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.

Meet the Staff

Meet David Wayne

by AAJ Staff
March 18, 2013

I currently live in: Santa Fe, NM I joined All About Jazz in: 2004 What made you decide to contribute to All About Jazz? I am a music fanatic. I play the drums. I was involved in college radio for years and I'd love to do a show again. Maybe when I retire! I like to write. It's not easy or natural for me, in fact it's quite painstaking, but I like it. Music ...

Record Label Profile

Half Note Records: Live from the Blue Note

by Bob Kenselaar
March 18, 2013

Jeff Levenson has been at the helm of Half Note Records since 2002, just a few years after it got off the ground. Through a combination of his leadership and vision and the great artistry of the musicians represented in its catalog--including McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, Lee Konitz and many others--the label has clearly made its mark in jazz over the years. Founded by the Blue Note Jazz Club in 1998, Half Note Records started out by quietly ...

Album Review

Francesco Turrisi: Songs of Experience

Read "Songs of Experience" reviewed by Ian Patterson

by Ian Patterson
March 17, 2013

Pianist Francesco Turrisi's first two albums as leader, the classically influenced jazz of Si Dolce e il Tormento (Diatribe Recordings, 2009) and the more brooding, improvised Fotografia (Diatribe Recordings, 2011) were united by Turrisi's mostly spare voice as much as they were by the folk, classical and jazz threads from which he draws inspiration. Here, Turrisi plots a strikingly minimalist course, playing seemingly fewer notes than on his first two releases combined. With trumpeter/flugelhorn player Fulvio Sigurtà the dominant voice, ...

Meet the Staff

Meet RJ DeLuke

by AAJ Staff
March 17, 2013

I currently live in: Saratoga Springs, New YorkI joined All About Jazz in: 1999What made you decide to contribute to All About Jazz?The love of jazz music and the great cooperation provided by Michael Ricci and his staff.How do you contribute to All About Jazz?Interviews; festival reviews; concert reviews.What is your musical background?Longtime listener, self taught, at-home flute, clarinet, saxophonist.What was the first record ...

Album Review

Chris McNulty: The Song That Sings You Here

Read "The Song That Sings You Here" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
March 17, 2013

Great art often results from conflict, pain or loss. Australian-born singer Chris McNulty notes that The Song That Sings You Here, in spite of being conceived and recorded before she suffered the death of her son Sam, could have just as easily been conceived and recorded after, summing these circumstances into a type of preemptive creative process filled with both grief and gratitude. The temporal results are a highly refined offering filled with robust standards, finely delivered by the singer's ...

Live Review

Crystal Bowersox: New York, NY, March 6, 2013

by Ernest Barteldes
March 17, 2013

Crystal BowersoxJoe's PubNew York, NYMarch 6, 2013On what turned out to be a sold-out evening ,in spite of a severe storm warning for the northeastern area of the United States, American Idol alum Crystal Bowersox took to the stage, backed by a solid four-piece quartet (guitar, keyboards, bass, drums) showcasing music from her sophomore disc All For This (Shanachie, 2013), her debut Farmer's Daughter (RCA, 2010), and a handful of covers.Bowersox kicked off ...

Album Review

Brazilian Trio: Constelacao

Read "Constelacao" reviewed by Dr. Judith Schlesinger

by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
March 17, 2013

Constelacao contains a wonderful range of material, from the passionately churning title track to pianist Cedar Walton's classic “Bolivia," which features a great drum opening by Duduka da Fonseca.Tucked between these splendid bookends are such gems as Dori Caymmi's beloved “O Cantador," which many will recognize as “Like a Lover." Introduced to North American audiences by Sergio Mendes and Brazil '66, its lyrical melody and meaning are regularly rediscovered and newly recorded by singers. There's the requisite contribution ...

Album Review

Cave Women: Cave Women

Read "Cave Women" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
March 17, 2013

The nexus between this all-female quintet and Neanderthal expressionism is nonexistent, so what exactly does the Cave Women name stand for? This is a question that bears asking, but the answer isn't so simple. These five women paint sunny scenes and blend folk strains, world music, jazz and pop, but they never fully commit to a single one of these musical suitors; they prefer, instead, to play the aural field and keep their options open. The Cave ...

Album Review

Jeroen Van Veen: Philip Glass - Solo Piano Music

Read "Philip Glass - Solo Piano Music" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
March 17, 2013

Composer Philip Glass remains a leading figure in American classical music after a fruitful career spanning six decades. Creator of symphonies, chamber music, operas and soundtracks, Glass has established himself as an immediately recognized artist whenever his compositions are played. His popular renown derives from his notable movie scores that include: Hamburger Hill (1987), The Thin Blue Line (1988), Kundun (1997); The Truman Show (1998), The Hours (2002), The Fog of War (2003) and Secret Window (2004). ...

Book Review

Hannah Rothschild: The Baroness - The search for Nica, the rebellious Rothschild

by Adriana Carcu
March 17, 2013

The Baroness: The Search for Nica, the Rebellious Rothschild Hannah Rothschild Pages 307 ISBN: 978-1-84408-603-0 Virago Press 2012 Pannonica Rothschild is the paragon of rebellious romanticism and of the fascination for music, carried to the ultimate consequence. She has become the symbol of those dreams we dare not fulfill, but which we approve with a sigh whenever we recognize them in someone else's biography. Scores of songs have been composed, films have been ...