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

Rob Mazurek Pulsar Quartet: Stellar Pulsations

Read "Stellar Pulsations" reviewed by Troy Collins

by Troy Collins
September 24, 2012

Originally schooled in the foundations of hard bop, cornetist Rob Mazurek, quickly surpassed the form's conventional limitations; his multihued electro-acoustic work over the past two decades has subsequently drawn inspiration from numerous genres besides jazz. Mazurek's unfettered creativity and stalwart leadership skills have thereby cemented his reputation as a key figure in the Chicago scene--primarily as organizer of the venerable Chicago Underground Collective and several other innovative ensembles including Exploding Star Orchestra, São Paulo Underground and Starlicker.Stellar Pulsations, ...

Record Label Profile

Babel Label: New Songs from the Tower of Sound

by Jakob Baekgaard
September 24, 2012

During the last decade, British jazz has been booming and London has become, once again, one of the jazz capitals of the world. To get a feel of what's happening, the place for live music is no longer Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, but a place called The Vortex, directed by Oliver Weindling. Weindling is also the man behind the visionary Babel Label that has given voice to many of the new musicians who have popped up from the underground. Whether ...

Album Review

Lawrence Casserley & Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg: Mouth Wind

Read "Mouth Wind" reviewed by John Eyles

by John Eyles
September 24, 2012

Recorded in May, 2010 at Lawrence Casserley's studio in the Chiltern Hills, Buckinghamshire, Mouth Wind is a happy pairing of Casserley's signal processing with the idiosyncratic vocals of Belgium's Jean-Michel van Schouwburg, a pairing which benefits both of them greatly. The duo format suits each of the two in a different way; in larger groupings such as Evan Parker's Electroacoustic Ensemble or a tutti at Fête Quaqua at The Vortex, Casserley's contributions can occasionally be too subtle or muted to ...

Album Review

Thelonius: Reminisce

Read "Reminisce" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay

by Bruce Lindsay
September 23, 2012

It's that pesky Bristol scene again. 2012 has already seen some fine albums emanating from the English city--Busnoys' By Tapering Torchlight (Tall Guy Records) and Andy Hague's Cross My Palm (Ooh-Err Records) are just two examples. Now along comes Reminisce, from the five-piece Thelonius, to further enhance the city's reputation for quality music.Guitarist Tim Baker, bassist Dan Darbon and drummer Richard Evans formed Thelonius--only one O, it should be noted--in December 2011. Pianist Tom McMahon-Hore and reeds player ...

Live Review

Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival: Curacao, August 31-September 1, 2012

by R.J. DeLuke
September 23, 2012

Curacao North Sea Jazz FestivalWorld Trade CenterCuracaoAugust 31-September 1The Caribbean island of Curacao can claim, after three years, that its jazz festival is a success. It sells out tickets and brings people to the island, which depends so heavily on tourism. More music lovers should look into the festival, as much for its exotic ambiance as for the opportunity to see jazz, pop and R&B stars in a welcoming venue.The event is produced ...

Album Review

Oxygene8: Loop 1

Read "Loop 1" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
September 23, 2012

The musicians laid out an interesting paradigm to serve as the basis for Loop 1-- where one composition is delineated upon a continuous loop. However, this factor may not seem wholly intuitive after a few initial listens. It's largely about structure and improvisation, centered on an expansive framework, based on a concept originated by touch guitarist Linda Cushma.With great stamina, the band soars with its jet engines intact, profoundly supported by drummer Tim Alexander's polyrhythmic cadences and flurries, ...

Live Review

Guelph Jazz Festival: Guelph, Canada, September 5-9, 2012

by Ted Harms
September 23, 2012

Guelph Jazz FestivalGuelph, OntarioSeptember 5-9, 2012The Guelph Jazz Festival is in its 19th year. Under the direction of Ajay Heble, the festival has few equals in Canada, attracting the upper echelon of improvising musicians.It is a rare festival that can resist the allure of “tent-pole" shows--the mass-appeal artists that have vague, jazz-ish tinges--but the absence is counteracted by consistently making community involvement and presence a priority. The festival has broadened its appeal with a downtown ...

Album Review

Andrea Brachfeld: Lady Of The Island

Read "Lady Of The Island" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
September 23, 2012

Andrea Brachfeld's association with Charanga '76, Wayne Wallace, Tipica Ideal, Tito Puente and many others helped to establish her as the first flute lady of Latin jazz, but that designation, while flattering, is limiting. Lady Of The Island posits that she's actually been a closeted straight ahead player all along. For her fifth leader date, and first on the Zoho label, Brachfeld unleashes brazen chops and beauty with heart and flute aflutter. Brachfeld brings her own written ...

Live Review

Bela Fleck and The Marcus Roberts Trio: Oakland, CA, August 31, 2012

by Ken Vermes
September 23, 2012

Béla Fleck and Marcus RobertsYoshi'sOakland, CAAugust 31, 2012Seeing banjoist Béla Fleck and pianist Marcus Roberts is like a roller coaster ride through new musical places. The two recently gave one of the most exciting shows in Yoshi's history, just in time to celebrate the well-known club's forty year anniversary.In four decades of Yoshi's, there has rarely, if ever, been anything quite like Fleck's performance with the Marcus Roberts Trio, in support of their ...

Multiple Reviews

Luther Dickinson & The Wandering

by Doug Collette
September 22, 2012

The independent streak Luther Dickinson's been nurturing in the last eighteen months is inextricably tied to his prolific output. Completing a prolonged stint with The Black Crowes, he returned to The North Mississippi Allstars and, even as he continues to work with that trio (and on occasion as the NMA Duo with brother drummer Cody Dickinson), he appears sporadically with The Word, whose lineup includes keyboardist extraordinaire John Medeski and steel guitar wunderkind Robert Randolph. In the meantime, Dickinson also ...