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

Bobby Zankel's Warriors with Don Byron at the Painted Bride

by Victor L. Schermer
May 7, 2015

Bobby Zankel's Warriors of the Wonderful Sound Painted Bride Art Center Philadelphia, PA May 5, 2015 This concert by Bobby Zankel and the Warriors with guest artist Don Byron (who replaced saxophonist Oliver Lake due to the latter's family emergency) was also a celebration of jazz as a rich contributor to the arts. One of the features was the presence on stage of the artist Jeff Schlanger doing one of his inspired sketch-paintings whereby ...

Interview

Eivind Aarset: The Edge Between Intimacy and Courage

by Adriana Carcu
May 7, 2015

Guitarist and composer Eivind Aarset is one of the most imaginative exponents of the spirit of open diversity that defines and differentiates the Nordic Jazz soundscape. Coming along a progressive-rock line of influence enriched by a world music heritage and refined by electronics, his music emanates the radiant energy of an unfolding white lotus flower that gradually reveals its self-contained complexity. His guitar tones explore spheres of pure lyricism paired with a vibrant force of expression, and reaches resonant peaks ...

Album Review

John Patitucci: Brooklyn

Read "Brooklyn" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
May 7, 2015

Brooklyn is where it all started for John Patitucci. While the renowned bassist may have initially made his mark in sunny California, working with jazz luminaries and establishing himself as a strong presence in the studio scene in the '80s, his New York childhood helped to get him there. It's that starting point that serves as the inspiration for this project, which is something of a companion piece to Back In Brooklyn--a documentary on Patitucci's life expected to arrive in ...

Album Review

Nuno Costa: Detox

by Roger Farbey
May 7, 2015

Guitarist and Berklee College of Music alumnus Nuno Costa has produced his third album, which was recorded in January 2014, in Lisbon, Portugal, where he and his band are based. It makes for some intriguing listening too. Electronic guitar whine cedes to ethereal harmonics, constituting the opening bars of “Hum...?," and from here on in the group sets out its stall of florid, lyrical melodies, all composed by Costa. Whilst the guitarist is somewhat overshadowed by piano, sax ...

Album Review

Duke Ellington And His Orchestra: The Treasury Shows, Volume 19

Read "The Treasury Shows, Volume 19" reviewed by Chris Mosey

by Chris Mosey
May 7, 2015

In 1946 the uneasy truce between industry and organized labor in the U.S.A which had persisted for the duration of World War Two came to an abrupt end. Coal miners and railroad workers came out on strike and jazz bands were banned by the American Federation of Musicians under its autocratic boss James C. Petrillo from broadcasting live. In such acrimony, the swing era was over. The big bands of Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, Artie Shaw, Tommy ...

Extended Analysis

Creation

by John Kelman
May 6, 2015

It's been four years since pianist Keith Jarrett, an ECM recording artist since the early '70s, last released a solo piano recording, 2011's Rio. While Rio's more consistently buoyant, optimistic nature reflected similar changes in Jarrett's life, it was not a recording that, for example, ranked as highly as Concerts: Bregenz / Munich , issued, in 2013, in its entirety for the first time on CD since its original 1982 vinyl release. Jarrett's well-documented encounter with Chronic Fatigue ...

Album Review

Brian Landrus Trio: The Deep Below

Read "The Deep Below" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
May 6, 2015

If this recording can't kindle a love of the low end in your cochlea then nothing can. For The Deep Below, Brian Landrus--perhaps the most significant baritone saxophonist/low reed man to emerge in recent times--put together a trio with bassist Lonnie Plaxico and drumming icon Billy Hart. Together, they explore eleven Landrus originals and three classics, most of which manage to mask weighty sounds with lithe movements and, more importantly, lyrical thoughts. Part of the charm surrounding ...

Multiple Reviews

A provocative pair of releases from drummer Andrew Drury: Content Provider and The Drum

by Hrayr Attarian
May 6, 2015

There is no doubt that Andrew Drury is one of most innovative and bold drummers on the modern music scene. Over a career spanning two decades he has pushed the boundaries of his kit and has also emerged as an adventurous improviser and composer. With two provocative releases on Soup and Sound label Drury exhibits the breadth and depth of his superb artistry. Andrew Drury Content Provider Soup And Sound Recordings 2015

Album Review

Fulvio Sigurta: The Oldest Living Thing

Read "The Oldest Living Thing" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay

by Bruce Lindsay
May 6, 2015

The Oldest Living Thing is trumpeter and composer Sigurta's sixth album as leader or co-leader, his fourth for the Cam Jazz label. He's also recorded with pianist Francesco Turrisi and as a member of Nostalgia 77. For this album he's joined by acoustic guitarist Federico Casagrande (who shares writing duties) and Steve Swallow on electric bass. Sigurta and Casagrande form an empathic partnership and prove to be complementary in their writing styles. Both men leave plenty of space ...

Live Review

Charles Lloyd at SFJAZZ

by Harry S. Pariser
May 6, 2015

Charles Lloyd SFJAZZ San Francisco, CA April 24-26, 2015 Even in the idiosyncratic world of jazz, Charles Lloyd stands apart. Born in Memphis in 1938, Lloyd is a master of the tenor saxophone and flute. His ethnic mix--Irish, Cherokee, African, and Mongolian--mirrors the vast number of musical styles he has crossed paths with. Appearing onstage with stars such as Booker Little as a teenager, Lloyd went on to play with many blues greats in his ...