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.

Book Excerpts

Social Intrapreneurism and All That Jazz

by Melody McLaren
May 3, 2014

The power of great jazz musicians to connect with others and convey musical “stories" is the centrepiece of a new book on business innovators addressing global social problems. Social Intrapreneurism and All That Jazz (Greenleaf Publishing, March 2014) by Prof. David Grayson, Melody McLaren and Prof. Heiko Spitzeck uses the language and lessons of jazz improvisation to bring to life a rich array of stories, insights and practical tips collected from interview research with “social intrapreneurs"--corporate innovators who ...

Album Review

Dan Weiss: Fourteen

Read "Fourteen" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
May 3, 2014

Intrepid drummer Dan Weiss' multi segment Fourteen is not a suite in the classical sense of the word. Although spread out over seven sections the vibrant and fluid composition flows seamlessly throughout the entire album without, distinct traditional movements. “Part 5" for instance takes off with trombonists' Jacob Garchik and Ben Gerstein's baroque refrains that thematically stem from the percussive climax that ends its predecessor. It closes with haunting vocals embellishing the melody that spill over to the ...

Extended Analysis

Fish in Oil: Drnch

by Nenad Georgievski
May 3, 2014

Anyone that has served the People's Army of Yugoslavia or the subsequent armies that came out after the independence of this country's republics will be well acquainted with the term “Drnch." “Drnch" or deterdženski rastvarač nećistoća, is a gun cleaning chemical that is used for cleaning the barrel of the firearm. Also, this acronym refers to a special kind of meal which was served, a swill, where the remnants of previously served meals were poured in the pot. Without a ...

Live Review

The Revivalists/ Brooklyn Bowl

by Christine Connallon
May 3, 2014

The Revivalists Brooklyn Bowl Brooklyn, NY April 18, 2014 On a brisk April evening, New Orleans-based crowd favorites The Revivalists powered onto the stage of the infamous Brooklyn Bowl for a solid second night of sold out performances. Sharing a bill with Nashville based Moon Taxi for a string of dates; this particular Friday night had The Revivalists batting first. The crowd was ready for action the minute the septet hit the stage.

Album Review

Maria Faust: Sacrum Facere

Read "Sacrum Facere" reviewed by Eyal Hareuveni

by Eyal Hareuveni
May 3, 2014

Estonian, Denmark-based composer and reeds player Maria Faust's latest project, Sacrum Facere, is a song cycle inspired by Estonian folklore and the runo singing from the Setu region, close to the Russian border. Faust composed and arranged the music for brass ensemble, three woodwinds, prepared piano, and Estonian folk harp, the kannel, in a manner that weaves impressively her two passions--contemporary classical composition and free improvisation. The movements in the cycle were written specifically for an ...

Album Review

Ulf Wakenius: Momento Magico

Read "Momento Magico" reviewed by Ian Patterson

by Ian Patterson
May 3, 2014

If guitarist Ulf Wakenius' Vagabond (ACT Music, 2012) was a highlight in a discography that stretches back thirty years to Urban Experience (Dragon, 1984) then Momento Magico--which possibly raises the bar still further-- serves as an anthology of his influences both old and new. Wakenius has toured the world extensively for decades, so it's perhaps unsurprising that the rhythms and melodies he's encountered have increasingly influenced his sound and broadened his vocabulary. On this sparkling solo effort Wakenius' six strings ...

Bailey's Bundles

Jazz Quanta May

by C. Michael Bailey
May 2, 2014

Oran Etkin Gathering Light Motema 2014 Multi-reedist Oran Etkin gathers his scattered points of inspiration from the whole of the Eastern Hemisphere and a good bit of the Western one. Etkin's main horn is the bass clarinet...not completely unheard of, Eric Dolphy played a mean one, but one heard infrequently enough that it remains almost a novelty. Etkin opens Gathering Light with Ki Narto Saboo's “Gambang Suling," his bass clarinet reaching eastward ...

Album Review

Harry "Butch" Reed: 1st Time

Read "1st Time" reviewed by Mark F. Turner

by Mark F. Turner
May 2, 2014

The attributes of exceptional drummers include superb timing, sensitive touch and self-expression of which Harry “Butch" Reed displays on his auspicious debut 1st Time . The Philadelphia-based player is a prime example of a talented musician that's worked to hone his craft over time. In a satisfying program that includes straight-ahead jazz delivered by Reed and equally impressive band members the music yields a wealth of enjoyment. It is one thing to have technique but quite another ...

Live Review

Jarmo Saari's Republic at April Jazz in Tapiola, Finland

by Anthony Shaw
May 2, 2014

Jarmo Saari's Republic Louhisali April Jazz Tapiola, Espoo, Finland April 26, 2014 Spring in the north of Europe is long awaited after the long dark winter months, and with the yearly arrival of April Jazz in the eastern Helsinki suburb of Tapiola the ears of the city's musical community inevitably orientate in this direction. Every year this mini festival brings a host of American musicians for solo concerts and for late night interplay with ...

Album Review

Eric Alexander: Chicago Fire

Read "Chicago Fire" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
May 2, 2014

When weighing the merits of tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, two words spring readily to mind: prolific and consistent. Alexander, an implacable workhorse even in his mid-40s, has since 1992 recorded no less than thirty-seven albums as leader of his own groups and appeared on many others as a sideman. As for consistency, Alexander has been widely praised, and rightly so, for his awesome technique and seemingly endless reservoir of eye-opening ad libs. In other words, he approaches every theme with ...