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

Rigmor Gustafsson: When You Make Me Smile

Read "When You Make Me Smile" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay

by Bruce Lindsay
August 28, 2014

Rigmor Gustaffson's extensive discography, stretching back to 1997, has seen the Swedish vocalist working with major jazz musicians such as Jacky Terrasson and Eric Harland. When You Make Me Smile is her sixth album on the ACT Music label--all of which have included “You" in the title. Gustafsson is a subtle vocalist--no over-the-top melodrama or blues hollerin' here--and this is a polished collection of songs. The album title and its cover photo of a smiling Gustafsson hint strongly ...

Album Review

Adam Lane: Live In Ljubljana

Read "Live In Ljubljana" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
August 28, 2014

In light of today's economic hardships, jazz orchestras or more precisely innovative jazz orchestras are really only little big bands. When you cannot travel with two dozen musicians, a leader must recruit players who can project a synergetic sound that appears greater than the sum of their parts. Masters of the little big bands include Taylor Ho Bynum's Sextet, Ken Vandermark's various projects, including Audio One and Resonance Ensemble and Adam Lane's Full Throttle Orchestra. Lane's outfit of ...

Album Review

Andy Biskin's Ibid: Act Necessary

Read "Act Necessary" reviewed by Dave Wayne

by Dave Wayne
August 28, 2014

A working jazz musician in New York City and environs since 1991, clarinetist, composer, and filmmaker Andy Biskin is a modern-day Renaissance Man. The Texas native was already a fixture in San Antonio's polka scene (yes, people, this is a thing) as a teenager, Biskin attended Yale where he double-majored in music and anthropology. Later, he joined the staff of the legendary folklorist Alan Lomax. While working as an independent videographer and video producer / director, fate intervened and a ...

Album Review

Sylvie Courvoisier Trio: Double Windsor

Read "Double Windsor" reviewed by Henning Bolte

by Henning Bolte
August 28, 2014

The piano trio is the supreme discipline in jazz. Through rich possibilities, it functions as a strong filter sifting out those few who were and are able to set new standards. What matters is how the three instrumental vertices relate to each other dynamically, harmonically and soundwise to build something coherent, in close dependency. Eventually, each shift at one vertex inevitably triggers shifts by the other two. New York pianist Sylvie Courvoisier, not excessively jazz affined in her ...

Interview

Mark Guiliana: Emulating The Source

by Ben Scholz
August 28, 2014

Over the past ten years, electronic music and jazz have developed a curious relationship. As programmers and DJs sought to remove the human element from their beats and loops, acoustic musicians sought to apply the tight, complex patterns of house and trance music to their traditional instruments. Drummer Mark Guiliana is at the forefront of this new vanguard of progressive acoustic artists. In this article we'll discuss his work with acclaimed pianist Brad Mehldau, his studies with renowned instructor John ...

Live Review

Melissa Aldana and Lionel Loueke at Charlie Parker Jazz Festival

by Ernest Barteldes
August 27, 2014

Melissa Aldana and Lionel Loueke Summerstage at Charlie Parker Jazz Festival Marcus Garvey Park New York, NY August 23, 2014 Playing before a packed audience at Harlem's Marcus Garvey Park, Chilean saxophonist Melissa Aldana made her Charlie Parker Jazz Festival debut backed by a piano-less trio rounded out by Pablo Menares (bass) and Francisco Mela (drums), kicking off with a down-tempo take on George Gershwin's “I Loves You Porgy" in ...

Take Five With...

Take Five With Charles Gambetta

by AAJ Staff
August 27, 2014

Meet Charles Gambetta: I've been playing bass for nearly 50 years, composing and arranging for over 40 years and conducting for 40 years as well. It has been an incredible journey with many surprises, unexpected turns and several major turning points that have shaped my growth as an artist and person. The first of these came in 1965 when my music teacher told me I should play bass. The second came in 1972 when I started playing jazz at ...

Take Five With...

Take Five With Dave Fabris

by AAJ Staff
August 27, 2014

Meet Dave Fabris: The music of guitarist David Fabris has been steeped deeply in an eclectic pool of influences... His new CD, Lettuce Prey (Great Winds/Musea), is music that has the guts and glory of rock, the surprise and intrigue of jazz and the intricacy and depth of contemporary classical music. His diverse influences are also evident in the variety of performances and ensembles to his credit: He has recorded four albums (Hatology, Soulnote, NoBusiness) and toured ...

Album Review

Larry Fuller: Larry Fuller

Read "Larry Fuller" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
August 27, 2014

Bassist Ray Brown sure knew how to pick his pianists. While each player who manned the 88s in Brown's trio displayed a different personality, all had Swiss watch timing and shared an affinity for the blues and effulgent swing. It didn't take more than a few seconds to hear that when Gene Harris was on the bench, delivering church-y proclamations and earth-shaking tremolos, and it was equally noticeable when Benny Green put his hands to good use, displaying the Oscar ...

Take Five With...

Take Five With Ana Velinova

by AAJ Staff
August 27, 2014

Meet Ana Velinova: Jazz vocalist and songwriter Ana Velinova has inspired audiences around the world with her wide range arstistic talents. With repertoire extending from Mozart and Stravinsky to Ellington, Dorsey and Jobim, Ana has shared the stage with many accomplished jazz artists including Bob Moses, Neil Swainson, Don Thompson, Brad Turner, Willard Dyson and Miles Black to name a few. A native of Sofia, Bulgaria, Ana has lived and performed in major US and Canadian cities. ...