Jazz Articles
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Mark Turner and Jason Palmer: Not Even The Sky Is The Limit
by Pat Youngspiel
The independent non-profit label Giant Step Arts continues to cultivate its narrow but highly selective roster of top-tier players with new live recordings by label-regulars Mark Turner and Jason Palmer. Each has been a part of the other's quartet for several years at this point, endowing their respective projects with the unifying contours of their idiosyncratically written-out horn parts and signature designs in improvisation. Here, Mark Turner is heard as the sole horn player in a newly formed quartet on ...
Continue ReadingBrent Laidler: Hidden Gems
by Patrick Burnette
Guitarist Brent Laidler has released mainstream jazz albums infused with a cheerful attitude throughout his career. They tend to feature all original tunes, but unlike most jazz releases featuring (cursed with?) the All-Original Syndrome, his tunes are catchy, accessible, and sometimes even mood-enhancing. Given that hundreds--if not thousands--of small group jazz albums are released each year, it can be challenging to find a distinctive feature to hang onto when confronted with a new one. Laidler is canny enough to realize ...
Continue ReadingTwo Recent Recordings On Ezz-thetics
by John Eyles
In the Hat Hut site which systematically lists all the Ezz-thetics releases to date, the two albums below are completely surrounded by albums of music by now-deceased jazz icons who recorded it decades ago--Paul Bley in 1962, John Coltrane in 1962 too, Albert Ayler in 1964, Cecil Taylor in 1980 and Steve Lacy in 1984. So it seems somewhat incongruous to report that the albums below were recorded in 2021 and 2022. Despite such differences, all ezz-thetics albums have certain ...
Continue ReadingDavid Caffey Jazz Orchestra: At the Edge of Spring
by Jack Bowers
With his album, At the Edge of Spring, composer and arranger David Caffey and his Colorado-based Jazz Orchestra not only defy the widely-held belief that big bands are dead, they emphatically blow that axium out of the water. This is an ensemble with no discernible weaknesses, as proficient and powerful as any that have come before it or are likely to follow. To verify that impression, you need only couple your ears with an open mind. As ...
Continue ReadingLivio Almeida: Brasília Sessions
by Richard J Salvucci
This is a good recording by a very good instrumentalist. Livio Almeida is a Brazilian saxophonist living in New York, but whether or not Almeida sounds particularly “Brazilian" is for others to say. Frankly, his tenor playing is straight ahead and while there are Latin rhythms galore, Almeida's “Brasilia Afro Samba" really recalls the guitar riff from Deep Purple's “Smoke On The Water" more than anything else. But never mind. His phrasing is muscular and aggressive, and he does not ...
Continue ReadingMazolewski, Thomas, Franks, Molley, And More
by Bob Osborne
The truly global reach of jazz is demonstrated by this selection of new releases. From large ensembles to duos, and crossing several continents, the variety and vibrancy of the music is on show with some exciting and thought-provoking creations.Playlist Show Intro 00:00 Omar Thomas Large Ensemble “The Path" from Griot Songs (Omar Thomas Music) 00:28 Wojtek Mazolewski Quintet “Sun" from Beautiful People (WMQ Records) 17:17 Rebecca Coupe Franks “Forest" from Landscape Suites for Trumpet (RCF Music) 24:11 Brian ...
Continue ReadingJeremy Pelt, Darryl Yokley, Mason Razavi, Fred Hersch and more
by Benjamin Boddie
Today's Music--Right Now! Fantastic music by Jeremy Pelt, Darryl Yokley, Mason Razavi, Fred Hersch, Willie Morris, Tom Wakeling, Rick Roe, Theoretical Planets, Jessica Jones, David Ballis, Larry Vuckovich, Jacob Wutzke, Dan Moretti, Mark Grandfield, Jackson Potter, Joe Syrian, Michel Petrucciani, Allegra Levy, Arturo Sandoval, Harry Drabkin, Carl Allen, Judy Wexler and more. Playlist Jeremy Pelt “Rhapsody" from Woven (HighNote Records) 00:00 Darryl Yokley “Macondo Un Mundo" from En Soledad (Truth Revolution Recording Collective) 06:37 Mason Razavi “Even Keel" ...
Continue ReadingTen Terrific Sax Plus Organ Combinations
by Artur Moral
OK, maybe the electric guitar was its first and most celebrated love affair, but the organ's alliances with the saxophone's family members are undoubtedly among the richest musical combinations, both in terms of sound and the intense interrelationships that typically develop in such encounters. Whether it be a tenor with a Hammond, a soprano with an electronic keyboard or a baritone with a pipe organ, we are facing the alloy of two musical devices that are exceptionally equipped for maximum ...
Continue ReadingTake Five With Clarinet And Composer Kinan Azmeh
by AAJ Staff
Meet Kinan Azmeh Hailed as a “virtuoso, intensely soulful" by The New York Times and “spellbinding" by the New Yorker, Syrian-born, Brooklyn-based genre-bending composer, clarinetist and improvisor Kinan Azmeh has been touring the globe with great acclaim. He has collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma, John McLaughlin, Daniel Barenboim and the New York Philharmonic, among others. Azmeh is the winner of Germany's Opus Klassik Award for his solo album Uneven Sky (Dreyer Gaido, 2019) and is featured on the Grammy-winning album Sing ...
Continue ReadingJon Lloyd / John Law: Naissance
by Mike Jurkovic
It hardly matters whether or not Naissance goes down in musical history as one of the greatest or best-of piano/saxophone duet recordings. Comfortingly ethereal and most assured of itself, Naissance is a beautiful recording with a serenity and sense of open accomplishment all its own. British pianist/composer John Law and tenor/alto saxophonist Jon Lloyd embrace these ten thoughtful Zen moments as the seasoned creators they are. Law is a prize-winning classical prodigy who has sat atop the European ...
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