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.

Extended Analysis

Ultimate Sinatra: A Very Good Compilation

by Chris M. Slawecki
April 24, 2015

On December 12, 1915, Francis Albert Sinatra was born in Hoboken, New Jersey. This single birth in this sleepy borough was the first tremor in a musical earthquake that changed the cultural landscape all around the world, forever. On April 21, 2015, in celebration of Frank Sinatra's centennial year, Capitol/UMe released the first career retrospective that surveys the complete recording history of “The Chairman of the Board." Drawn from his recordings for Columbia (1943-'52), Capitol (1953-'62; 1993-'94) and ...

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Building a Jazz Library

Frank Sinatra: An Iconic Voice in American Music

by Chris M. Slawecki
April 24, 2015

In the 1950s and '60s, there erupted into the world's consciousness a series of celebrities so unique and identifiable, from several different public arenas, that they were known by only one name. It was as if those were names were mythical and could not possibly be mistaken for anyone else. Elvis. Martin and Malcolm. Marilyn. John Paul George and Ringo. Ali. And Sinatra. Frank Sinatra released hit albums for half a century. His career began to take off ...

The Big Question

What is your preferred music listening format?

by Michael Ricci
April 24, 2015

Compact disc sales are in steady decline as most younger listeners opt for streaming services like Spotify, Pandora, and YouTube. Millennials are also the driving force behind vinyl sales growth (since 2008) as 9.2 million units were sold in 2014, up 51.8% from 2013. I was a heavy vinyl collector growing up, made mixtapes, dropped cassettes and vinyl in favor of CDs in the mid 1980s, then years later reintroduced vinyl into my collection while increasing streaming through ...

Live Review

Chuck Anderson Trio at Melodies Cafe

by Mike Oppenheim
April 24, 2015

Chuck Anderson Trio Melodies Cafe Ardmore, PA April 11, 2015 The Chuck Anderson Trio marked a long overdue end to the winter with their first performance of the 2015 season. The trio, consisting of guitarist Chuck Anderson, bassist Eric Schreiber, and drummer Ed Rick played at Melodies Café in Ardmore, PA. An intimate venue, Melodies was filled with an attentive and informed jazz audience. The trio came out strong, starting with “Bag's Groove" ...

Album Review

Hu Vibrational: The Epic Botanical Beat Suite

Read "The Epic Botanical Beat Suite" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
April 24, 2015

The Epic Botanical Beat Suite--the fourth release from percussionist Adam Rudolph's ever-evolving Hu Vibrational--is a trance-inducing rhythmic trip. Rudolph, the man behind the bulky Go: Organic Orchestra and the Moving Pictures Octet, has always been adept at creating distinct outfits. Hu Vibrational has served as his vehicle for blending African rhythms, minimalistic tides, and electronica-influenced sounds into hypnotic soundscapes. In the past, this mutable band has been a bit heavier in sound yet lighter on personnel. The ...

Album Review

Monoswezi: Monoswezi Yanga

Read "Monoswezi Yanga" reviewed by Rob Caldwell

by Rob Caldwell
April 24, 2015

A while back I picked up a copy of a 1971 Smithsonian album featuring the traditional mbira music of the Shona People of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). It's a valuable ethnomusicological recording, but unless one is from that culture, the appeal may be limited. The mbira, though, is a fascinating instrument and I longed to hear more of it, perhaps in a more modern context. That's where Scandanavian/African group Monoswezi comes in. Monoswezi Yanga is their second album on ...

Album Review

Hailey Niswanger: PDX Soul

Read "PDX Soul" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
April 24, 2015

Saxophonist Hailey Niswanger's third release is a stylistic departure from her previous bop based two. Dedicated to versatile Portland based keyboardist Janice Scroggins, who passed away shortly after the recording, the engaging PDX Soul primarily channels an old school funk energy and a retro R&B charm. Scroggins and her rhythm section lay down an electrified backdrop against which Niswanger blows her alto and her soprano with fiery abandon. Trombonist Stan Bock's buttery growl opens “Say What," a tune ...

Album Review

Benny Green: Live In Santa Cruz

Read "Live In Santa Cruz" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
April 24, 2015

We hope you've made the journey these past thirty plus years with pianist Benny Green. From hotshot young lion to keeper of the jazz flame he has consistently electrified audiences with his live performances. Live In Santa Cruz recorded at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center follows up on a recording he made as bassist Ray Brown's sideman twenty years ago. Green built a career, first as an apprentice to Betty Carter, then Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, then Brown. His career as ...

Album Review

Various Artists: I Never Meta Guitar Three

Read "I Never Meta Guitar Three" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
April 24, 2015

Few would be more equipped to produce this series of various guitarists parading their avant-garde stuff other than New York City-based, and world-renown experimental guitar acolyte, Elliot Sharp. This third installment of the ongoing extravaganza showcases the far-flung imaginations of 18 artists, continuously pushing the envelope via a kaleidoscopic presentation sketched with unconventional acoustic-electric tone poems. It's a rousing celebration of oscillating sound designs, fuzz-toned voicings, and startling digressions as each piece tells a distinct story, largely nestled in atypical ...

Extended Analysis

Winelight

by Jeff Winbush
April 23, 2015

When Grover Washington, Jr. passed away in 1999 the jazz world lost one of its most successful and talented creators, and in his wake a slew of saxophonists have stepped up to fill the void. None have. Philadelphia jazz deejay Bob Perkins said, of Washington, a native of the City of Brotherly Love, “He was the originator of smooth jazz, and all the rest--Najee, Kenny G--followed him."It is absolutely true that Washington was, along with George Benson, one ...