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

Paul Shapiro: Shofarot Verses

Read "Shofarot Verses" reviewed by Eyal Hareuveni

by Eyal Hareuveni
September 7, 2014

Saxophonist Paul Shapiro is one of the few who succeeded in blending organic soul and R&B with the Jewish tradition--the musical one and the liturgical texts--in a highly original, convincing manner. His fourth album for John Zorn's Tzadik label Radical Jewish Culture series enriches his unique and personal art. Shofarot Verses is part of the service recited on the Jewish New Year, referring to the biblical story of a conversation between “the eternal" and Moses, when ...

Live Review

Lyle Lovett & His Large Band at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury

by Mike Perciaccante
September 6, 2014

Lyle Lovett & His Large Band NYCB Theatre at Westbury Westbury, NY August 17, 2014 In the quarter century plus since his debut in 1986, Lyle Lovett has taken his place as one of the most original and unique singer/songwriters of his, or for that matter any, generation. His lyrics are smart, insightful, witty, literate, sardonic and eclectic covering a myriad of topics from his home state of Texas, to love, to loss, to yearning, ...

Album Review

Raoul Bjorkenheim and eCsTaSy: eCsTaSy

by Dave Wayne
September 6, 2014

For me, guitarist Raoul Bjorkenheim is one of those musicians whose albums are always the subject of eager anticipation. His playing is both emotionally cathartic and intellectually gratifying. His highly-charged, utterly distinctive and immediately recognizable sound has been at the center of a number of fascinating cooperative groups over the past few years, including Scorch Trio with Paal Nilssen-Love and Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, the quartet Krakatau and ad hoc groupings with the likes of Hamid Drake, William Parker, Bill Laswell, ...

Live Review

Midge Ure at the Iridium

by Mike Perciaccante
September 6, 2014

Midge Ure Iridium New York, NY August 19, 2014 Midge Ure is a Scottish guitarist, singer, keyboard player, and songwriter. He has achieved worldwide success as a member of Slik, The Rich Kids, Thin Lizzy, Visage, Ultravox and as a solo artist. During his career, he has won many awards including a Grammy® while recording a number of gold and platinum albums and singles. Ure is also famous for having along with Bob Geldorf, ...

Album Review

Wadada Leo Smith: The Great Lakes Suites

Read "The Great Lakes Suites" reviewed by Robert Bush

by Robert Bush
September 6, 2014

Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith is on something of a recording roll lately, with The Great Lakes Suites coming hot on the heels of 2013's Occupy The World, and 2012's Ten Freedom Summers on the TUM and Cuneiform labels, respectively. To these ears, The Great Lakes Suites is the prize among prizes. Drum icon Jack Dejohnette is back with Smith, and multi-instrumentalist Henry Threadgill joins long-time bass associate John Lindberg for a thrilling program of extended compositions ...

Bailey's Bundles

Sabine Meyer – The Art of the Clarinet

by C. Michael Bailey
September 6, 2014

Sabine Meyer KlarinettenKonzerte: Clarinet Concertos -Mozart Stamitz Weber Rossini Krommer Warner Classics 2012 The Twentieth Century and beyond have seen the finest classical clarinetists: Jack Bymer, Martin Frost, Emma Johnson, Sharon Kam, Thea King Dieter Klocker, Anthony Pay, Richard Stoltzman and David Weber. Belonging among these names is the exquisite German Sabine Meyer, who, more than all others, save Klocker, reintroduced names like Krommer, Stamitz, and Spohr to the big-label repertoire. ...

Live Review

Eric Harland's Voyager at The Highline Ballroom

by Dan Bilawsky
September 5, 2014

Eric Harland's Voyager Highline Ballroom Vipassana CD Release New York, NY September 2, 2014 The CD release show for Vipassana (GSI Records, 2014)--the sophomore album from drummer Eric Harland's Voyager--didn't play out like a typical club set or concert; it was more like a spiritual journey through songs, segues, and seas of rhythm. Harland and his expandable/contractible outfit delivered a ceaseless flow of music for an hour and forty-five minutes. Mantras were intoned, voice ...

Album Review

Paul Bollenback: Portraits In Space And Time

Read "Portraits In Space And Time" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
September 5, 2014

Guitarist Paul Bollenback is valued by listeners and musicians alike for his incisive and inventive guitar work, wholly in the tradition while simultaneously branching out beyond the same old same old. His playing has been a key ingredient--in some cases, the key ingredient--in much of organ kingpin Joey DeFrancesco's recorded output, saxophonist Jim Snidero's highly praised Savant dates, vocalist Chris McNulty's post-millennial releases, and elsewhere, but it's his own albums that truly provide a full picture of his talent(s). Bollenback ...

Album Review

Geoff Warren: The Quartet Album

by Duncan Heining
September 5, 2014

Flautist Geoff Warren has had an intriguing career that has taken in jazz, dance and world music. He has worked with British composer Graham Collier, pianist Roger Dean's group Lysis and even with British dance music bands Heaven 17 and Southern Freeez. Warren recently dropped the alto sax to concentrate his energies on flute and alto flute and, if The Quartet Album is anything to go by such dedication is paying dividends. Warren's flute sound is quite perfect, rich and ...

Extended Analysis

Phil Haynes’ “No Fast Food” Trio: In Concert (2014)

by Victor L. Schermer
September 5, 2014

A jazz trio called “No Fast Food" is more likely to appeal to a sophisticated audience rather than attract the legion of average jazz fans, and this album will no doubt appeal to just such serious listeners who will take the time to digest it. Phil Haynes, Dave Liebman, and Drew Gress are seasoned players, all of whom strive for a synthesis of mainstream jazz with rich innovation, while mostly avoiding the free and avant garde connotations. This album, recorded ...