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

Wild Bill Davison: The Jazz Giants

Read "The Jazz Giants" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
October 10, 2015

Cornetist Wild Bill Davison had a fiery, extroverted approach to playing that originated in the 1920s Chicago and mirrored his hard living. By 1968, when he recorded The Jazz Giants for the Canadian label Sackville, he had mellowed and his tone had become more melodic. A democratic leader, Davison allows the five, underrated practitioners of “prebop jazz," who join him on the date, plenty of room in the spotlight. The result is a collaborative effort that comprises delightful interpretation of ...

Live Review

Willie Nile at the YMCA Boulton Center For the Performing Arts

by Mike Perciaccante
October 10, 2015

Willie Nile YMCA Boulton Center For the Performing Arts Bay Shore, NY September 26, 2015 In a perfect world Willie Nile would be a superstar. The musician's career has been interrupted by various issues, bad luck, a bout with pneumonia and protracted legal problems. Nile's music, which is a mixture of Americana, folk, pop, rock, and blues. He is definitely from the old-school of singer/songwriters--writing with feeling, emotion and soul. As such ...

Album Review

Zora Young and Little Mike and the Tornadoes: Friday Night

Read "Friday Night" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
October 10, 2015

If some wary Baby Boomers looks that the cover of Zora Young & Little Mike and the Tornados' Friday Night and feels a 50-year old tickle of recognition, it is not a sign of old age but the memory of the recording the cover alludes to: John Mayall's Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton (Decca, 1966) one of the more important musical products of the British Invasion. Authenticity of the music's origins became irrelevant at the time as like jazz, the ...

Extended Analysis

Anthony de Mare: Liaisons: Re-Imagining Sondheim from the Piano

by John Kelman
October 10, 2015

It looks, on paper, like a striking idea. Take a pianist (Anthony de Mare) who has been a virtuosic rising star in the classical and avant-garde arenas over the past quarter century. Commission a set of 36 interpretations, for solo piano, of music by one of musical theatre's preeminent composers, Stephen Sondheim. Choose participants ranging from 30 to 75 years of age, from seven countries, and who collectively hold a total of 29 Pulitzer Prizes, Grammy, Tony, Academy and Emmy ...

Book Review

Mick Rock: The Rise of David Bowie, 1972–1973

by Nenad Georgievski
October 10, 2015

The Rise of David Bowie, 1972--1973 Mick Rock 310 Pages ISBN: 978-3-8365-4905-9 Taschen 2015 For many years, photographer Mick Rock has been capturing the passion and the energy of some of most distinguished rock and roll artists. Often referred to as the “man who shot the '70s" he has trained his lenses on many artists from Lou Reed, Syd Barrett, Iggy Pop to Blondie, Sex Pistols, Queen and David Bowie, to name but ...

Album Review

Noah Preminger: Pivot: Live at the 55 Bar

Read "Pivot: Live at the 55 Bar" reviewed by Dave Wayne

by Dave Wayne
October 10, 2015

In a decidedly bold move, young tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger's first self-released album, Pivot: Live at the 55 Bar, consists of two 30-minute-plus tracks; both interpretations of tunes by bluesman Bukka White. The result? A white-knuckle modern jazz thrill ride and possibly the fastest hour you'll spend in front of the stereo this year. Listening to this disc, it's not hard to imagine Preminger thinking ..."how could i not release this?" Time melts away as one engages in Preminger's and ...

Live Review

John Scofield and Joe Lovano at the Regattabar

by Dave Dorkin
October 9, 2015

John Scofield and Joe Lovano Regattabar Cambridge, MA September 18, 2015 John Scofield has appeared in so many different musical settings, particularly in the past twenty years, that it is easy to forget that while he is capable of exquisite blues, funk, rock and fusion, it is in the company of perhaps his finest straight-ahead quartet that he burns brightest. Similarly, though tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano has garnered acclaim for decades now ...

Take Five With...

Take Five with Jayson Tipp / Under The Lake

by AAJ Staff
October 9, 2015

About Jayson Tipp from Under The Lake: “Effervescent, vivacious and all-together engaging" is how one reviewer describes Under The Lake's music, an original sound that Don Dilorio of the North Jersey Herald and News says “doesn't sit easy in any category, thanks to its heavy doses of funkified bass and occasional soul references." It's an sound that Under The Lake refers to as “jazz, groove and attitude." Founded and led by keyboard player Jayson Tipp, Under The Lake's ...

Album Review

Bob Albanese: Time Remembered

Read "Time Remembered" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
October 9, 2015

Memory is one persistent traveler. Whether we know it or not, memories always follow us on our journeys, influence our choice of direction, and work their way into our everyday encounters to some extent. Nobody is completely immune to the charms and ills carried in memories, but some are more susceptible than others. In fact, some readily choose to be susceptible, letting their memories take root in their work and allowing art to absorb and, subsequently, radiate experience. Such is ...

Live Review

Theo Bleckmann and the Julia Hülsmann Trio at The Stone

by Tyran Grillo
October 9, 2015

Theo Bleckmann and the Julia Hülsmann Trio The Stone A Clear Midnight: Kurt Weill and America New York, NY June 21, 2015 In late June of 2015, vocalist Theo Bleckmann held residency at New York's The Stone. The venue's interdisciplinary hipness was epitomized by Bleckmann's week-long tenure, during which his offerings spanned the gamut from solo improvisations and the music of Kate Bush to the presentation of Kurt Weill songs reviewed here. For this ...