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

Brian Charette: Alphabet City

Read "Alphabet City" reviewed by C. Andrew Hovan

by C. Andrew Hovan
July 22, 2015

Clearly producer Marc Free loves the jazz organ. His roster on the Posi-Tone label includes two of the best up and coming talents, Jared Gold and Brian Charette. Of his three albums for the label, Alphabet City may be Charette's best effort yet. While the previous Good Tipper relied too heavily on quirky versions of some odd pop tunes, this set is comprised of a dozen of his own originals and this makes all the difference. The opening ...

Album Review

Dennis Angel: On Track

Read "On Track" reviewed by Edward Blanco

by Edward Blanco
July 22, 2015

New York flugelhornist and composer Dennis Angel presents a collection of funk, Latin-tinged and contemporary jazz sounds in a musical package of smooth-styled jazz featuring pianist of note Kenny Barron on the light and savvy On Track. A lawyer by profession with a New York City suburban law firm, Angel delivers his third album as leader and his second collaboration (Timeless Grooves, Timeless Grooves Records, 2012) with pianist and producer Jason Miles who also provides the arrangements along with saxophonist ...

Album Review

Satoko Fujii Tobira: Yamiyo Ni Karasu

Read "Yamiyo Ni Karasu" reviewed by Budd Kopman

by Budd Kopman
July 22, 2015

If it were possible to give ten stars to Yamiyo Ni Karasu, it would deserve every single one for its power, inventiveness and the sheer ecstasy of creation in the moment. Pianist, composer, improviser and overall whirlwind Satoko Fujii returns to once again to lead a quartet, Tobira, which was built from New Trio (which included bassist Todd Nicholson and drummer/percussionist Takashi Itani) by adding trumpeter (and husband) Natsuki Tamura. Her previous quartet, Ma-Do (see Heat Wave, Desert ...

Interview

Dida Pelled: Telling Stories And Serving Songs

by Dan Bilawsky
July 21, 2015

When it comes to music, Dida Pelled doesn't discriminate. This young guitarist-vocalist--a doe-eyed ingénue in appearance, a mature artist in reality--has proven to be an inimitable double-threat who's more concerned with serving a song and doing justice to the music than fitting into a neat little stylistic box. She's equally comfortable playing straight-up jazz at Smalls in Greenwich Village, interpreting pop, jazz, and/or country classics at intimate Manhattan spots like Lelabar or Antibes Bistro, writing her own tuneful material, or ...

Take Five With...

Take Five with Oytun Ersan

by AAJ Staff
July 21, 2015

About Oytun Ersan Oytun Ersan is a Cypriot electric bass and upright bassist, composer, instructor and conductor. At the early age of 15, Oytun joined the International Nicosia Municipality Orchestra as a bassist where he is still working for the past 20 years. During his career as a musician, Oytun has contributed to a great number of album projects, and performed at various international festivals and venues. He has worked with a number of world famous musicians including Prof. Rex ...

Album Review

Terell Stafford: Brotherlee Love: Celebrating Lee Morgan

Read "Brotherlee Love: Celebrating Lee Morgan" reviewed by C. Andrew Hovan

by C. Andrew Hovan
July 21, 2015

Over the past several decades, trumpeter Terell Stafford has built a solid reputation based on the fact that he is a thoroughly accomplished musician who has been heard in the bands of Bobby Watson, Matt Wilson, The Clayton Brothers, and Dana Hall. Although he has digested the complete history of the jazz trumpet cannon, Stafford remains his own man with a style and approach that is squarely his own. This fact is important because in endeavoring to pay tribute to ...

Album Review

Brad Allen Williams: Lamar

by Jack Bowers
July 21, 2015

Brad Allen Williams is another in a seemingly endless stream of splendid guitarists dating back to the earliest days of jazz, set apart from the herd on Lamar primarily by choice of instrumentation, material and manner of recording. Williams' trio, whose other members are organist Pat Bianchi and drummer Tyshawn Sorey, have chosen to perform half a dozen original compositions (three by Williams) and two enticing standards, “Stairway to the Stars" and “More Than You Know." In a ...

Album Review

Michael Dees: The Dream I Dreamed

Read "The Dream I Dreamed" reviewed by Nicholas F. Mondello

by Nicholas F. Mondello
July 21, 2015

In describing his perspective of the state of certain vocal efforts existing today, a wag, respected for his pungent commentary, once said: “There's no substitute for crass." Yet, there are singers who dwell in more refined melodic places--environs of elegance and refinement--"musical champagne," if you will, who preach using melody, lyric and rhythmic subtleties. They are called “artists" and Michael Dees is one of them. A very fine one. I Dreamed a Dream sends up 14 Dees ...

Album Review

Kinetic: World of Wonder

Read "World of Wonder" reviewed by Roger Farbey

by Roger Farbey
July 21, 2015

Keyboardist and composer of all the music on Kinetic's debut album, Joe Sheehan, spent six months studying traditional music and dance in Ghana, West Africa and that country's musical influences are evident here, enhanced particularly by PJ Roduta's percussive contributions.Opening with the energetic “World of Wonder," the secret weapon of this band is clearly Anqwenique Wingfield. Her pellucid vocalisation is used to great effect and double-tracked on this number to provide harmonies. The piece eventually moves into an ...

Interview

Steve Smith: Drummer For All Seasons

by R.J. DeLuke
July 20, 2015

Drummer Steve Smith has traced the history of jazz drumming--pretty much most of American music drumming--in his storied career that has seen him drive big bands, small jazz combos, and fiery fusion groups, including tenures with Jean Luc Ponty and the rock band Journey. Though sometimes--as in the case of jazz-rock fusion--he was thrown into the fray without much experience, he has always been up to the challenge. He handled each situation with aplomb, and as a result ...