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

Zhenya Strigalev: Never Group

Read "Never Group" reviewed by Mark F. Turner

by Mark F. Turner
March 23, 2016

Alto saxophonist Zhenya Strigalev's trio Never Group with drummer Eric Harland and bassist Tim Lefebvre bring its definition of punk jazz with in-ear-your-ear performances with a nonchalant attitude. Recorded over two days in Berlin with a few guests dropping in on the fun, the recording is compelling in its inventive energy. This follow-up to Strigalev's 2015 sextet release Robin Goodie(Whirlwind) finds his tendencies shifting from more traditional jazz to freer and a range of influences. Within the ...

Album Review

Miroslav Tadic and Merima Kljuco: Aritmia

Read "Aritmia" reviewed by Nenad Georgievski

by Nenad Georgievski
March 23, 2016

The intimacy of a duo setting has had a special appeal for guitar virtuoso Miroslav Tadic. During his illustrious career, he has released several adventurous duet albums with luminaries including guitarists Vlatko Stefanovski, Dusan Bogdanovic, saxophonist Peter Epstein and the vocalists Teofilovic brothers. The album Aritmia is a gorgeous pairing with Bosnian accordionist Merima Kljuco that continues that proclivity. The pairing of an accordion and a guitar is a tough call but these two operate with an unusual charismatic delicacy ...

Album Review

Brussels Jazz Orchestra: The Music of Enrico Pieranunzi

Read "The Music of Enrico Pieranunzi" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
March 23, 2016

For those few die-hards who may adamantly insist that superior big-band jazz never reaches beyond America's borders, here is irrefutable proof that the reverse is true: the Brussels Jazz Orchestra, world-class in every respect, performing (in concert) admirable compositions by the marvelous Italian pianist Enrico Pieranunzi with arrangements by the no less marvelous trumpeter Bert Joris who also solos on most of the album's eight tracks. If the future of big-band jazz looks and sounds like this, the bandwagon had ...

Multiple Reviews

Two contrasting releases from Stefan Thut

by John Eyles
March 23, 2016

Swiss composer and cellist Stefan Thut was born in 1968. Trained at the Lucerne Conservatory then at Boston University School of Music, he is now based in the Swiss canton of Solothurn. After experiences in new and experimental music, improvisation and noise he started composing, writing scores. A member of the Wandelweiser group, as an interpreter Thut has premiered solo pieces including compositions by fellow members Jürg Frey, Radu Malfatti and Manfred Werder. Two of his own compositions ...

Album Review

Conrad Herwig / Igor Butman: Reflections

Read "Reflections" reviewed by Andrew Luhn

by Andrew Luhn
March 23, 2016

"Tight" is the word that most readily comes to mind to describe this band's playing. For Reflections, his tenth release as a leader for the Dutch Criss Cross label, trombonist Conrad Herwig has joined forces with Russian tenor man Igor Butman as co-leader. Rounding out the front-line is trumpeter extraordinaire Alex Sipiagin, a name that will be very familiar to anyone who keeps up with Criss Cross releases. The music on this disc, beautifully recorded and mixed by Michael Marciano, ...

Take Five With...

Take Five with Josh Hanlon

by AAJ Staff
March 22, 2016

About Josh Hanlon Josh Hanlon's love of music has spanned five continents. He has played piano with luminaries of country music, musical theatre and film, and almost every other genre, but he is first and foremost driven by a love of jazz. He has two albums to his credit as a leader and several more as a sideman, and maintains an active career as a freelance musician, and member of Stockton Helbing's Quintet. He was born ...

Album Review

Cristina Braga & Brandenburger Symphoniker: Whisper

by Jack Bowers
March 22, 2016

It's not often that a harpist's name crowns the marquee above that of a jazz quintet and symphony orchestra, but that is the case on Whisper, the latest CD by Brazilian-born harpist / singer Cristina Braga whose almost-whispered vocals and virtuosic harp command the spotlight in a concert performance in the Great Hall of the Brandenburger Theatre in Germany. Braga is supported by the Modern Samba Quintet, the Brandenburger Symphoniker Orchestra and special guest Dado Villa-Lobos on guitar and vocals. ...

Album Review

Rema Hasumi: Utazata

Read "Utazata" reviewed by Jakob Baekgaard

by Jakob Baekgaard
March 22, 2016

There once was a painter. He wanted to paint everything in the world, so he took the largest canvas he could ever find and started painting in his studio. In the beginning, people came by and watched interestedly as the landscapes spread around on the white canvas and detailed characters began to emerge in a world of green plants and wild animals. The years went by, and the painter would still be painting, adding layer upon layer, color upon color. ...

Album Review

Shez Raja: Gurutopia

Read "Gurutopia" reviewed by James Nadal

by James Nadal
March 22, 2016

With its aggressive combination of jazz, rock, and funk, fusion has remained a contemporary sound in a state of constant reinvention, introducing a fresh audience into the fold, bringing with them futuristic attitudes and perceptions. This electrified mutation of jazz, has seen its share of imitators, yet, when properly performed, remains vital. Shez Raja has taken his power-bass imbued sound well past established parameters, merging diverse inflections of raga from Indo-jazz, into the funk/groove format with intense consequences. Releasing four ...

Album Review

Dwiki Dharmawan: So Far So Close

Read "So Far So Close" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
March 22, 2016

Keyboardist Dwiki Dharmawan is also a successful producer in Southeast Asia, yet this album signifies his debut for the estimable progressive rock and jazz fusion record label, Moonjune Records. And you couldn't ask for a more equipped and talented supporting lineup, including legendary Mahavishnu Orchestra violinist Jerry Goodman, appearing on the melodic and penetrating, classic fusion era type opener “Arafura." The crystalline program was recorded in Los Angeles by contemporary jazz keyboardist Jeff Lorber, who engineered a detailed ...