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

John McLaughlin & The 4th Dimension: Now Here This

Read "Now Here This" reviewed by Nenad Georgievski

by Nenad Georgievski
February 28, 2013

Without a doubt, guitarist John McLaughlin is one of the most adventurous, unique and engaging musicians ever to pick up an electric guitar. The acclaim that has come his way during his long and illustrious history is almost unparalleled, as he has explored every corner of music, from jazz fusion and classical to electronic and world music. He's got an imaginative range and multi-genre facility that still distinguish him among many of today's contemporary players. But he never rests on ...

Extended Analysis

Howie Smith / Mike Nock: Opal Dream

by Matt Marshall
February 27, 2013

Although their paths didn't cross until 1988, when they first met and performed together in Sydney, Australia, saxophonist Howie Smith and pianist Mike Nock are both important figures in the development of jazz Down Under. Nock, a native of New Zealand, returned to Australia in 1985 after working 25 years in the U.S. with the likes of tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins, reed player Yusef Lateef and the pioneering fusion band The Fourth Way, which he helped found. A ...

Album Review

Mark Winkler: The Laura Nyro Project

Read "The Laura Nyro Project" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
February 27, 2013

The combination of a unique and beautifully au courant voice with an equally rare and manifold composing talent makes for compelling listening. When the voice is that of vocalist/songwriter Mark Winkler and the songs are by Laura Nyro, the resulting project reaches criticality rapidly. Winkler has been composing and recording for the better part of 30 years, releasing ten recordings and penning upwards to 150 songs in that time. His previous recording, Sweet Spot (Cafe Pacific Records, 2011) was praised ...

Live Review

Dave Holland: San Francisco, CA, February 7-10, 2013

by Harry S. Pariser
February 27, 2013

Dave Holland ResidencySan Francisco Jazz CenterSan Francisco, CAFebruary 7-10, 2013 Dave Holland was beaming ear to ear. And he had every reason to be, as the 66-year-old bassist was center stage helping to inaugurate a magnificent new hall, the showplace of the San Francisco Jazz Festival. The past two weeks had marked the first that the center had been open, and while a multitude of acts had performed, these had been special as opposed to ...

Album Review

Marialy Pacheco: Spaces Within

Read "Spaces Within" reviewed by Ian Patterson

by Ian Patterson
February 27, 2013

Spaces Within is Cuban pianist Marialy Pacheco's first trio CD since making Brisbane, Australia her home in 2009, though it's her fourth overall. It follows Songs That I Love (Pinnacle Records, 2011), an impressive solo outing where Pacheco displayed all the strengths that won her the Montreux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition award in 2012. As good as that solo album is, Pacheco clearly thrives in the trio setting, and drummer Joe Marchisella and brother Pat Marchisella on bass prove ...

Album Review

Yuhan Su: Flying Alone

Read "Flying Alone" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
February 27, 2013

Vibraphonist Yuhan Su's debut album Flying Alone is a collection of ten elegant and sophisticated originals that unfold like poems for multiple voices. Her effective yet subtle leadership of her international band allows the instruments to echo and support each other in haunting choruses and contemplative dialogues. The futuristic “Difficulties" builds an intriguing atmosphere with the ebb and flow of guitarist Publio Delgado's electric swells over drummer Deepak Gopinath's angular, spicy and rollicking beats. Su's own darkly ...

Album Review

Creole String Beans: Shrimp Boots & Vintage Suits

Read "Shrimp Boots & Vintage Suits" reviewed by Chuck Schultz

by Chuck Schultz
February 27, 2013

Somewhere, Ernie K-Doe is smiling.On Shrimp Boots &Vintage Suits, the Creole String Beans uncork a letter-perfect recreation of “Here Come the Girls," a sexy, Allen Toussaint-penned K-Doe strut. Elsewhere, the group aces the swamp pop chestnut “Shirley," Lloyd Price's “Just Because" and Fats Domino's “Be My Guest." But the Creole String Beans is more than a throwback south Louisiana cover band. More than half of “Shrimp Boots & Vintage Suits" consists of original material written in the classic ...

Interview

Teofilovic Brothers: Songs Belong to Those Who Sing Them Better

by Nenad Georgievski
February 26, 2013

The Teofilovic brothers (Radiša and Ratko) are two of the most popular performers of traditional songs from Serbia, as well as other parts of the Balkans. In their repertoire they always have wonderful traditional songs that time has forgotten, or that are not always widely known or present in other performers' repertoires. Their wide choices and unique approach are best represented on last year's collaboration with the renowned American/Serbian guitarist Miroslav Tadic, titled Vidarica (Nine Winds, 2012).Tadic is ...

Album Review

Yvonnick Prene: Jour De Fete

Read "Jour De Fete" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
February 26, 2013

European jazz harmonica players aren't exactly a dime a dozen, but the Old Continent has birthed a few for the ages. Belgium gave unto jazz the legendary Toots Thielemans, Germany put forth vibes/harmonica doubling sensation Hendrik Meurkens, and the Swiss turned out Gregoire Maret; now, the French weigh in with the young Yvonnick Prene. Jour De Fete marks Prene's debut and it proves to be an excellent showcase for his writing and playing. He readily identifies Thielemans, ...

Live Review

The Bad Plus: Burlington, VT February 16, 2013

by Doug Collette
February 26, 2013

The Bad PlusFlynn Center for the Performing Arts Burlington VTFebruary 16, 2013The Bad Plus' appearance on The Flynn Mainstage illustrated how much progress the trio's made since earlier appearances in the much smaller FlynnSpace. The surprising number of empty seats as the evening progressed hinted the performance bordered on the underwhelming, but that was a passing sensation as the concert progressed.The trio's half-hour jaunt through Stravinsky's “Rite of Spring," though ostensibly the feature ...