute, ...

Album Review

Alex Weitz: Luma

by Geannine Reid
March 28, 2017

Saxophonist Alex Weitz releases his second album as leader entitled, Luma. The Miami-based saxophonist and composer creates a unique sound, even though he is a youthful twenty-five years of age. Weitz is joined by pianist Tal Cohen, bassist Ben Tiberio, and drummer Michael Piolet. Luma is a collection of nine tracks that are full of peaks, valleys, unexpected twists and turns, and exceptional solos, with solid group interactions. Above all else, there is a sense of trust and camaraderie between ...