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.

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Building a Jazz Library

Mellow Moods

by AAJ Staff
July 3, 2015

Jazz in all its rich variety encompasses all the colors from deepest blue to piercing red. For this particular section of Building a Jazz Library, we've selected a handful of recordings which you might color green: green for go, green for growth. If you're a jazz neophyte, you'll find an opportunity here in these recordings to wrap your ears around some mellow music. Find yourself a comfortable chair, get your favorite drink handy, and just sit back and ...

Album Review

Steve Smith and Vital Information NYC Edition: Viewpoint

Read "Viewpoint" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
July 3, 2015

Drummer Steve Smith has a knack for separating his musical interests and satisfying his varied musical appetites through the use of different bands. But with Viewpoint, he works the inverse angle: Smith's passions and groups converge here, as his respect for the history of jazz, infatuation with sleek modernism, and love of Buddy Rich all inform the music. Consolidation is the guiding principal here, as signaled by the choice of repertoire and the commingling of musicians from ...

Album Review

Alexander Hawkins: Alexander Hawkins Trio

Read "Alexander Hawkins Trio" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
July 3, 2015

For the inaugural release on his own imprint, pianist Alexander Hawkins for the first time tackles the classic piano trio. Hawkins has already convinced in an increasing variety of formats, ranging from his customary ensemble, heard in its latest incarnation on Step Wide, Step Deep (Babel, 2014) to chamber nonet (broadcast on BBC Radio 3, but yet to materialize on CD) to his recent solo album Song Singular (Babel, 2014). Factor in his appearances with the likes of saxophonists Evan ...

Album Review

Jeff Denson Trio/Lee Konitz: Jeff Denson + Lee Konitz

Read "Jeff Denson + Lee Konitz" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
July 3, 2015

Let us celebrate the life of 87-year old jazz master Lee Konitz. The alto saxophonist has been recording music for seven decades now. While his tone is not as strong these days, his music is arguably more expressive now than ever. Heard here as a guest with bassist Jeff Denson's trio, he adds a new dimension to his performance, singing. In recent live performances, Konitz has set aside his horn to wordless scat sing as he calls them ...

Album Review

Peter Brotzmann/Joe McPhee/Kent Kessler/Michael Zerang: Tales Out Of Time

Read "Tales Out Of Time" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
July 3, 2015

It is rare, in this new century, for us to look back at the significant recordings of living artists. The powers that be seem to always be pushing out new product to support a tour and get media attention. Then of course, once the artist has passed on, let the reissue series begin. Thank God for labels like Hatology and their commitment to keeping the music alive. This recording by Peter Brötzmann and Joe McPhee with bassist Kent ...

What is Jazz?

Jazz and Politics

by Douglas Groothuis
July 2, 2015

My title is ambiguous since relating jazz to politics with only a conjunction ("and") might indicate several things. It could mean the politics of jazz--how jazz forms a culture, negotiates power relations, grants status to performers, and more. Or, it could mean the jazz of politics--how politicians learn the standards of political theory, improvise, and develop chops. Fascinating as they two topics sound, I will not write directly on either. However, mulling over the two conceivable connections between ...

Album Review

Kenny Werner: The Melody

Read "The Melody" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
July 2, 2015

The Melody lives up to its name, but not through the simple act of melodic dissemination: pianist Kenny Werner and his trio mates don't make their mark by addressing melodies so much as by undressing them, revealing what's beneath these tuneful coverings. All seven songs on the album--four Werner originals, a Broadway classic, and two standards--speak to the intimate art of dialogue, the respect that exists between these three men, and the inherent possibilities that live within a song.

Live Review

TD Toronto Jazz Festival 2015

by Alain Londes
July 2, 2015

TD Toronto Jazz Festival Various locations Toronto, Canada June 18-29, 2015 With festival season in full swing, it's always an opportunity to see what the state of jazz is and to hopefully discover something new. The challenge is of course that there are always many choices and one might be guided by personal choice and on a whim as to what to see. This year's Toronto Jazz Festival had a rich collection of performers from ...

Album Review

Cathi Walkup: The Secret of the Song: Lyrics of Cathi Walkup

Read "The Secret of the Song: Lyrics of Cathi Walkup" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
July 2, 2015

Oakland California vocalist/lyricist Cathi Walkup is a character. You know, that familiar term reserved for those with a personality just a bit larger than those around it? But in a good way? Yes, she is a character. What being a character does, when you have the smarts, is enhance the ability to entertain, and that is exactly what Walkup does on her recording, The Secret of the Song. Walkup composes the lyrics to fifteen pieces (six of which she also ...

Album Review

The Rempis Percussion Quartet: Cash And Carry

Read "Cash And Carry" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
July 2, 2015

Ornette Coleman was one of the first to use two drummers in a smaller ensemble for his seminal double quartet Free Jazz (Atlantic, 1961). In doing so they established the template for dual interaction, as Ed Blackwell majored on drum patterns while Billy Higgins emphasized the cymbals. While the format has become much more widespread as the avant-garde allowed the exploration of diverse combinations of instruments, it's still unusual for a small group to boast two percussionists, let alone for ...