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.

Live Review

Ellis Marsalis, Henry Butler, Jonathan Batiste: New York, May 11, 2012

by Bob Kenselaar
May 30, 2012

Ellis Marsalis, Henry Butler, Jonathan BatisteNew Orleans Piano KingsJazz at Lincoln Center: Allen RoomNew York, NYMay 11, 2012“A young lion, a seasoned veteran, and an elder statesman"--that's how drummer Herlin Riley introduced the three stellar pianists featured in Jazz at Lincoln Center's “New Orleans Piano Kings": Jonathan Batiste, Henry Butler, and Ellis Marsalis, respectively. Riley, who hails from New Orleans himself and could also be labeled a “seasoned veteran," served as MC, accompanist, ...

Album Review

Wayne Escoffery: The Only Son of One

Read "The Only Son of One" reviewed by Raul d'Gama Rose

by Raul d'Gama Rose
May 30, 2012

Not since the works of bassist Charles Mingus and saxophonist John Coltrane has there been music so charged with emotion and so engulfed in spirituality as The Only Son of One, an album that bleeds with raw sentiment as it bares the soul of its young saxophonist and composer, Wayne Escoffery, and ultimately brings much catharsis and edification. In the sorrowful and glorious vocalastics of his saxophone, Escoffery reveals the pain and ultimate triumph of his relationship with his parents ...

The Mort Report

Two Strangers On A Train, Me and Another Kid Named Elvis Presley

by Mort Weiss
May 30, 2012

Elvis Aaron Presley. I spent most of a day and night with the cat, back in March or April 1956. Me? I was stationed at Fort Riley Kansas in the 1st Infantry Division--the Big Red One--and was going home to Los Angeles, California on leave, by train.Most folks weren't using airplanes back in that day. Once under way, I went to the club car. I don't remember exactly how he and I met, but I was in uniform ...

Album Review

Mike Lorenz: Of The Woods

Read "Of The Woods" reviewed by Wade Luquet

by Wade Luquet
May 30, 2012

On his debut, Of The Woods, Philadelphia guitarist Mike Lorenz shows not only his guitar skills, but his gifted compositional talents as well. With an innovative sound combining modern, free, and bebop jazz styles, Of the Woods is an easy listen while, at the same time, pushing new boundaries of jazz. It is obvious, throughout this work, that this 27 year-old guitar virtuoso is pleased to share the time on his compositions with his very talented quintet including alto saxophonist ...

Album Review

TriBeCaStan: New Deli

Read "New Deli" reviewed by Chris M. Slawecki

by Chris M. Slawecki
May 30, 2012

TriBeCaStan is a mythical kingdom or mystical state (or both) founded by John Kruth and Jeff Greene, built upon music brought within its walls from Western China, Cuba, Morocco, Uzbekistan and just about any and every where else. For New Deli, their second official “state communication," TriBeCaStan's population expands to include Claire Daly, baritone sax ace for Taj Mahal (and previously, James Brown); ska trumpeter John Turner; and Bruce Huebner, master of the pentatonic bamboo Japanese flute.“As we ...

Album Review

Jazz Soul Seven: Impressions of Curtis Mayfield

Read "Impressions of Curtis Mayfield" reviewed by Edward Blanco

by Edward Blanco
May 30, 2012

Paying homage to one of the most influential and important artists in the past century, the Jazz Soul Seven collective tips its hat to Curtis Mayfield on Impressions of Curtis Mayfield, an instrumental re-imagining of twelve of the R&B, funk and soul singer's most popular compositions. A voice of African-American pride, Mayfield was a socially-conscious artist who led The Impressions, delivering political musical statement during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Author of many funk and soul compositions during ...

Extended Analysis

Ahmad Jamal: Blue Moon

by Ian Patterson
May 30, 2012

Ahmad Jamal—senior statesman of jazz piano—first recorded 60 years ago. That he's still producing records of great energy, imagination and flair every couple of years is a remarkable testament to his singular talent. Blue Moon broadly follows the formula of It's Magic (Dreyfus Records, 2008) and A Quiet Time (Dreyfus, 2010); a few Jamal originals, a handful of timeless show tunes and popular numbers from bygone years, plus a nod to the jazz cannon. According to the liner notes the ...

Album Review

Miles Okazaki: Figurations

Read "Figurations" reviewed by Raul d'Gama Rose

by Raul d'Gama Rose
May 29, 2012

Guitarist Miles Okazaki's Figurations is a fascinating document of how musical invention takes place on the spur of the moment. It is not a mad conglomeration of notes that come out in jagged clusters, but a mellifluous harmolodic excursion by four spectacular musicians as they begin to create music on each of their instruments, with their own ideas flowing organically, yet directed by the composer, Okazaki, who defines how the melody should sound by stating its antecedents and basic idea. ...

Album Review

Randy Hoexter: Fromage

by Dan Bilawsky
May 29, 2012

In manufacturing, it's nearly impossible to work with substandard raw materials and wind up with a high quality finished product. While the same tenet often holds true in music, pianist Randy Hoexter is out to prove that the manner of presentation can overcome the matter itself. On the aptly titled Fromage, Hoexter rearranges a selection of disposable, “cheesy" pop pieces, breathing new life into songs that may or may not have deserved it. The majority of the ...

The Mort Report

On White Guys Playing The Blues, and Benny Goodman Practicing Nude

by Mort Weiss
May 29, 2012

Yes, I drank muddy water--and slept in a hollow log! Um, hmm! I said that I steady drank muddy water, and slept in a hollow log. Ah huh! An' all I wanna do is tell my story on dis here music blog. Oh, yeah!The blues. If you can't play them, you ain't never had 'em. If you never had them, you can't play jazz--is this true? Or just some folk jive passed on down the line? For what ...