Jazz Articles
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Dance Dance Dance
by Dan McClenaghan
Dolphin Dance The dolphins frolicked just south of the end of the pier, leaping in playful arcs that took them completely out of the water. They bumped fins and swooped in and out of the pod. A select few angled their slick bodies into vertical positions, coming half out of the water to eyeball, up on the pier, the delighted casual strollers and the jaded fishermen behind the wooden railing above them. Children laughed; the dolphins smiled. A bright sun ...
Continue ReadingStefan Smulovitz: Painting Music, Making Light
by Lawrence Peryer
Stefan Smulovitz sits in his Roberts Creek studio, studying a delicate watercolor painting of circles and mountain forms. A gong rests nearby, ready to echo the round shapes that dance across the page. This is how “The Pier," the opening track of his album Bow & Brush (RedShift, 2024), came to life, finding musical gestures within visual ones.“I look for structural elements first," Smulovitz explains. “In 'The Pier,' those little round things connect directly to gong hits. When ...
Continue ReadingZach Adleman: We Make: Stories For A New Day
by David A. Orthmann
From beginning to end, Zach Adleman's debut as a leader, We Make: Stories For A New Day, fires on all cylinders. The twenty-something drummer inhabits the roles of player, composer, arranger, and bandleader with the aplomb of a seasoned veteran. A hungry, assertive band includes two generations of compatible hands who produce a fresh and vital sound that mirrors the straight-ahead, acoustic jazz tradition Adleman penned nine compositions that are sturdy, substantive, and melodically rich. We have ...
Continue ReadingRan Blake / Dave Knife Fabris: Live Amsterdam 2006, First Visit
by Mark Corroto
In 2006, pianist Ran Blake, in his seventh decade, is captured in concert at Amsterdam's Bimhaus with guitarist Dave Fabris. Their collaboration began first as mentor/mentee but had become more like partners after working together for over three decades. Together they can be heard on Blake's releases, two on hatOLOGY Something To Live For (1999) and Horace Is Blue: A Silver Noir (2000), and also on Vilnius Noir (NoBusiness, 2011), Indian Winter (Soul Note, 2005) and Ghost Tones (A-Side, 2015). ...
Continue ReadingEmilio Castillo on Tower of Power’s Timeless Christmas Groove
by Steven Roby
Few bands like Tower of Power embody timeless grooves and unmistakable soul. For over 50 years, the East Bay legends have delivered their signature funk, horn-driven energy, and sheer musical joy. Now, founder Emilio Castillo and his bandmates are bringing that same magic to the holidays with their first-ever Christmas album, It's Christmas.As Emilio shares on the Backstage Bay Area podcast, hosted by Steven Roby, this isn't just another seasonal record--it's a celebration of tradition, love, and the ...
Continue ReadingGiuliano d'Angiolini: )))(((
by John Eyles
Yes, “)))(((" is the title of the opening track of this album, and the title of the album itself. How one pronounces it is unclear. )))((( is the fourth album released by the Italian composer and ethnomusicologist Giuliano d'Angiolini who was born in Rome in 1960. He studied composition at the Rome Conservatory, ethnomusicology at Rome University and the Accademia Chigiana in Sienna, as well as computer music in Padua. He.is now based in Paris. His first album was Simmetrie ...
Continue ReadingMusic from South America with Mauro Hector, Igor Wilcox, Joseph Olivera, Fernando Molinari and Santiago Bosch
by Len Davis
The last in our feature on South American music with Guitarist Mauro Hector, Hector Quintana, Saab Guitar Project, Gustavo Carmo, Joseph Olivera and Henrique Mota. Bassist Fernando Molinari, Santiago Bosch and Colombian pianist Jesus Molina. Playlist Mauro Hector “Yellow" from Keep On (Self Produced) 00:00 Hector Quitana “Santiago de Chile" from Animal Galxia (Colibri) 07:21 Saab Guitar Project “The Hammer Jam" from Saab guitar Project (Self Produced) 14:42 Gustavo Carmo “Chromatic Aberration" from Chromatic Aberration (Self Produced)22:03 Joseph ...
Continue ReadingRemembering Zakir Hussain: Making Music
by Ian Patterson
It is with great sadness that All About Jazz notes the passing of tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, who died of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis on Sunday, 15 December. He was 73. A virtuoso with few peers, Hussain dazzled diverse audiences throughout the world, by dint of his collaborations with musicians across musical genres. Born in Mumbai, India, on 9 March 1951, Hussain learned tabla from his father, the great Ustad All Rakha Qureshi, accompanist to Ravi Shankar, Vilayat Khan ...
Continue ReadingJohn Pizzarelli at Blues Alley
by Mark Edelman
John Pizzarelli Blues AlleyWashington, DC December 8, 2024 When you're part of a jazz dynasty--son of guitar-great Bucky Pizzarelli, husband of chanteuse Jessica Molaskey--it's only natural that you'd ring in the holiday season for us peasants with a Christmas carol or two. John Pizzarelli warmed up the crowd at DC's venerable Blues Alley with a swinging mug of wassail alongside classics from the Great American songbook and some original tunes for good measure. In ...
Continue ReadingTabla Beat Science: Sacred Channel
by Geno Thackara
Bill Laswell must have known he was really onto something special when assembling this lineup, crossing some slick cyber-techno acts with endlessly open-minded Indian classical musicians such as Ustad Sultan Khan and the legendary Ustad Zakir Hussain. It was the kind of all-star group where the members don't outshine each other, but humbly mesh their brilliance into something even brighter. ...
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