Jazz Articles
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Remembering Quincy Jones: Music Is Like Water
by Ian Patterson
Quincy Jones, a giant of popular music culture in the 20th and 21st centuries, died in Los Angeles on Sunday, November 3, He was 91. Though he began his career in the '50s as a jazz trumpeter, Quincy Jones may be best remembered as a highly successful producer, arranger and conductor--hats he wore with increasing frequency from the '60s onwards. As a producer, Jones was at the helm of Michael Jackson's Thriller (Epic, 1982), which would sell 70 ...
Continue ReadingJazz on Soul, Pop, Rock, Folk, and other intangible territories - Part 2
by Artur Moral
Part 1 | Part 2 James Carter soloing on a song by Sting? A prolific French guitarist and producer, approaching his thousandth album, deconstructing one of Billy Joel's most candid love songs? A Spanish trumpeter translating the Bee Gees into the jazz language? Yes, all this will happen in this second installment of a series that insists on finding the most surprising versions of songs born in external demarcations, with absolutely no exclusions: our only frontier will be ...
Continue ReadingKeith Jarrett: The Old Country: More from the Deer Head Inn
by Jack Kenny
Keith Jarrett remarked as he listened to a tape of the session: “I think that you can hear on this tape, what jazz is all about." What did he mean? Was he reacting to criticisms of his long-form improvisations? Was it because he was in a small venue that prioritized jazz? Of course, you can hear “what jazz is all about." Major musicians accompanied him: bassist Gary Peacock, Paul Motian, a master drummer he had not played with ...
Continue ReadingDarius Jones: Legend of e'Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye)
by Jerome Wilson
As Darius Jones' new album shows, even the most harrowing music can serve as a form of healing, The alto saxophonist has released a trio album that draws from his attempts to deal with personal mental trauma via a daunting musical journey that begins in screams and ends with serenity. This album is the seventh volume in Jones' nine-volume Man'ish Boy series of releases. Working in a trio format with Gerald Cleaver on drums and Chris Lightcap on ...
Continue ReadingNew And Old Voices
by Bob Osborne
This time around a bit of a change, with a raft of recent albums featuring female vocalists it seemed timely to feature a selection of new and old releases with the women of jazz.Playlist Show Intro 00:00 Sudha “Nature Girl" from Her Nature (Zack's Talent) 00:21 Jocelyn Gould “I Haven't Managed To Forget You" from Portrait Of Right Now (Jocelyn Gould Music) 02:47 Laila Biali “Rocky Mountain Lullaby" from Wintersongs (Self Released) 08:32 Melissa Kassel & Tom Zicarelli ...
Continue ReadingMelinda Rose Rodriguez and Frenchy Romero: I'm On My Way
by Nicholas F. Mondello
Longtime friends from their Miami days, vocalist Melinda Rose Rodriguez and pianist Frenchy Romero offer their debut collaboration, I'm on My Way. It is a ten-track collection of known fare, as well as original compositions from Rodriguez. The album is a festive musical playground for the two artists, both of whom will be performing in elite U.S. Army Bands in Washington, DC. Curtains rise with “Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," an easy-swinging appetizer with Rodriguez delivering ...
Continue ReadingStylings of Silver, Nods to Nica, Quartet of Trios
by David Brown
This week, our featured artist is pianist/composer Horace Silver. We'll check out a number of his compositions as performed by Ran Blake, Shirley Scott , Tommy Flanagan, Gigi Gryce and Silver himself. From there we will check out works written in homage to the Baroness Panonnica de Koenigswarter--known as Nica--a patron, supporter and friend to many musicians in golden age of jazz. We'll also hear recent works form the Kris Davis Trio, John Chin Trio, Anna Webber Trio, Tyshawn Sorey ...
Continue ReadingIsmael Rivera: Traigo de Todo
by Richard J Salvucci
Ismael Rivera (1931-1987) is one of the key figures of Puerto Rican salsa, an early exponent and pioneer, and so recognized on the island today, largely because of his sojourn in New York City. His career started in his late teens in Santurce while he was still employed as a laborer on the island, but he soon became established with Rafael Cortijo y su Combo in New York. He gained a reputation as a vocal improviser with the sobriquet, El ...
Continue ReadingKlas Lindquist: Handle With Care
by Edward Blanco
Considered one of “Sweden's most exciting jazz musicians," by the Goteborgs Posten, a major Swedish-language daily newspaper published in Gothenburg, Sweden, Klas Lindquist delivers his fifth album as leader with the intimate and sophisticated Handle with Care. As pianist Champian Fulton states in the liner notes, the album, “Spotlights Klas Lindquist as a soloist with a voice and perspective all his own." She essentially hits the nail on the proverbial head in describing the saxophonist's work on the recording, which ...
Continue ReadingMiki Yamanaka: Chance
by Pierre Giroux
Miki Yamanaka's release Chance reflects her depth as a pianist and an interpreter of material from the jazz playbook. Complementing her nuanced lyrical touch with sensitive interplay is her working rhythm section featuring bassist Tyrone Allen and drummer Jimmy Macbride. The album's mix of jazz standards and tunes from the Great American Songbook, alongside work from some legendary jazz masters, is a well-thought-out listening experience. This is all the more interesting as the session was recorded at the historic Van ...
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