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

Darryl Harper: The Edenfred Files

Read "The Edenfred Files" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
August 23, 2013

Clarinetist Darryl Harper has five previous recordings to his credit (all released on HipNOTIC) and has had precious little coverage at All About Jazz. A longtime member of violinist Regina Carter's band, Harper has been chipping away at the edges of hard bop and post-bop since his 2001 recording, The Onus: Recurring Dream. At first blush, Harper might appear as a free jazz or avant-garde advocate in the mold of Jimmy Giuffre but, while those elements are present, Harper has ...

Extended Analysis

Sven Ake Johansson: Jazzbox

by Mark Corroto
August 23, 2013

Funny how listening to the five-CD Jazzbox by free jazz drummer Sven-Åke Johansson may remind you of the British punk rock band The Clash's first hit single “Train In Vain" (1980). Like Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, Johansson's career has been one that has worked to challenge the language of American music. In The Clash's case, it was American pop and disco. For Johansson and his European colleagues (Peter Brotzmann, Manfred Schoof, Peter Kowald, and Alexander von Schlippenbach) it was ...

Album Review

Craig Hartley: Books On Tape, Vol. 1

Read "Books On Tape, Vol. 1" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
August 23, 2013

The work of any artist is typically the summation of their life experiences to a certain point, but many aren't aware of how or when these experiences seep(ed) into their art; pianist Craig Hartley just happens to have great awareness and a more confessional approach than most, as he lets specific occurrences, influences, events and individuals filter directly into his creative process for all to observe. On his debut, Books On Tape, Vol. 1, Hartley pays tribute to the people, ...

Profile

Doug Mettome: A Brief Life in Bop

by Richard J Salvucci
August 23, 2013

Douglas (Doug) Voll Mettome, the son of Nels P Mettome and Leafy Dawn Mettome was born into a prosperous family on March 19, 1925 in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he died on February 17, 1964. He was one of two children (a younger sister attended Northwestern University). Doug's musical career began early. His first training was on piano, but by the age of 12, he had begun to receive newspaper notice for his trumpet playing: “Doug played ...

Interview

Joe Manis: Killin'!

by George Colligan
August 22, 2013

[ Editor's Note: The following interview is reprinted from George Colligan's blog, Jazztruth]Sometime last year, I got an email from a dude named Joe Manis, who said he was from Eugene and he wanted me to make a recording with him. He wanted me to play organ. I said to myself," Hmmm. Tenor player named Joe Manis. Never heard of him. Wonder if he's any good?" Well, turns out, Joe Manis is killin! It was a pleasure to ...

Album Review

Florian Ross: Front Room Songs

Read "Front Room Songs" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
August 22, 2013

The use of overdubs isn't really the norm on jazz recordings, but it is an accepted practice. Very often it can simply involve a horn player adding a line here or there, providing some finishing touches to music that was mostly-done already, but every now and then it goes well beyond that point. Piano legend Bill Evans, for example, charted a new course when he delivered Conversations With Myself (Verve, 1963), which featured Evans atop Evans on record.

Album Review

Leslie Lewis & Gerard Hagen: In New York

Read "In New York" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
August 22, 2013

In November 2011, less than a year before leaving for their new home in Paris, singer Leslie Lewis and her pianist / husband, Gerard Hagen, paused in New York City long enough to record this delightful album of standards on which Lewis' charming voice is accompanied only by Hagen's compliant piano. The menu is comprised for the most part of well-known standards, the mood more calm and laid-back than Lewis' more outgoing persona in nightspots here and abroad where she ...

Album Review

Peter Brotzmann / Steve Noble: I Am Here Where Are You

Read "I Am Here Where Are You" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
August 22, 2013

The greatest artists in history have never been able to capture the immensity of the American sequoia trees. Like the Grand Canyon, their gargantuan size cannot successfully be reduced to canvas by painters like Albert Bierstadt or Thomas Hill, nor captured on gelatin silver prints by photographers like Ansel Adams. Seeing is, indeed, believing. Just like the titanic Redwoods, experiencing the force of nature that is Peter Brötzmann is best done in person.Thankfully, an excellent recording can succeed ...

Album Review

Pandelis Karayorgis Quintet: Circuitous

Read "Circuitous" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
August 22, 2013

In the album liners, Boston-based jazz pianist Pandelis Karayorgis cites this unit as a dream band, featuring prominent Chicagoans, saxophonist Dave Rempis and drummer Frank Rosaly. Never one to run short on creative sparks, the pianist is a sly arranger, and these works are asymmetrically synched within organization and improvisation. Moreover, several of these pieces are influenced by Thelonious Monk, primarily from an unconventional rhythmic standpoint amid odd-metered expressionism. Vivid imagery is rampant on “Swarm," where the frontline ...

Live Review

Paul Klinefelter and Jim Ridl at Rollers Flying Fish

by Victor L. Schermer
August 22, 2013

Paul Klinefelter and Jim RidlRoller's Flying Fish RestaurantPhiladelphia, PAAugust 16, 2013Roller's Flying Fish Restaurant, in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia, offers live music in its intimate upstairs setting. The venue has featured top-of-the line jazz players including the legendary Mose Allison and guitarists Chuck Anderson and Jimmy Bruno. Recently, Paul Klinefelter has curated several events featuring the bassist, paired with musicians he has worked with in his long Philly-based career. This particular night consisted ...