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.

Year in Review

Ian Patterson's Best Live Shows of 2012

by Ian Patterson
December 28, 2012

From Lao to the Palestinian Territories, from Borneo to Vietnam, from Kuala Lumpur to London, and from Singapore to France, it was a busy year as far as reviewing gigs went. There were many wonderful concerts and some worthy of mention include guitarist Federico Casagrande, pianist Nicolas Bouloukos, guitarist Jeremy Tjordman and Norwegian duo Albatrosh, but my best concerts of the year are presented here in chronological order. 1. January 21: Ron Cole Trio Mark ...

Year in Review

Eyal Hareuveni's Best Releases of 2012

by Eyal Hareuveni
December 28, 2012

A list of some of the new releases that enriched life in 2012. In no particular order... Peter Brötzmann Chicago TentetWalk, Love, SleepSmalltown Superjazz A long time ago I lost count of how many albums I have by Peter Brötzmann. Or how many I still want in my collection or how many he releases every year: check also excellent ones by the Hairy Bones quartet, Snakelust (to Kenji Nakagami), on ...

Album Review

Tim Bedner: Of Light And Shadow

Read "Of Light And Shadow" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
December 28, 2012

Guitarist Tim Bedner is a master of mixed moods and color contrasts. The Ottawa, Canada-based Berklee alum manages to successfully wed forlorn feelings with lighthearted notions and darker thoughts on the all-original, always-absorbing Of Light And Shadow. Bedner's greatest strength is his ability to separate himself from the crowd that believes intensity goes hand in hand with volume, aggression and excessive effects. He brings a sense of balance and measure to the music that allows him to ...

Album Review

Espen Berg: Noctilucent

Read "Noctilucent" reviewed by Eyal Hareuveni

by Eyal Hareuveni
December 28, 2012

It is rare to encounter an artist whose debut already radiates such sheer beauty, but pianist/composer Espen Berg--who has collaborated with fellow Norwegians such as saxophonist Marius Neset and the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra--explains, in his liner notes, that he began to plan and experiment with his solo playing eight years ago. Over the years he has perfected a highly personal aesthetic, combining traditional folk elements with spontaneous improvised structures, both in a way that reflect his deepest emotions.

Album Review

Sherri Roberts with Bliss Rodriguez: Lovely Days

Read "Lovely Days" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
December 27, 2012

Sherri Roberts has built her reputation with a trio of well-produced albums featuring top-notch players like pianist Mark Soskin, saxophonist Phil Woods and bassist Harvie S, but her fourth album finds the Bay Area-based vocalist expanding her horizons by trimming down the personnel list. Lovely Days gives Roberts a chance to work in a more open environment that highlights the interpersonal relationship that exists between singer and pianist. Roberts has maintained an on-again/off-again gigging relationship with pianist ...

Live Review

Penang Island Jazz Festival 2012

by Ian Patterson
December 27, 2012

9th Penang Island Jazz FestivalBayview HotelPenang, MalaysiaNovember 29--December 2, 2012 From pickup at the airport at 10.30pm to personal send-off five days later at 4.00am, Paul Augustin, the Director of the Penang Island Jazz Festival, is what you could call the perfect host. It's this personal touch--instilled in the festival staff's ethos--that sets the PIJF apart from many bigger and more famous festivals. It's no surprise therefore, with such personal attention the norm, that the ...

Album Review

Valby Vokalgruppe: Bah New Era

Read "Bah New Era" reviewed by Eyal Hareuveni

by Eyal Hareuveni
December 27, 2012

Valby Vokalgruppe is another band of the musicians, an art collective from the Danish label Eget Værelse (A Room of One's Own, inspired by famous writer Virginia Woolf) and home to other genre-binding bands like Selvhenter. And, indeed, this Danish vocal ensemble, with its core of four female singers, is led by Selvhenter drummer Anja Jacobsen, and also hosts two other members from the band. Jacobsen founded this ensemble in 2008 as a vehicle to explore voice ...

Live From Philadelphia

November 2012: Three Blind Mice

by RJ Johnson
December 27, 2012

Three Blind MiceNovember 29, 2012TimePhiladelphia, PAAlthough the classic organ trio format has been popular within the jazz tradition since the hard-bop era, it has not always been known for creating adventurous new material. Organ trios are instead known for their soulful grooves, straight-ahead readings of jazz standards, and an intent focus on the blues. Three Blind Mice, a Philadelphia-based trio consisting of organist Lucas Brown, drummer Wayne Smith Jr., and tenor saxophonist ...

Live Review

Gilberto Gil: Oakland, CA, October 25, 2012

by Harry S. Pariser
December 27, 2012

Gilberto GilSan Francisco Jazz FestivalParamount TheaterOakland, CAOctober 25, 2012It is a rare opportunity to see an international icon perform, so singer Gilberto Gil's recent appearance in Oakland, CA's gorgeous Paramount Theater--part of the San Francisco International Jazz Festival--was quite the event.Before hitting on his unique genius for blending diverse musical styles to become a Brazilian international superstar, Gil made a living selling bananas in a shopping mall and composing television jingles. ...

Album Review

Kabadayas: IV

by Nenad Georgievski
December 27, 2012

IV--the exciting debut from an international quartet founded by its ferocious rhythm section of bassist Djole Maksimovski and drummer Dino Milosavljević--represents a fairly strong start. The group thrives on the cohesive whole, playing as one but in a state of continual conversation. As the name itself suggests--"kabadaya" is local Macedonian archaic jargon for swagger(s)--the musicians do show their skills on their respective instruments. Guitarist Zoran Kostadinovski and clarinetest Goran Bojčevski may not be as well-known to the general ...