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

Ayako Shirasaki: Some Other Time

Read "Some Other Time" reviewed by Jeff Winbush

by Jeff Winbush
August 17, 2013

There is a certain sublime pleasure in the simplicity of the trio playing piano, bass and drums. The Ayako Shirasaki trio's approach is straightforward and straight ahead jazz at it's best. Blending both traditional and original compositions, Shirasaki is a nimble and facile pianist who knows how to swing like Bud Powell, one of her musical inspirations as well as bop with the best of 'em.Where you listen is as important as what you listen to, and Some ...

Extended Analysis

Ras Moshe: Outsight

by Florence Wetzel
August 17, 2013

Outsight is a powerful release by multi-instrumentalist Ras Moshe, who is one of the mainstays of the New York City avant-free scene. The album was released by Straw2Gold Pictures, an eclectic organization that specializes in high-end sound production and has branched out with a record label. Straw2Gold's roster features a select group of artists, including guitarist Derek Bailey, poet John Sinclair, and guitarist-writer Eugene Chadbourne. Moshe certainly belongs in such illustrious company; he has devoted his life to keeping the ...

Album Review

Mario Adnet: Um Olhar Sobre Villa-Lobos

Read "Um Olhar Sobre Villa-Lobos" reviewed by James Nadal

by James Nadal
August 17, 2013

The music of Brazil is generalized with sambas and bossa novas and visualized by the colorful carnivals the country is so famous for. But Brazilian music also has a sophisticated presence, traced back to the influential composer Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) and his prolific compositions known for melding indigenous and folkloric songs and rhythms with European classical music. Mario Adnet, award winning composer, producer and arranger--recognized for his enduring association with Moacir Santos and Antonio Carlos Jobim- went back to his ...

Extended Analysis

Etienne Charles: Creole Soul

by Nigel Campbell
August 17, 2013

With his simple declaration, “sound is my art...I just try to create," Trinidadian jazz trumpeter Etienne Charles puts into context his role of creator and producer in relation to his latest recording. This new album, previewed earlier this year in Tobago at Jazz on the Beach at Mt Irvine, reveals an evolution of his art that parallels the jazz idiom's most eclectic trumpeter and influence. The fourth studio album from this US-based musician and teacher bristles with a ...

Live Review

Fondazione Siena Jazz Summer Workshop 2013

by John Kelman
August 16, 2013

Fondazione Siena Jazz Summer WorkshopSiena, ItalyJuly 24-August 7, 2013While there are those who continue to suggest that the death knell for jazz has been sounded--and loudly--they're clearly not looking at the vast number of young musicians studying the music, both privately and, increasingly, in university programs. It's hard to imagine that only fifty years ago there were no university jazz programs; in fact, most schools that offered music studies steadfastly resisted adding jazz to their curriculum because ...

Album Review

Matthias Bublath: Oceans

by Dan Bilawsky
August 16, 2013

Pianist Matthias Bublath works at the crossroads where consistency and diversity meet; the consistency comes with his sound, vision and personnel choices while the diversity connects to the type(s) of music he presents. For Oceans, the German-born, New York-based pianist reconvened the same quintet that birthed his prior album, the highly enjoyable Harvest On The Moon (Self Produced, 2011). Here, the group makes its way through a mixture of music that's alternately funky ("Pocket"), peppy ("Flood") and ...

Album Review

David Weiss: Endangered Species: The Music of Wayne Shorter

Read "Endangered Species: The Music of Wayne Shorter" reviewed by Franz A. Matzner

by Franz A. Matzner
August 16, 2013

A solid entry in the ongoing resurgence of focus on Wayne Shorter's music, David Weiss' Endangered Species: The Music of Wayne Shorter is immediately notable for the all-star cast that comprises the 12-piece ensemble and the fact that it was recorded live, enabling the group to interact freely and deliver a potent mix of precision and vibrant energy.Timed to coincide with Shorter's 80th birthday, the album samples music from the full range of Shorter's career, providing an overview ...

Bailey's Bundles

The Houston Beat: Drummer Tim Solook

by C. Michael Bailey
August 16, 2013

Drummer Tim Solook began his career on the West Coast, and later migrated East to Texas where he immediately became a “made man" in the Houston Jazz Mafia. A regular drummer for fellow Houston Jazz Mafia member Tianna Hall, Solook has two recordings as a leader in his musical quiver, 2005's Ability and 2013's Comfortable Blues. Both recordings are populated with original Solook compositions. Tim Solook Ability Self Produced 2005

Live Review

Jazz on a Summer's Day 2013

by Phillip Woolever
August 16, 2013

Jazz on a Summer's DayKrefeld, GermanyJuly 13, 2013 The setting was historic, on the grounds of a 12th century castle. The program tilted toward tomorrow, with an ear for the future. That picturesque, present day progression made the 29th Jazz on a Summer's Day a timeless musical present for devoted fans in this charming, well-represented burg of boppers. The site was a gift for the eyes, and well-aligned for featured performer Vijay Iyer ...

Album Review

Firey String Sistas!: Firey String Company Book 1: The Blues Series

Read "Firey String Company Book 1: The Blues Series" reviewed by Chris Becker

by Chris Becker
August 16, 2013

The New York-based acoustic string ensemble Firey String Sistas! includes violin, viola, cello, double bass and harp and can, depending on the demands of the music it performs, expand from four to six to 10 pieces. What sets it apart from a growing number of chamber groups that program and play jazz, contemporary classical and other styles of improvised music are the improvising skills of each individual player. This is an ensemble where each member can navigate or leave behind ...