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

The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra: Beauty And The Beast feat. Bill Evans

Read "Beauty And The Beast feat. Bill Evans" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
March 15, 2017

The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, SNJO, under the leadership of saxophonist Tommy Smith, has proven itself to be one of the premier large ensemble outfits out there. They have released a series of uniformly excellent recording, beginning with 2002's Miles Ahead, featuring Ingrid Jensen, a remake of the Miles Davis/Gil Evans gem; an expansive take on Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue; a big tip of the hat to Duke Ellington with In the Spirit Of Duke, all of these on Spartacus ...

Album Review

Saul Losada: Energy - Saul Losada

Read "Energy - Saul Losada" reviewed by Paul Naser

by Paul Naser
March 15, 2017

Los Angeles, and Hollywood in particular, is heavily saturated with artists and musicians carving a niche for themselves. Of the many electric guitarists that call the greater L.A. area home, it's more difficult than not to find one that has not in some way been influenced by giants like Jimi Hendrix. Few, however, try to make a musician's immediately recognizable style their own by emulating that artist's sound and repertoire and from that point building their own artistic identity. This ...

Profile

Billy Krechmer: A Philadelphia Story

by Richard J Salvucci
March 15, 2017

There is a story told of the last night of an iconic jazz club in Philadelphia in 1966. The bandleader-owner, it was said, had been called away prior to closing. He was unable to return before the end of the last set. Walking back, he watched the crowd filing out. Some, I am told, had tears in their eyes. Ok. Too good to be true. Or too sentimental to be true. Unconfirmed by independent sources. All true. But if the ...

Film Review

Bill Frisell: A Portrait

by John Kelman
March 14, 2017

Bill Frisell Bill Frisell: A Portrait A Film by Emma Franz2017 Not long after the film Bill Frisell: A Portrait begins to roll, Bonnie Raitt--one of the many high profile names that lend their thoughts about one of the most influential guitarists and composers of the past forty years to the film, in this guitarist/singer/songwriter's case, having enlisted him as a guest on her last two albums (2012's Grammy Award-winning Slipstream and 2016 follow-up ...

Live Review

The Victor Wooten Trio at The Ardmore Music Hall

by Mike Jacobs
March 14, 2017

The Victor Wooten Trio The Ardmore Music Hall Ardmore PA March 4, 2017 Bass innovator Victor Wooten may not quite be a household name, but he's pretty well known as instrumentalists go. This is attributable to his talents, yes, but also to the many different types of projects in which his talents have been presented over the years. From the unique crossover spacegrass / jazz / jam band appeal of Bela Fleck ...

Album Review

Bill Brovold & Jamie Saft: Serenity Knolls

Read "Serenity Knolls" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
March 14, 2017

It's a shame to say it, but even the most open-minded souls have a tendency to classify and ghettoize musical artists. This is the type of album that reminds us all that you shouldn't. Bill Brovold, a guitarist who came up in the New York no wave scene in the early '80s and is known for his work with avant-rock outfit Larval, and Jamie Saft, a wide-ranging keyboardist with aggressive tendencies and tremendous outside cred, pair decently ...

Album Review

JKA Quintet: From the Nocturnal Chironian

Read "From the Nocturnal Chironian" reviewed by Dave Wayne

by Dave Wayne
March 14, 2017

A long-lost poem written as a teenager, a series of evocative dreams, and the interpenetration of astrology, Greek mythology and Jungian archetypal psychology form the conceptual framework for From the Nocturnal Chironian by Danish bassist and composer Jens Kristian Andersen. The music on From the Nocturnal Chironian is only one aspect of its physical manifestation. The CD booklet (and, I imagine, the gatefold sleeve of the LP version) features the artwork of Rithva Landler, a painter whose aim was to--as ...

Album Review

Donna Khalife Quintet: Heavy Dance

Read "Heavy Dance" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
March 14, 2017

Lebanese bassist and vocalist Donna Khalife is an accomplished and prize winning musician. A child prodigy she received a premier education both in Lebanon and France and has forged lasting relations with musicians from both countries. Her quintet's debut release, Heavy Dance, is a testament to her multi-pronged talent as it showcases Khalife leading the band through a series of intriguing original compositions and improvisations. The various pieces do not abide by a single motif and often evolve ...

Album Review

Rick Hirsch's Big Ol' Band: Pocono Git-Down

Read "Pocono Git-Down" reviewed by Richard J Salvucci

by Richard J Salvucci
March 14, 2017

Years ago, in liner notes forgotten somewhere, Phil Woods said, “There are good players everywhere. You don't have to go to New York to find them," or words to that effect. I was reminded of that observation listening to Rick Hirsch's . It is composed of players from Central Pennsylvania, with Hirsch himself in State College. If you ask someone from Southeastern Pennsylvania--ok, Philadelphia--what is there between Philly and Pittsburgh, the standard answer is “Alabama," which, no offense intended, means ...

Album Review

Joe Bourne: Upbeat And Sweet

Read "Upbeat And Sweet" reviewed by Mark Sullivan

by Mark Sullivan
March 13, 2017

"Upbeat And Sweet" is a pretty good summary of the feel of this collection of songs from mellow jazz vocalist Joe Bourne. But the subtitle is even more telling: “Jazz-infused classic rock & pop songs." None of these songs come from the canon of the Great American Songbook, and many of them seem downright unlikely choices for jazz treatment at first glance. Just to prove that point, the program begins with Steppenwolf's “Magic Carpet Ride." Within a few ...