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.

Mr. P.C.'s Guide to Jazz Etiquette and Bandstand Decorum

November 2014

by Mr. P.C.
November 1, 2014

Dear Mr. P.C.: I got offered a low paying gig through an agent who's been screwing musicians royally for years. What should I do? --T.W., Atlanta Dear T.W.: Think about it: His 15% cut of a low-paying gig is just a fraction of the 15% other agents make booking high-end ones. Yet he books it anyway, taking a passionate stand for the underclass. He's so committed to the little guy ...

Album Review

Anders Ahlen Unit: Lines and Dots

Read "Lines and Dots" reviewed by Dave Wayne

by Dave Wayne
October 31, 2014

I hope it's not too silly to say that Lines and Dots, the new album by guitarist and composer Anders Ahlén, is really cool. But it is; both in the colloquial sense and in the jazz sense. The music goes down with nary a wasted note, the cover art is hip and minimal, and it comes-self-produced on the artist's own label- from Sweden. The vinyl is heavy and luxurious, and if you miss the limited-edition LP, there's also a CD. ...

Live Review

La Voz de Tres at Tempe Center for the Arts

by Patricia Myers
October 31, 2014

La Voz de Tres Tempe Center for the Arts Tempe, Arizona September 27, 2014 Chilean-born Natalie Bernal's vocal sound was both illuminatively angelic and deeply sensual, a transfixing contrast for the New York-based trio La Voz de Tres. Her colleagues, Mike Eckroth on piano-vocals and Jason Ennis on seven-string guitar-vocals, make up the coalition that launched the sixth season for Lakeshore Music's nine-month jazz series in this venue, said producer Woody Wilson. The ...

Album Review

Ananda Gari: T - Duality

Read "T - Duality" reviewed by Karl Ackermann

by Karl Ackermann
October 31, 2014

The young Italian drummer Ananda Gari has been solidifying his credentials in some prestigious company. As part of the quartet Fool Circle, he recorded Moving Thoughts (Rai Trade--Videoradio, 2011) with pianist Stefano Battaglia. With his brother, pianist Govinda Gari, he recorded Incipit (Goodfellas, 2013) featuring saxophonist Mark Turner. On T-Duality--his first outing as a leader--Gari has surrounded himself with a cadre of downtown New York notables whose disregard of convention pushes his capabilities as both composer and drummer.

Album Review

Wadada Leo Smith: The Great Lakes Suites

Read "The Great Lakes Suites" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
October 31, 2014

Trumpet and composer Wadada Leo Smith remains in one of the most fertile phases of his long and storied career. His prodigious output now enjoys the outlets it needs, courtesy of the Finnish TUM imprint and the US-based Cuneiform Records. And other recordings appear on a variety of independent labels. At least in part that is likely due to the prestige of the Pulitzer Prize recognition for his momentous Ten Freedom Summers (Cuneiform, 2012) extravaganza. For this latest extended work ...

Album Review

Lucas Niggli - Andreas Schaerer: Arcanum

Read "Arcanum" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
October 31, 2014

Whether leading his Drum Quartet, seven-piece Zoom ensemble or supporting fabled improvisers, bassist Barry Guy and guitarist Fred Frith, Swiss drummer Lucas Niggli is not one to play it safe or dodge risk-taking processes. His mantra is firmly implanted in a musical world that is assuredly outside the box, after appearing on nearly two-dozen albums for Intakt Records. On Arcanum, Niggli takes another leap of faith by teaming with free-form vocalist Andreas Schaerer. Besides the drummer's colossal sound and enviable ...

Book Review

We Thought We Could Change The World

by Sammy Stein
October 31, 2014

We Thought We Could Change The World Gerard Rouy 189 PagesISBN: # 978-3-95593-047-9 Wolke Verlag Hofheim 2014 There are many worthy books on jazz, its history and growth, that provide insight into how the art form has influenced other genres and developed in different locations. This effort is a worthy addition. In this personal and enlightening book Peter Brotzmann is in conversation with Gerard Rouy. Rouy is a French journalist ...

Album Review

Northwest +1: Minor Suggestions

Read "Minor Suggestions" reviewed by Geannine Reid

by Geannine Reid
October 31, 2014

Northwest + 1 is a group of five jazz musicians, all educators that were brought together in a routine guest artist appearance at Spokane Falls Community College in June of 2013, by trumpeter/educator Kevin Woods. Woods along with his SFCC colleague pianist Danny McCollum, assembled a rhythm section of Washington's finest with Jon Hamar on bass and Julian MacDonough on drums to fill out the group of Northwestern based musicians. Saxophonist Damani Phillips was invited to round out the group's ...

Album Review

Billy Childs: Map To The Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro

Read "Map To The Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
October 30, 2014

The latter day jazz community, by and large, has embraced songwriting icons from the other side of the fence. Numerous artists associated with jazz have visited in on Bob Dylan's iconic work, explored the dark soul of Tom Waits, reshaped the poetic work(s) of Leonard Cohen, and/or tapped into the Joni Mitchell well. But what of Laura Nyro? The woman behind such under-appreciated classics as “Stoned Soul Picnic," “And When I Die," “Eli's Comin,'" and “Wedding Bell Blues" has largely ...

Album Review

The Gary Urwin Jazz Orchestra: A Beautiful Friendship

Read "A Beautiful Friendship" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
October 30, 2014

Sometimes, just when it seems things couldn't possibly get any better, they do. That is certainly the case with A Beautiful Friendship, the spectacular new recording by arranger Gary Urwin's superlative southern California-based Jazz Orchestra. Having released three earlier albums showcasing the exceptional artistry of tenor saxophonist Pete Christlieb and / or trombonist Bill Watrous, Urwin has upped the ante and pulled out all the stops on this one, not only re-enlisting Christlieb and Watrous for a consistently pleasing encore ...