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.

Opinion

Death, Rebirth & New Revolution

by Ian Patterson
February 20, 2013

The death knell has often been sounded for jazz and many would argue that the last revolution in jazz took place as the '60s handed the baton to the '70s, with the electronic-influenced jazz typified by trumpeter Miles Davis' ground breaking albums In a Silent Way (Columbia, 1969) and Bitches Brew (Columbia, 1970). Many believe that jazz has stagnated, or simply lost its way since then. On the other hand, there are those who believe that this era is the ...

Album Review

Rob Mazurek Octet: Skull Sessions

Read "Skull Sessions" reviewed by Troy Collins

by Troy Collins
February 19, 2013

The shadow of Miles Davis continues to influence the efforts of generations of jazz musicians, especially fellow trumpeters. Davis' myriad innovations span multiple styles and time periods, making it virtually impossible to ignore his achievements. Yet when the We Want Miles exhibition in São Paulo, Brazil asked former resident Rob Mazurek to devise a presentation inspired by his affinity for the Dark Prince's art, the notoriously individualistic cornetist decided to create new music for the event, rather than revisit the ...

Live Review

Akua Allrich at the Howard Theater

by Franz A. Matzner
February 19, 2013

Local star Akua Allrich continued her rapid rise this month performing music from her latest album Uniquely Standard (Self Produced, 2012) at the historic Howard Theater on Washington, DC's U Street.An accomplished vocalist whose vibrant performances and inviting stage presence have built a loyal following and propelled her to the forefront of Washington, DC's main jazz venues, Allrich's rise in many ways parallels the resurgence of Washington, DC as a major jazz city, making her debut at the ...

Album Review

Nilson Matta: Nilson Matta's Black Orpheus

Read "Nilson Matta's Black Orpheus" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
February 19, 2013

The story of Orpheus and Eurydice has been told and retold in various mediums and manners throughout the ages. Claudio Monteverdi used opera as his means of transmitting the tale, alt-rocker Nick Cave tackled it head-on in song and author Neil Gaiman revisited the story in comic book format, but the list doesn't stop there; any decent rundown of Orpheus remakes has to include Brazil's two most famous contributions: the play Orfeu da Conceição and its subsequent film offspring, Black ...

Album Review

Jussi Reijonen: Un

by Hrayr Attarian
February 19, 2013

Finnish guitarist/oudist player Jussi Reijonen's debut, Un, seamlessly blends multiple ethnic influences into a stimulating whole, crackling with vitality and innovative spirit. The opening “Serpentine" is a sonic tapestry of both eastern and western motifs. His sinuous oud and Palestinian percussionist Tareq Rantisi's resonant beats contrast nicely with Turkish pianist Utar Artun's more western sensibilities. Artun's elegiac lines flow over Swedish bassist Bruno Råberg's and Spanish drummer Sergio Menendez's deeply soulful vibes. The two currents weave around ...

Album Review

Manu Katche: Manu Katche

Read "Manu Katche" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
February 19, 2013

A celebrated session drummer and solo artist, Manu Katche's infamous method of crafting a backbeat may parallel the lyrical, dancelike aura for which late jazz drummer Paul Motian was noted. However, Katche's jazz roots are largely evident via his small group formats for ECM Records. On this self-titled release comprised of a multinational quartet, rock-solid pulses, richly melodic content and resounding storylines exquisitely coalesce. But the differentiator lies within Katche's enthralling compositions, sheened by the breathy, wide-open ECM soundscape aura. ...

Genius Guide to the Good Life

Someone's in the Kitchen With Genius

by Jeff Fitzgerald, Genius
February 19, 2013

When I am holed up in the 'Dome living the life of a nearly complete recluse (I do occasionally venture out to earn a living, and to buy beer and groceries and then more beer), one of my favorite pastimes is cooking. I first began learning to cook at the age of five, almost forty years ago (by my watch), and have even worked in several restaurants that no longer exist through no fault of mine. I find cooking as ...

Album Review

Kenny Wheeler / Norma Winstone / London Vocal Project: Mirrors

Read "Mirrors" reviewed by Ian Patterson

by Ian Patterson
February 18, 2013

That trumpeter/flugelhornist/composer Kenny Wheeler is challenging himself at 80 is surely inspirational. Mirrors represents his first recording where poems provide the music's source, though he composed the music over 20 years ago. The project was then commissioned for five solo voices in 1998, but the combination of Wheeler, singer Norma Winstone and the London Vocal Project, led by Pete Churchill, brings a fluid, suite-like permanency and epic scale to the original concept. Poets Stevie Smith, Lewis Carroll and W.B. Yeats ...

Multiple Reviews

Two Sides of Ben Goldberg

by Troy Collins
February 18, 2013

Developments in the evolving recording industry have inspired an increasing number of musicians to form their own labels. San Francisco-based clarinetist Ben Goldberg, a veteran of the 1990s Downtown New York scene, joined many of his peers in 2009 with Go Home, the inaugural release of his BAG Production Records imprint. Goldberg's prior efforts, issued by independents like Songlines and Tzadik, included an assortment of diverse projects, ranging from the Radical Jewish Culture experiments of the New Klezmer Trio to ...

Album Review

Sean Nowell: The Kung-Fu Masters

Read "The Kung-Fu Masters" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
February 18, 2013

The Kung-Fu Masters isn't simply another album for tenor saxophonist Sean Nowell; it's the recorded coming out party for a band and concept that he's been tweaking and promoting for years. Nowell has been field testing this project in New York jazz spots like 55 Bar, and his website contains various recorded performances of the group at the club dating back to 2009, but this marks the first official outing from this forward-thinking beast of a band. ...