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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Live Review

Lisa Fischer & Grand Baton At Yoshi's Oakland

by Walter Atkins
April 23, 2015

Lisa Fischer & Grand Baton Yoshi's Oakland CA April 9, 2015 Both Thursday night shows for Lisa Fischer and Grand Baton were packed and the enthusiastic house was treated to a memorable evening of great music. Acclaimed vocalist Fischer dimmed the lights and started the second set with the somber “Breath of Heaven" that miraculously transformed Yoshi's into a small church and the audience into an attentive congregation. Now we were in ...

Live Review

Chick Corea & Herbie Hancock in Chicago and Carmel

by Chuck Schultz
April 23, 2015

Chick Corea & Herbie Hancock Symphony Center, Chicago IL The Palladium, Carmel, IN April 17-18, 2015 Chicago and Indianapolis hosted the final leg of Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea's North American tour. Really, it was a tour nobody wanted to see come to an end. Each show was unique and individual, with a surprise appearance in Indianapolis. “You probably thought we had a set list planned," Hancock chuckled as he greeted the crowds. ...

Album Review

The Jiggs Whigham International Trio: Live At Nighttown: 'Not So Standards'

Read "Live At Nighttown: 'Not So Standards'" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
April 23, 2015

A jazz trio performing songs like “Autumn Leaves" and “Days Of Wine And Roses" isn't exactly out of the ordinary, but this trio performing those songs is something else. Live At Nighttown: 'Not So Standards' finds Jiggs Whigham, an American trombone giant who expatriated to Germany long ago, back at home in Cleveland, Ohio, putting on a standards-heavy show. But don't let the playlist fool you. These aren't paint-by-numbers takes on old favorites. The Jiggs Whigham International Trio--Whigham, German pianist ...

Album Review

Marshall Gilkes / WDR Big Band: Koln

by Jack Bowers
April 23, 2015

For four years, American-born trombonist Marshall Gilkes (pronounced “Jilks") was a member of one of Germany's premier jazz ensembles, the WDR Big Band, in Cologne (Koln). One month after leaving the band in 2013, Gilkes was invited back to preside over a farewell performance at the WDR Funkhaus Studio 4, the result of which is this sharp and stylish recording, named after the city in which Gilkes embraced new friends while broadening his musical horizons. Gilkes wasn't ...

Album Review

Nuaia: Belong To The Moon

Read "Belong To The Moon" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
April 23, 2015

Built around singer Sofie Norling's expressive voice, Nordic ensemble Nuaia's music is delightfully unclassifiable and it uniquely transcend genres. Their sophomore release Belong to the Moon creates dream like, fantastical soundscapes that are intensely intimate and thrillingly dramatic. On “Don't Know Where To Turn" Norling's melancholic song drift over percussionist Michala Ostergaard-Nielsen's militaristic drums. Multiinstrumentalist Mika Forsling lays down a lilting, synth heavy, sonic tapestry that envelopes Norling's emotive articulation of the forlorn lyrics. Meanwhile, on “My Role" ...

Album Review

Rick Waldron: Africa

by Budd Kopman
April 23, 2015

Multi-instrumentalist Rick Waldron is one talented guy -aside from playing all the guitars, basses and keyboards on Africa he also gets in some trombone, mandolin and banjo, plus doing the composing, arranging and production. The album is not really about the music of Africa, and the title track “Africa" is not a deep musicological investigation into African roots music. It does allude to that music, however, and is but one example of very lively and happy music which ...

Album Review

Mark Wingfield: Proof of Light

Read "Proof of Light" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
April 23, 2015

My initial exposure to UK-based guitarist, educator Mark Wingfield occurred via a recommendation to check out Three Windows (Dark Horse Records, 2008), which is an album that demonstrates his astounding virtuosity and unique voice, spanning jazz, fusion and a host of melodious ambient treatments. Many artists and technicians within the perceivable inner circle recognize Wingfield as a force to be reckoned with. Yet with Proof of Light produced by progressive New York City-based Moonjune Records, he should reap the benefits ...

Live Review

Live From Birmingham: Marius Neset, Vibracathedral Orchestra, Death Shanties & The Apex Jazz And Swing Band

by Martin Longley
April 22, 2015

Marius Neset CBSO Centre April 10, 2015 Not an artist who's interested in stasis, the Norwegian saxophonist Marius Neset spent most of two sets unveiling pieces from his new Pinball album, which was released at the beginning of 2015. It's his fourth recording, and Neset seems set on making this a pleasingly prolific annual event. The album features Jim Hart (vibraphone/marimba) and Petter Eldh (bass), but they were also joined for this gig ...

Extended Analysis

VEIN featuring Dave Liebman - Jazz Talks

by Phil Barnes
April 22, 2015

This collection documents the first studio recording of Swiss trio VEIN with American saxophonist Dave Liebman over a single afternoon in Basel. VEIN had approached Liebman, perhaps best known for his Saxophone Summit recordings with Joe Lovano and Ravi Coltrane, as far back as 2009 seeing in him a like minded spirit perfectly at ease with either the jazz tradition or something more expansive. While this special quartet had played live together before, documented on the live album Lemuria, this ...

Album Review

Roberta Piket: Emanation

Read "Emanation" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
April 22, 2015

Pianist Roberta Piket sat down at her instrument alone on Solo (Thirteenth Note Records, 2012). It was her first recording in the format, after and marvelous series of trio and quartet sets. An artist known for her “inside/outside" abilities and a cerebral yet emotive approach to piano, her recording debut as a solo artist was unabashedly beautiful and straight ahead, with much familiar turf: Wayne Shorter's “Nefertiti," saxophonist Sam Rivers' perfect “Beatrice," the American Songbook jewel “I See Your Face ...