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.

Album Review

Red Garland: Swingin’ on the Korner: Live at Keystone Korner

Read "Swingin’ on the Korner: Live at Keystone Korner" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
February 23, 2015

Dismissed as a subpar “cocktail pianist" when he joined Miles Davis' first great quintet in 1955 when Davis had returned from chemical exile, William “Red" Garland would go on to define mainstream jazz piano on a series of recordings (as leader and sideman) taped between 1955 and 1962. Readily identifiable was his easy swing, supreme command of the blues and his liberal use of block chords that became a Garland trademark. The pianist would anchor a piano trio with bassist ...

Film Review

Profound Pianistic Presentations: Jazz Heaven DVDs from Jean-Michel Pilc and Enrico Pieranunzi

by Dan Bilawsky
February 22, 2015

There's more to music than the simple absorption and understanding of notes, rhythm, melody, and harmony; there's more to jazz than what naturally meets the eyes and ears; and, most daunting of all, there's more to learn than we can ever possibly imagine. But fear not, for there are resources out there to help aspiring musicians in their quest for a deeper understanding of music. Jazz Heaven has been tapping into some of the finest jazz player-educators ...

Album Review

Laura Jurd: Human Spirit

Read "Human Spirit" reviewed by Ian Patterson

by Ian Patterson
February 22, 2015

With her debut as leader, Landing Ground (Chaos Collective, 2012), Laura Jurd laid down her marker as a precociously talented composer and musician. Folk, classical and jazz threads united the Ligeti String Quartet with improvising musicians to create a powerful octet that was greater than the sum of its parts. On Human Spirit (Chaos Collective, 2015) Jurd eschews strings, piano and bass in favor of brass, electric guitar and vocals and the resulting music is rawer and punchier. Stylistically too, ...

Live Review

Duke Ellington Orchestra at Arizona Musicfest

by Patricia Myers
February 22, 2015

Duke Ellington Orchestra Highlands Church 2015 Arizona Musicfest Scottsdale, Arizona February 6, 2015 The Duke Ellington Orchestra delivered a solid mix of swing and ballads from the colossal repertoire of its namesake and his gifted composing colleague, Billy Strayhorn. The enduring sophistication of their collaborative creativity was interpreted by a coalition of exceptional musicians. As soon as the band launched the concert with the most famous Ellington chart, “Take the A Train," the Arizona ...

Album Review

The Oatmeal Jazz Combo: Whole-Wheat Oats

Read "Whole-Wheat Oats" reviewed by Mark Sullivan

by Mark Sullivan
February 22, 2015

The stylistic focus of The Oatmeal Jazz Combo is well-summarized by one of its song titles: “Straight-A-Head." Ever since the original members met at New York's Stony Brook University the band has shared a passion for mainstream jazz, and the chemistry they found playing together (the “oatmeal" in the group's name refers to the beige soundproofing in the Stony Brook music department's basement rehearsal space). The members have become geographically dispersed since then, but manage to get together periodically, their ...

Live Review

Tierney Sutton Band at Jazz Standard

by Dan Bilawsky
February 22, 2015

Tierney Sutton Band Jazz Standard New York, NY February 19, 2015 In jazz circles, educated and experienced listeners often steer clear of first nights and opening sets of multi-night engagements. They rigidly adhere to that maxim about bands--be it an ad hoc formation or a working band--being a bit rusty or out of sync when a run begins. And while that's often the case, it's not a given. Some groups simply operate at such ...

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Album Review

PLS.trio: East River

Read "East River" reviewed by Karl Ackermann

by Karl Ackermann
February 22, 2015

The acronym that gives name to the PLS. trio is from the very gifted young Italian pianist/composer Pier Luigi Salami. Together with his American rhythm section, consisting of bassist Martin Fowler and drummer Shawn Crowder, the New York based trio have released an enormously winning debut with East River. The international make-up of the trio is reflected in this debut which is neither European nor American in style but rather a balanced modern jazz approach subtly enhanced with airy electronic ...

Album Review

Akua Dixon: Akua Dixon

Read "Akua Dixon" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
February 22, 2015

Virtuoso cellist Akua Dixon is one of the few exclusive practitioners of the instrument in jazz. Whether in a supportive role or leading her Quartette Indigo she deftly fuses intimate chamber decorum and spontaneous ingenuity for an elegant and vibrant style that is hard to pigeonhole. She spices her eponymous release with Latin passion and an understated, earthy groove making it uniformly fresh and delightful. The album opens on a high note with bassist Charles Mingus' fiery “Haitian ...

Album Review

Airelle Besson and Nelson Veras: Prelude

Read "Prelude" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
February 21, 2015

French trumpeter and composer Airelle Besson and Brazilian guitarist Nelson Veras have stuck up quite the duet relationship that manifests itself properly on the present Preludes. The trumpet/guitar format is not your typical duo, but it works extremely well in the hands of these two like-minded musicians. The two share a warm aural intimacy even more profound than various piano-based duets. Besson is a lyrical trumpeter who favors long melodic lines not afraid to tell a story ...

Album Review

Nick Sanders Trio: You Are A Creature

Read "You Are A Creature" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
February 21, 2015

It's sad to say, but many newly-formed piano trios tend to suffer by comparison before they ever get off the ground. So many of these groups consciously or unwittingly walk along well-trod paths, referencing legendary jazz figures or following trails of sonic breadcrumbs dropped by latter day lodestars like Brad Mehldau, The Bad Plus, or Jason Moran, to name a few. But despite that fact, there's always hope and there are always a rare few artists who manage to contribute ...