Jazz Articles
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Sun Ra: Lights on a Satellite: Live At The left Bank
by Ian Patterson
Sun Ra aficionados seem to possess an insatiable appetite for archival recordings of the ever-evolving ensembles of the pianist, composer and bandleader. Born Helman Poole Blount, in Alabama, in 1914, Ra released possibly as many as 200 albums during his lifetime, including extremely limited pressings with hand-painted covers that he sold in person. You might think such a vast and collectable discography would be treasure-trove enough for even the most committed of Ra crate diggers, but no. Which brings us ...
Continue ReadingDonald Vega, George Kahn, Lizzie Thomas & Gunhild Carling
by Joe Dimino
Get ready to swing into the season with the Annual Christmas Jazz Hour. Kicking off the festivities is the electrifying Gunhild Carling, bringing her signature flair to the whimsical holiday favorite, I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas. From there, it's a sleigh ride of sensational sounds as veteran jazz musicians like Rich Willey, George Kahn, Donald Vega, Roberta Tola, and The Band of Other Brothers deliver their holiday magic. We'll also spotlight some dazzling female talent, featuring unforgettable performances from ...
Continue Reading2024 Holiday Show with Mars Williams and Norah Jones
by Jerome Wilson
This is a show of holiday-oriented jazz music for the season, mostly Christmas songs but also including a set of Hanukkah tunes. Musicians featured on the show include Mars Williams. Norah Jones, Fats Waller, Doug Munro, and Benny Benack III. Playlist Matt Wilson's Christmas Tree-O “Christmas Time Is Here" from Matt Wilson's Christmas Tree-O (Palmetto) 00:00 Host Speaks 4:21 Dave Stryker “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" from Eight Track Christmas (StrikeZone) 4:58 3D Jazz Trio “I Wonder As ...
Continue ReadingMark Sullivan's Favorite Jazz Albums of 2024
by Mark Sullivan
This was an exceptional year for jazz albums of all sorts, as well as jazz-adjacent experimental music. The supply of previously unreleased live recordings seemed nearly inexhaustible! People discovered tapes right and left, presenting exceptional performances in good to excellent recording quality. My lists could easily have been much longer. Lists are unranked. Lakecia Benjamin Phoenix Reimagined (Live) Ropeadope Jakob Bro Taking Turns
Continue ReadingDean Nardi's Best Jazz Albums Of 2024
by Dean Nardi
This has been the year that musicians collaborated and cross-pollinated, experimented within and outside jazz. Best of all, some of the more avant-garde musicians seemed to find value in sculpting their music like a potter with clay, trimming away the excess, shaping a harmonious vessel. Those were some of the records I listened to more than once anyway. That said, handpicking from the albums that caught my ear in 2024, I appreciated the times when jazz musicians stretched ...
Continue ReadingTobias Hoffmann Jazz Orchestra: Innuendo
by Jack Bowers
Although German-born maestro Tobias Hoffmann can readily lay claim to a pair of music-inspired hats, he wears only one of them--that of composer and arranger--on the Tobias Hoffmann Jazz Orchestra's second recording, Innuendo, while placing the other (that of eloquent tenor saxophonist) in the capable hands of the ensemble's dynamic duo, Robert Unterkofler and Martin Harms. That proves to be a wise decision, as Harms shines brightly on “Sanctuary" and Unterkofler does the same on the closing “Perseverance."
Continue ReadingDizzy, Eri Yamamoto, Cecil Payne
by David Brown
This week, we'll check in with some late '60s, early '70s Dizzy Gillespie, then a set of new quartet and solo works from pianist Eri Yamamoto. Two new works from Blue Note records follow with an archival release pairing McCoy Tyner and Joe Henderson live at Slugs Saloon 1966 followed new music by the all-star collective Out of/Info. A survey of piano styles follows with Earl Hines, Fred Hersch and Dorothy Donegan. Next, we celebrate the birthday of baritone saxophonist ...
Continue ReadingAlliance: Alliance
by Jack Bowers
Alliance is an impressive all-female co-op quartet whose self-titled debut album, recorded in 2023, offers a luminous snapshot of their remarkable talent and versatility. Reed virtuoso Sharel Cassity, an alumna of New York City's world-class DIVA Jazz Orchestra, oversees the front line, while pianist Hannah Meyer provides an eloquent reciprocal perspective and shares the essential rhythmic duties with bassist Carmani Edwards and drummer Colleen Clark. Up-and-coming trumpeter Kellin Hanas makes a guest appearance on the session's closing number, Harold Mabern's ...
Continue ReadingSélène Saint-Aimé, Aruan Ortiz, Cassie Watson Francillon, Val Jeanty & More
by Ludovico Granvassu
A playlist focusing on the musicians that FourOneOne presented during “Transatlantik," a two-day of performances and conversations with diasporic artists engaged with the artistic and political concepts of negritude and créolité.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Cassie Watson Francillon “Callin'" Consortium Grande--Live at the Marigny Opera House (Self-released) 0:16 Host talks 3:25 Sélène Saint-Aimé “Mare Undarum : Part II" Mare Undarum (Komos) 4:45 Host talks 10:06 Sélène Saint-Aimé ...
Continue ReadingRandolph Matthews at FolkClub
by Antonio Baiano
A collection of photos from the Randolph Matthews concert at FolkClub in Torino, Italy on December 14, 2024 featuring Enzo Zirilli, Antonio Zambrini, Gianluca Gallucci and Cesare Mecca. ...
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