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

Booker T. and the M.G.s: Green Onions 50th Anniversary Edition

Read "Green Onions 50th Anniversary Edition" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
August 11, 2012

The Golden Anniversary of anything is a big deal. But to the Late Baby Boom Generation, any Golden anniversary of important musical events is that much more important for the nostalgic appeal they possess. We have already seen a couple of Golden Anniversaries mentioned: The Beatles' formation in 1960, the release of the first Beach Boys recording, Surfin' Safari (Capitol, 1962), the appearance of the Rolling Stones that same year. Booker T. and the M.G.s (for Memphis Group) released the ...

Live Review

New Order: Novi Sad, Serbia, July 13, 2012

by Nenad Georgievski
August 11, 2012

New OrderExit Festival Petrovaradin FortressNovi Sad, SerbiaJuly 13th, 2012The British band New Order has been making music for roughly three decades. In that time, these rockers have built audiences the world over even after the band's 1980s and '90s heyday. The band, which grew out of the rubble of the much missed seminal band Joy Division, fused that band's gloomy aesthetic to electronic dance music, by adding ecstatic rhythms to its darkish soundscapes. It ...

Album Review

Phil Grenadier / Bruno Raberg Duo: Plunge

Read "Plunge" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
August 11, 2012

Part adlib verse and part haiku poetry, Plunge is, above all, a study of sound and its ability to conjure images and emotions. A collaborative effort by Swedish born bassist Bruno Råberg and trumpeter Phil Grenadier, Plunge's nineteen short pieces range from intricately impressionistic to deeply expressive abstractions. On “Last Train To Seville," Grenadier overdubs his trumpet with it is own echo, simulating the locomotive's piercing horn but with a sense of angst and ...

Live Review

Vans Warped Tour: Uniondale, NY, July 21, 2012

by Mike Perciaccante
August 11, 2012

Vans Warped Tour Nassau Coliseum Parking Lot Uniondale, NY July 21, 2012 The Warped Tour has a very interesting dynamic. The festival (which began back in the mid-'90s) features new bands on their way up the charts, gaining buzz among both fans and industry. The festival also tends to catch bands on their way down. These performers still have a core fan base but, alas, their stars do not burn as brightly as they once did. ...

Album Review

Yes: Open Your Eyes

Read "Open Your Eyes" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
August 11, 2012

Not well-received among diehard Yes fans, Open Your Eyes was originally released in 1997, and reissued here, in LP format, in 2012. Nowhere as prominent or striking as the band's classic '70s outings, here keyboardist Rick Wakeman is absent and replaced by keyboardist/guitarist Billy Sherwood, who lines up with eminent guitarist and longtime member Steve Howe. The bulk of this material lies between progressive rock and pop-rock, with most of it largely forgettable romps, sans memorable hooks or intriguing song ...

Album Review

Traeben: Push

by Ian Patterson
August 10, 2012

A large gap separating a band's CDs usually signals a change in direction. Danish/Dutch combo Traeben's debut, Nordic Project (D.A.P Records, 2008), presented jazz reworkings of Danish and Swedish folk songs, following the lead of Swedish jazz musicians including trumpeter Bengt-Arne Wallin and pianist Jan Johansson in the 1960s, and Norwegian pianist Dag Arnesen in the 2000s, who were all similarly inspired. Traeben's interpretations were lyrical, gently voiced blues, reminiscent of saxophonist Jimmy Giuffre's late 1950s trios featuring guitarist Jim ...

Live Review

Garana Jazz Festival, Garana, Romania, July 12-15 2012

by Adriana Carcu
August 10, 2012

Garana Jazz FestivalGarana, RomaniaJuly 12-15, 2012The 16th edition of the Garana open-air Jazz Festival gathered over 5,000 jazz lovers in a glade called the Wolf's Clearing, in the southern Carpathians. The weather conditions were excellent--a factor that should not be taken for granted; in Garana, it has rained during each of the last 11 editions. The lineup, expertly selected, brought over 50 musicians with a wide diversity of gender and style in front of an enthusiastic audience. ...

Album Review

Gunhild Seim Time Jungle, with Marilyn Crispell: Elephant Wings

Read "Elephant Wings" reviewed by Eyal Hareuveni

by Eyal Hareuveni
August 10, 2012

With Elephant Wings, Norwegian trumpeter Gunhild Seim grows the number of albums released, since beginning her career as bandleader of Time Jungle more than five years ago, to three, including 2007's Time Jungle and 209's Morpho, all released on her own Drollehålå imprint. Each has been a beautiful gem, demonstrating Seim's compositional skills to balance and contrast between a subtle, tender aesthetic with fierier and more intensive playing. Elephant Wings is another excellent set of compositions, with ...

Live Review

Conrad Herwig: New York City, NY, July 25, 2012

by Emilie Pons
August 10, 2012

Conrad Herwig QuintetThe Blue NoteNew York, NYJuly 25, 2012During the last week of July, 2012, at New York City's Blue Note club, trombonist Conrad Herwig performed with his quintet, also featuring trumpeter Alex Sipiagin, baritone saxophonist Ronnie Cuber, pianist Bill O'Connell, bassist Ruben Rodriguez, drummer Robby Ameen and conguero/percussionist Richie Flores. Herwig paid tribute to the sophisticated tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, who passed in 2001.Henderson was one of Herwig's heroes, mentors and close ...

Album Review

Maurizio Minardi: My Piano Trio

Read "My Piano Trio" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay

by Bruce Lindsay
August 10, 2012

There's something rather endearing and self-effacing about Maurizio Minardi's decision to name this album My Piano Trio--even if the title isn't strictly accurate. The unpretentious title reflects the accessible and open nature of the music, but it's actually the product of two talented and imaginative trios: one from the UK, and the other from Italy.Minardi studied music in Bologna, Italy, before moving to London in 2008. He's released half a dozen albums, written jingles and worked with the ...