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

North America Jazz Alliance: The Montreal Sessions

Read "The Montreal Sessions" reviewed by Edward Blanco

by Edward Blanco
February 13, 2013

The North America Jazz Alliance brings together two American and four Canadian musicians to perform the music heard in the nightclubs of the 60s and 70s on The Montreal Sessions. Producer Peter Maxymych further wanted to focus on the accordion-led bands of the era of which, the most famous was that of the late Art Van Damme whose vibes, guitar, bass and drums group, is recreated here. During the 60s Montreal just happened to be home of some of the ...

Live Review

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra: Toronto, Canada, January 30, 2013

by Chuck Schultz
February 13, 2013

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton MarsalisMassey HallToronto, OntarioJanuary 30, 2013Big Band Jazz never died, it just took up residency on the corner of New Orleans and Chicago.The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra took the stage at Massey Hall on January 30, 2013 in Toronto, Canada and showed why trumpeter Wynton Marsalis is the modern day Duke Ellington, Glen Miller and Gerry Mulligan all in one. Marsalis did not hog the stage ...

Album Review

Splashgirl: Field Day Rituals

Read "Field Day Rituals" reviewed by John Eyles

by John Eyles
February 13, 2013

In recent years, as ever-increasing numbers of piano-bass-drums trios have appeared on the scene and released their debut albums, it has become a truism that any such group needs to have its own unique selling point to distinguish it from the crowd. It is no longer enough to write or cover good songs and to play them well--that is not guaranteed to separate a new group from the rest, nor is adopting and adapting elements of already successful piano trios. ...

Album Review

Hristo Vitchev Quartet: Familiar Fields

Read "Familiar Fields" reviewed by Chris Mosey

by Chris Mosey
February 13, 2013

New Age jazz from a guitarist very much in the Pat Metheny tradition. Hristo Vitchev was born in Bulgaria but now lives--as do a great many other New Agers--in San Francisco. He wrote the music on this album some time ago but says the songs “were constantly searching for their own voice, their own identity, and their own place in this multi- dimensional sonic universe." So he has now kindly given them a CD all of their ...

Profile

Matthew Shipp: Shipp Shifts

by Chris Rich
February 12, 2013

Pianist Matthew Shipp's artistic collaboration community is a counterpart to his business community. It is its own ecosystem of multidisciplinary work, scholarly conversations and mentorship.The TrioThe trio is Shipp's main vehicle. It is, by turns, his midnight train, his slow boat to China and a way of flying home. It takes a hike, rides a bike and covers lots of ground. It sails and it soars. And who can better describe it than the ensemble proprietor ...

Album Review

Lajos Dudas: Live at Porgy & Bess

Read "Live at Porgy & Bess" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
February 12, 2013

Budapest born and Überlingen (southern Germany) based clarinetist Lajos Dudas is one of the few, contemporary virtuosos of this woodwind in the realm of jazz. His mastery over every nuance of his instrument allows him to exploit the full breadth of its musical range with delightful ease.The extent of Dudas' talents are heard on the energetic set Live at Porgy and Bess recorded at the famous Vienna club of the title. The sparse trio setting showcases his unique ...

Book Review

Marc Myers: Why Jazz Happened

by David Rickert
February 12, 2013

Why Jazz HappenedMarc Myers248 pagesISBN: 978-0-520-26878-4University of California Press2012Many books have been written on how jazz happened, but few have focused on why jazz happened. In Marc Myers' new book, Why Jazz Happened, he does just that: explore the economic, technological, and social forces that allowed jazz to flourish. This is not a book about the artists that shaped what jazz became, but rather a book dealing with ...

Album Review

Francesca Han: Ascetic

Read "Ascetic" reviewed by Ian Patterson

by Ian Patterson
February 12, 2013

Coming just a few months after the striking Illusion (Audioguy, 2012)--a vibrant trio recording featuring guest trumpeter Ralph Alessi--pianist Francesca Han's first recorded foray into the world of solo piano reveals a musician in a rich vein of form indeed. Stemming from the Illusion sessions, eight of the ten tracks are the fruit of an impromptu two-hour improvisation, and it's perhaps not surprising that there's a pronounced flow and unrelenting energy about these performances. There's great variation in mood throughout, ...

Album Review

Grace Kelly: Grace Kelly: Live at Scullers

Read "Grace Kelly: Live at Scullers" reviewed by Larry Taylor

by Larry Taylor
February 12, 2013

Grace Kelly is indeed a prodigy on alto sax, having made her first recording at 12. Two years ago, at 18, her sixth album was released The Man with the Hat (Pazz Productions), a collaboration with the renowned Phil Woods on alto. That CD turned up the spotlight on her genius, bringing her increased attention. She shined in duets with Woods and had ample space to stretch in solos, playing mostly standards. She also adequately sang two songs. ...

Album Review

Eric Revis: Eric Revis' Parallax

Read "Eric Revis' Parallax" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
February 12, 2013

Bassist Eric Revis is notoriously comfortable within many jazz contexts and vernaculars. As a leader and session man, he's been in the thick of things, toggling between modern mainstream, trad-jazz, Acid Jazz and other crosscutting musical endeavors. Here, he revisits the freer spectrum, supported by an all-star lineup. And while there's certainly no shortage of group-centric expressionism, the bassist doesn't keep the band in a particular mode or style. Revis' menu generates an oscillating aural experience, where each piece stands ...