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

Ron Boustead: Mosaic

by Edward Blanco
August 29, 2013

Offering a musical canvas of light beautiful material, Los Angeles-based composer/singer Ron Boustead delivers a one-of-a kind musical treasure on the highly entertaining Mosaic. Containing four originals and jazz-influenced, reworked pop standards from the likes of James Taylor, Carole King, Bill Withers and Jon Lucien among others, Boustead produces a superbly presented “jazz-pop concoction" of gorgeous songs possessed of infectious charm. His first release since the highly acclaimed Blend (Art Rock Music, 2006), Boustead is an expressive vocalist who, though ...

Record Label Profile

Dreambox Media: The Philadelphia Jazz Label

by Mike Oppenheim
August 28, 2013

Any fan of the great American music that is jazz is surely aware that the art form's history depended on the convergence of geography, individual talents, and inspiration. Cities such as New Orleans, Kansas City, Chicago, and New York are synonymous with particular styles of jazz. One often overlooked city is Philadelphia, the birthplace and/or home to artists as diverse and influential as Pat Martino, Billie Holiday, Stan Getz, Lee Morgan, Dexter Gordon, Clifford Brown, Philly" Joe Jones, Jimmy Smith, ...

Album Review

Steve Gadd Band: Gadditude

Read "Gadditude" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
August 28, 2013

Drummer Steve Gadd, the man responsible for some of the most memorable grooves and explosive drum solos on record, is often looked at as a perpetual sideman and session giant. Over the past four decades he's laid down the rhythmic law for everybody from Steely Dan to James Taylor and Chick Corea to Paul Simon, but he's been making more time for himself of late; in a three year span, he's managed to deliver four albums that highlight his versatility ...

Profile

Inaldo Calvalcante de Albuquerque: The Man From Brazil

by Sammy Stein
August 28, 2013

Frevo maestro Inaldo Calvalcante de Albuquerque is known as Spok to players and friends. He is leader of the Spokfrevo Orquestra, which recently wowed audiences at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London. Between numbers, he spoke with passion about frevo music and his love of the genre, saying it was part of the soul and spirit of the people of Northern Brazil.Spok was inspired to play because his father always loved the music, poetry and the local folk ...

Album Review

Melodic Art-Tet: Melodic Art-Tet

Read "Melodic Art-Tet" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
August 28, 2013

Once again the Lithuanian No Business label has unearthed a little known relic from the lower strata of NYC's loft jazz era. Like The Group's Live (No Business, 2013), the previous beneficiary of the imprint's ongoing investigation, the Melodic Art-Tet never officially recorded so this 1974 broadcast tape from WKCR represents the only surviving fragment of their work. The clue's in the name. Not everything in the movement breathed fire, and the Melodic Art-Tet reaffirms the evidence of bassist William ...

Take Five With...

Take Five With Diane Taber

by AAJ Staff
August 28, 2013

Meet Diane Taber:Born in Buffalo, NY, Diane began singing professionally when she was 16. She has had the privilege of working with amazing jazz talents like saxophonist Don Menza, acclaimed pianist Anne Fadale, trumpeter Sam Noto, master jazz pianist Al Tinney, and Spyro Gyra keyboardist, Tom Schuman. She has studied with classical vocal coach Vincent Mattina and jazz great Anne Marie Moss.Diane has toured extensively throughout the US and Canada, performing in clubs, radio, TV, and ...

Extended Analysis

Chick Corea: The Vigil

by John Kelman
August 28, 2013

While he's never come close to falling out of the spotlight, there's little denying Chick Corea's two Return to Forever reunion tours and resultant live recordings of the past half decade have been two of the keyboard star's most eagerly anticipated events, considerably raising both his visibility and viability. That The Vigil--the name of both his new group and its much-anticipated debut recording--has been garnering even greater buzz only means that there's a whole lot to live up to.

Album Review

Steven Lugerner: For We Have Heard

Read "For We Have Heard" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
August 28, 2013

Multi-woodwind expert Steve Lugerner's solo outing for this Lithuania-based progressive/avant-jazz record label enters the market as a limited edition of only 500 LPs. Get them while they last, as some would say. And it's a very distinctive performance, duly capturing the earthy attributes of this all-star lineup's contrasting song forms and extraordinary synergy, clocking in at 32 minutes and recorded with analog equipment. Drummer Matt Wilson establishes a march-like progression during the album opener, “Us and Our Fathers." ...

Album Review

Ike Quebec: Easy Living

Read "Easy Living" reviewed by Greg Simmons

by Greg Simmons
August 28, 2013

Ike Quebec is one of those funny figures in Blue Note Records' history. By the late fifties, after he'd been out of recording for a number of years, he was too old to really be at the hard-bop vanguard (he was born in 1918) but not old enough to be a senior statesman like Coleman Hawkins or Duke Ellington. Much of his involvement with the record label in those years was as an A&R man, scouting for new talent for ...

Album Review

Chris Potter: The Sirens

Read "The Sirens" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
August 28, 2013

There is little doubt that saxophonist Chris Potter is one of the most important jazz artists of the modern era. Comfortable in a variety of jazz settings, the artist has contributed to several ECM Records-produced albums, yet The Sirens marks his leadership debut for the Germany-based label. Intense, passionate and a dazzling soloist who is a master at building tension and spiraling a given piece towards climactic pinnacles, this production focuses on Potter's holistic talent. With the ambient ECM Records ...