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.

Extended Analysis

Enrico Pieranunzi: Live at the Village Vanguard

by Dan McClenaghan
October 29, 2013

Italian jazz pianist Enrico Pieranunzi, with his melodic romanticism and wondrous sense of harmony, deepened by by his classical training, gets compared often and aptly to the legendary and game-changing pianist Bill Evans (1929-1980). While Pieranunzi's style is more gregarious, and less introspective than that of Evans--and often more abstract--he does share with the late piano icon a penchant for the mode of the interactive trio. In the case of Live at the Village Vanguard, the comparison can be pushed ...

Album Review

Billie Davies: 12 Volt

Read "12 Volt" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
October 29, 2013

Belgium native and Los Angeles based drummer Billie Davies continues to forge her own path in the improvised music world. Endowed with an explorative temperament and unique, yet definite swing sense, Davies pays homage to Gypsy musicians on her fourth release as a leader, 12 Volt. Just to be clear, this is not an album reinterpreting guitarist Django Reinhardt's tunes or anyone else's for that matter. It is a cohesive work of bold innovation and free flowing spontaneity ...

Album Review

Daniel Ogren: Laponia II

Read "Laponia II" reviewed by Eyal Hareuveni

by Eyal Hareuveni
October 29, 2013

Swedish guitarist Daniel Ögren's second musical tribute to the landscapes of Northern Sweden (after Laponia, Hoob, 2011) is a fascinating and suggestive journey. Ögren, member of singer- songwriter Anna von Hausswolff's band, succeeds to create a musical equivalent to the scenery of bare mountains, the sound of clear streams and moss-green hills into insightful and nuanced soundscapes that trigger the imagination. If mountains could sing, most likely Ögren would be their musical ally. As on the ...

Interview

Ron Aprea: Passion Supreme

by Nicholas F. Mondello
October 28, 2013

Ron Aprea is a saxophonist's saxophonist. After all, none less than the late, great Frank Foster called him friend, confidant, section mate and leader. And Foster wasn't alone in this regard. Aprea has been a mainstay and graced the sax section in the bands of Lionel Hampton, Woody Herman and many others. A multi-faceted musician with impeccable alto playing, superb composing and arranging chops, Aprea has produced dozens of successful recordings, including for star vocalist, Angela DeNiro (Mrs. Ron Aprea). ...

Album Review

Jesper Bodilsen: Scenografie

Read "Scenografie" reviewed by Jakob Baekgaard

by Jakob Baekgaard
October 28, 2013

When Danish bassist Jesper Bodilsen stepped out as a leader with the album Short Stories for Dreamers (Stunt, 2009), he proved himself not only as a superbly skilled instrumentalist, but also as a master of subdued poetic moods. Together with trumpeter Peter Asplund, guitarist Ulf Wakenius and vibraphonist Severi Pyysalo, he created an entire universe of sound based around his musical narratives, with plenty of room for contemplation. Bodilsen now returns with an ambitious double disc, Scenografie, ...

Extended Analysis

Stan Kenton: Road Shows

by Jack Bowers
October 28, 2013

For younger readers: yes, there was a time long ago when large groups of talented jazz musicians traveled without respite from city to city and town to town, braving one-night stands or more night after night in (mostly) sold-out concert halls, dance halls, pavilions, nightclubs, schools and other venues. They were known as big bands, so enormously popular that they even had their own “era," and the world may never see their like again, at least not on the road. ...

Album Review

Francesco Turrisi: Grigio

by Ian Patterson
October 28, 2013

For pianist Francesco Turrisi 'old' music is a redundant term. In the Dublin-based Italian's world all music exists in a continuum. Turrisi's debut, Si Dolce e il Tormento (Diatribe Records, 2009) may be the only example of the mediaeval theorbo--a long-necked lute-- in a jazz setting. Fotografia (Diatribe Records, 2011)--a series of piano trio improvisations--veered between free-jazz abstraction and Mediterranean and Brazilian blues lyricism. For Songs of Experience (Taquin Records, 2013), Turrisi eschewed bass in favor of Fulvio Sigurtà's trumpet ...

Extended Analysis

Art Pepper: Unreleased Art Vol. VIII - Live At The Winery, September 6, 1976

by C. Michael Bailey
October 28, 2013

Laurie Pepper, widow of alto saxophonist Art Pepper, has been shepherding the artist's discography since the turn of the millenia. Unreleased Art Vol. VIII: Live At The Winery, September 6, 1976 reveals there may be no end in sight for unreleased material from this important jazz musician. Ms. Pepper has done a couple of things different this time. One, she is releasing a performance by Pepper early in his comeback, after the release of Living Legend (Contemporary, 1975), Pepper's first ...

Album Review

Brass Mask: Spy Boy

Read "Spy Boy" reviewed by Karl Ackermann

by Karl Ackermann
October 28, 2013

The UK based octet Brass Mask was conceived in 2012 by reedsman Tom Challenger. Challenger, who very recently released the unique Wedding Music duo recording with Kit Downes (Loop Records, 2013), has plied his trade with the likes of Django Bates and many of the young improvisers that make up the progressive Loop Collective. On Spy Boy, he has assembled a cutting edge group whose interplay makes for a mesmerizing blend of compositions influenced as much by New Orleans as ...

Album Review

Kosi: One More Cup Of Coffee

Read "One More Cup Of Coffee" reviewed by Chris Mosey

by Chris Mosey
October 28, 2013

In her own words, Kosi is “a New York born and bred singer-songwriter with nappy hair and jazz roots." She is the author of a stream-of-consciousness blog about her life of which the following is an extract: “I haven't washed my hair or shaved my arm pits (sic). I've brushed my teeth, but I haven't eaten. I'm still wearing the same clothes from yesterday. I meant to do laundry a few days ago, but I haven't gotten ...