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.

Live Review

Rigas Ritmi 2015

by Bruce Lindsay
July 14, 2015

Rigas Ritmi Riga, Latvia July 1-4, 2015 The 15th anniversary of Rigas Ritmi was celebrated in fine style in Latvia's beautiful capital city. Māris Briežkalns, the festival's artistic director, had programmed Latvian artists and internationally-known musicians in a mix of large and small, old and new, venues. From the mediaeval squares of Old Riga to modern clubs and concert halls, the four-day festival presented around 20 performances: jazz was the central focus, but funk, ...

Multiple Reviews

Antonio Sanchez: Three Times Three & The Meridian Suite

by Doug Collette
July 14, 2015

With his two simultaneously released albums, Three Times Three and The Meridian Suite, Antonio Sanchez posits himself as the next great drummer who's a great bandleader. Alternately emphasizing his composing skills and his musicianship, as he did on his acclaimed score to the film Birdman, this native of Mexico City never overtly draws attention to himself, preferring to nurture the interaction of those around him, thereby making himself nothing less than conspicuous by his relative absence. In doing so, he ...

Album Review

Alan Benzie Trio: Traveller's Tales

Read "Traveller's Tales" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay

by Bruce Lindsay
July 14, 2015

As the title of his debut album suggests, pianist Alan Benzie has travelled. Traveller's Tales is a collection of original tunes inspired by these travels, whether the journeys took place on planet Earth or, as Benzie puts it, “in my head." Real or imagined, these traveller's tales are definitely worth hearing.The pianist was the first winner of the Young Scottish Musician Of The Year, in 2007, after which he studied in Berklee and became the first British musician ...

Album Review

Laura Tate: I Must Be Dreaming: A Tribute to the Music of Mel Harker

Read "I Must Be Dreaming: A Tribute to the Music of Mel Harker" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
July 14, 2015

Were Bobby Short a woman and New York City's Café Carlyle a Dallas honky tonk, then he would be one Laura Tate playing a brand of roadhouse cabaret in her hometown. Tate's third recording (after Songs From My Suitcase (Self Produced, 2013) and Blue Train (Self Produced, 2014)), I Must Be Dreaming is a fine-tuned affair celebrating the songwriting of Californian Mel Harker. The result is a batch of well-conceived and well-behaved Americana that is both inventive and fun. Urbane ...

Album Review

Mem Nahadr: Femme Fractale - An Opera of Reflection

Read "Femme Fractale - An Opera of Reflection" reviewed by James Nadal

by James Nadal
July 14, 2015

Music genre categorization has exploded into so many fragments, that shrapnel is strewn in all directions as far as the ear can hear. In examining the vast minefield of definition for a proper description of the music of Mem Nahadr, we excavate the terms “neo-soul meets free-jazz," in hopes of further reference. Blessed with an operatic vocal range and fathomless ability of expression, Nahadr is an ever evolving artist on a constantly progressive and perpetual trajectory and Femme Fractale -An ...

Album Review

Mareike Wiening: Crosswalk

Read "Crosswalk" reviewed by Budd Kopman

by Budd Kopman
July 14, 2015

Drummer and composer Mareike Wiening is originally from Germany where she got her Bachelor of Music (University of Performing Arts, Mannheim) in 2011. She then had the opportunity to move to New York City after receiving the DAAD scholarship from Germany, enrolling at New York University where received her Master of Music degree in 2014. Crosswalk is her debut recording, the quality of which can be at least partly discerned by the members of her group: veteran Rich ...

Live Review

International Jarek Smietana Jazz Guitar Competition 2015

by Ian Patterson
July 13, 2015

International Jarek Smietana Jazz Guitar Competition Krakow, Poland July 1-4, 2015 Szymon Mika, a twenty-four year old Polish guitarist, won first prize in the inaugural International Jarek Smietana Jazz Guitar Competition, held in Krakow from 1- 4 July. An international jury comprising John Abercrombie, Karol Ferfecki, Mike Stern, Wojciech Karolak, Ed Cherry, Marek Napiorkowski and Witold Winuk recognized Mika's exceptional qualities, in a strong international field of fourteen semi-finalists. The official presentation was ...

Album Review

Robert Sabin: Humanity Part II

Read "Humanity Part II" reviewed by Troy Collins

by Troy Collins
July 13, 2015

Robert Sabin has a dark side. Although the New York-based bassist regularly serves as a sideman to such luminaries as Oliver Lake and Luis Bonilla, Sabin has revealed an abiding fascination with horror throughout his career, as documented on his 2005 Ranula Music debut Killdozer, based on Marvin Heemeyer's infamous armored bulldozer rampage in Colorado the previous year, and his 2007 sophomore follow-up Romero, an ode to George Romero's apocalyptic zombie films. Humanity Part II continues Sabin's investigation ...

Album Review

Dre Hocevar Trio: Coding Of Evidentiality

Read "Coding Of Evidentiality" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
July 13, 2015

Slovenian-born, New York based drummer Dre Hocevar may not be a familiar name to many but that will likely change after Coding Of Evidentiality. Hocevar has convened a trio which sits comfortably in the lineage of the Portuguese Red Trio (who can be heard to good effect on Empire (No Business, 2011, Stem (Clean Feed, 2012) and Rebento (No Business, 2013)) and going further back, English pianist Howard Riley's seminal early 1970s outfit with bassist Barry Guy. Indeed Hocevar boasts ...

Album Review

Unhinged Sextet: Clarity

Read "Clarity" reviewed by David A. Orthmann

by David A. Orthmann
July 13, 2015

The mainstream of jazz could use more recordings like Clarity, a recently released venture by the cooperative Unhinged Sextet. On every track there's something genuinely enjoyable and thought provoking going on, yet the disc doesn't suffer from information overload. The sense of excessive exertion, overt athleticism, sanctimonious references to key points of the jazz tradition--not to mention the insular vibe that's part and parcel of so many jazz records--are nowhere to be found. Most importantly, the Sextet sustains a recognizable ...