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

Barry Altschul: The 3dom Factor

Read "The 3dom Factor" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
April 14, 2013

Approaching five decades of residing in the cutting-edge of modern jazz development, drummer Barry Altschul's influence and legacy as a drummer is rather legendary. Performing on groundbreaking albums with Chick Corea, Anthony Braxton, Dave Holland and many others too numerous in scope to cite, the artist surges onward through the inner-workings of this flexible and dynamic trio. Otherwise, young sax hero Jon Irabagon demonstrates maturity beyond his youth, as eminent bassist Joe Fonda rounds out the trio with a director ...

Album Review

Seung-Hee: Sketches on the Sky

Read "Sketches on the Sky" reviewed by Mark F. Turner

by Mark F. Turner
April 13, 2013

Brooklyn-based jazz vocalist Seung-Hee possesses the composure of a seasoned chanteuse while demonstrating broader qualities that contain refined arranging skills, classical training, and multilingual singing. The South Korean native represents a soulfully empathetic performer and a composer who's not afraid to take chances as witnessed in Sketches on the Sky, the follow up to 2009's memorable self-produced debut, Waiting. With a top-notch band that includes the brown-toned reeds of Adam Kolker and rising pianist Frank LoCrasto, Seung-Hee ...

Extended Analysis

Soft Machine Legacy: Burden of Proof

by Dave Wayne
April 13, 2013

Over the course of three albums released between 1968 and 1970, the British band Soft Machine transformed from one of the trippiest and mind-bendingly inventive rock bands of the psychedelic era into a raging musical torrent of free jazz, thunderous prog rock, and high- concept minimalist-inspired avant-garde stylings. With the dizzying changes in musical direction came equally dizzying personnel changes, and by the time the dust settled in the early 1970s, Soft Machine--with the last remaining founding member, keyboardist Mike ...

Album Review

Gilad Hekselman: This Just In

Read "This Just In" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
April 13, 2013

Quietly, so quietly the jazz guitar torch is passed from the legends Jim Hall and Pat Martino to Kurt Rosenwinkel and Gilad Hekselman, whose release This Just In makes a conspicuously understated grab for said torch.His fourth release as leader follows Hearts Wide Open (Le Chant Du Monde, 2011) and features the same stellar lineup of Joe Martin (bass), Marcus Gilmore (drums), and saxophonist Mark Turner on three tracks. Having a working group, and one as distinguished as ...

Live Review

James Chance and Les Contortions: Cologne, Germany, Germany, February 28. 2013

by Phillip Woolever
April 13, 2013

James Chance and Les ContortionsGebaude 9Cologne, GermanyFebruary 28, 2013James Chance--still influential after his role as a catalyst in New York City's seventies-based No Wave movement--proved his enduring career amidst the upper creative edges is no novelty act. Chance and his cohesive backing trio (bassist Jacques Auvergne, guitarist Pierre Fablet and drummer Alex Tual) showed they were just as suited to tasks of timbre and turmoil as their namesakes and more punkish progenitors ...

Album Review

Gunslinger: Breaking Through

Read "Breaking Through" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
April 13, 2013

Through the clever minds of DJs Anthem and Vidal, this electronica outing indeed meshes the old and the new as touted via the marketing push. With the customary pumping electric bass lines, blitzing synth patterns, and multicolored noise-shaping endeavors, the artists blend traditional house party metrics with an enterprising, rock-heavy sound. Complemented by pop-rock vocals, offbeat interludes, and dabs of space-rock, the program also features melodic electronics treatments. Think of the Pet Shop Boys on powerful steroids, for example. Sure ...

Album Review

Ivo Perelman/ Matthew Shipp/ Michael Bisio/ Whit Dickey: The Edge

Read "The Edge" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
April 12, 2013

Saxophonist Ivo Perelman's association with Pianist Matthew Shipp's trio is completed with The Edge. He has recorded in varying combinations with the players: a duo with Shipp--The Art Of The Duet, Vol. 1 (Leo Records, 2013), a trio with Ship and bassist Michael Bisio--The Gift (Leo Records, 2012) and a duo with Shipp and drummer Whit Dickey--The Clairvoyant (Leo Records, 2012). Here the saxophonist and Shipp's trio perfect a recording, not as trio plus guest, nor Perelman backed by a ...

Album Review

The Alan Evans Trio: Merkaba

Read "Merkaba" reviewed by Doug Collette

by Doug Collette
April 12, 2013

Anyone who mistakenly thought The Alan Evans Trio was (or was going to be) Soulive lite is going to be more than pleasantly surprised in hearing the threesome's sophomore recording. Before the opening cut “Thor" is thirty-seconds in, the band displays a depth and reach far in advance of its predecessor.Not that AET isn't stylistically similar to its 'parent' group or its debut album. But while cuts like “Gone" and “Biscuits" work similarly funky syncopations with Beau Sasser's ...

New York Beat

Pat Martino at Birdland

by Nick Catalano
April 12, 2013

The legendary musical power of Pat Martino was on display at Birdland on April 4, 2013, in all its glory. The myths that have arisen about this formidable guitarist will have new layers when the jazz cognoscenti begin commenting on his latest feats. Martino's burning swing, long the trademark of his improvisational wizardry, acquired added zip, with seminal saxophonist Eric Alexander joining him on the frontline of his latest quartet. The sound of the guitar and tenor ...

Album Review

Petter O Hanna: Rendition of a Whisper

Read "Rendition of a Whisper" reviewed by Eyal Hareuveni

by Eyal Hareuveni
April 12, 2013

One of the best releases of improvised music of 2012 was by Norwegian duo of innovative vocal artist Sidsel Endresen and guitarist Stian Westerhus, Didymoi Dreams (Rune Grammofon). Now another Norwegian duo of like-minded, genre-blind guitarist Petter Vågan and vocalist Hanna Gjermundrød present their own personal variation on one of the common formats in popular music. This duo released their debut more than four years ago, This is a Step (FMR, 2008). In the following years both ...