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

Charles McPherson: The Journey

Read "The Journey" reviewed by Robert Bush

by Robert Bush
February 17, 2015

Alto saxophone legend Charles McPherson has few living peers, but even at the age of 75, he shows no signs of slowing down, a premise well documented with the release of The Journey, his latest recording on the Capri label. Blistering post-bop remains McPherson's signature, but there is also a modernist streak that ripples through his improvising on this disc that can only be heard in terms of things that tingle the spine. On The Journey ...

My Blue Note Obsession

Lee Morgan – Volume 2: Sextet – Blue Note 1542

by Marc Davis
February 17, 2015

No one ever bought a record for its weird song titles. (And if they did, Iron Butterfly's psychedelic rock classic In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida would be the best seller of all time.) But still, Lee Morgan Volume 2: Sextet deserves some kind of award in that category. First, there are two songs written by virtual unknown Owen Marshall. “Her Sister" makes you wonder two things: Whose sister? And what is she like? Sexy? Mysterious? Cool? Hard to tell from this tune, ...

Album Review

SAMM & Jamie Ousley: The Unorthodox Duo

Read "The Unorthodox Duo" reviewed by Edward Blanco

by Edward Blanco
February 17, 2015

Creating an unconventional musical project was a purposeful design by jazz vocalist SAMM and renowned Miami-based bassist and educator Dr. Jamie Ousley, combining forces on The Unorthodox Duo to interpret a repertoire of standards and popular songs in a setting of light vocal jazz accompanied only, by the sounds of a delicate and creative bass. Born in Trinidad and growing up in Queens, New York, SAMM, a chef and photographer, became a jewelry and clothing designer creating many beautiful things ...

Album Review

Evan Parker - Paul Dunmall - Tony Bianco: Extremes

Read "Extremes" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
February 17, 2015

In the album notes, eminent drummer Tony Bianco advises that the various discourses of this program “were about the times we live in." It's a fitting correlation to the album moniker, featuring two legendary British improvisers, saxophonists Paul Dunmall and Evan Parker engaging in kinetic and at times, calamitous dialogues. Moreover, the Canadian label Red Toucan Records celebrates 20-years in business with its 50th release, fittingly provided by this powerhouse trio. The program sort of encapsulates the label's daring and ...

Extended Analysis

Souvenance

by John Kelman
February 17, 2015

If we are, in the final analysis, the sum total of our experiences, then it stands to reason that the work of musicians (and other artists) is a reflection of the events that touch their lives. Souvenance means “recollection," and if there is not, as oudist Anouar Brahem claims, “a direct link between my compositions and the events taking place in Tunisia," then there's little doubt that the album's cover image--taken by Nacer Talef in the Tunisian capital of Tunis ...

The Big Question

How Are We Doing?

by Michael Ricci
February 17, 2015

We made several structural improvements to All About Jazz and Jazz Near You in 2014 which opened the door to a whole host of opportunities in 2015. One in particular is the new on demand jazz event calendar feature that you can access from anywhere at either site (click the blue button lower right corner). We spent the last two decades steadily improving All About Jazz and we have lots of new features and services in store as ...

The Big Question

In search of good jazz radio. What's your favorite station?

by Michael Ricci
February 16, 2015

Thanks to emerging technologies, music discovery options have grown over the last decade: From streaming services like Spotify, Pandora and YouTube, to music mapping options found at Amazon, to apps, to websites like All About Jazz--they all assist us in our mission to find new music. Despite all of the music discovery possibilities, however, radio still plays an important role for many of us. Not long ago, you'd hear a new tune in your car, and if you ...

Top Ten List

Top Ten Jazz Songs To Listen To While Watching Basketball

by Ken Hohman
February 16, 2015

Don't let the annoying jibber-jabber of announcers or a deluge of car commercials wreck your game. Turn the sound down and listen to these ten great jazz tracks as you watch your favorite NBA or college team keep the ball alive, jump on the fast break and drive it to the hoop. Basketball was made for jazz, and vice-versa! 1. Herbie Hancock: “Watermelon Man" From Takin' Off (Blue Note, 1962) This immortal, infectious ...

Album Review

Valentin Caamaño Trio: The Joy

Read "The Joy" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay

by Bruce Lindsay
February 16, 2015

Sometimes album titles have an air of mystery, an enigmatic collection of words that seemingly bear no relevance to anything, especially the music. No such problem with The Joy, from the Valentin Caamaño Trio. From the cheerily welcoming swing of Charlie Parker's “Yardbird Suite" to the relaxed beauty of Thelonious Monk's “Pannonica" this is an album that, to paraphrase Lord Byron and Otis B Driftwood, lets joy be unconfined.On The Joy guitarist Caamaño, from Santiago de Compostela in ...

Live Review

Sara Gazarek at Birdland

by Dan Bilawsky
February 16, 2015

Sara Gazarek Birdland New York, NY February 13, 2015 New York audiences have had some opportunities to catch California-based vocalist Sara Gazarek in action, but they've been few and far between: A one-nighter at Jazz at Kitano, a Mother's Day brunch at the Blue Note, and more of the like spring to mind. And so it was with excitement and anticipation that Gazarek arrived in New York for her first extended engagement--five nights, finishing ...