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.

The Mort Report

The State of Jazz, Coltrane Clones, and the Noose of Technology

by Mort Weiss
May 28, 2012

Some thoughts and comments--bound to piss some people off and others smile. Do I feel that I am an expert on what I'm about to say? The answer is a resounding yes! Onward.I'm not overjoyed that my parents gave me a clarinet to play. If it had been damn near any other instrument, I would be a jazz household name by now. “Fuck it." Jazz as I know it is on its deathbed now, for many reasons. It's ...

Album Review

Ben Riley: Grown Folks Music

Read "Grown Folks Music" reviewed by Raul d'Gama Rose

by Raul d'Gama Rose
May 27, 2012

Ben Riley is best-described as a drummer who has always been the epitome of great taste, elegance and almost certainly possessed of a higher musical intelligence. There is no better recommendation for this than the fact that Thelonious Monk hired him as a drummer, but if further proof were requested , then all that needs doing would be to spin Grown Folks Music, this eloquently bluesy albeit seemingly short session with a rising star on the saxophone, Wayne Escoffery. The ...

Bailey's Bundles

The Rolling Stones' Some Girls in Sound and Print

by C. Michael Bailey
May 27, 2012

Some Girls (Rolling Stones, 1978) was the last great Rolling Stones record. Some will argue that Tattoo You (Rolling Stones, 1981) was the last, but Tattoo You was comprised of outtakes from several previous recording sessions going back to Goats Head Soup (Rolling Stones, 1973). It was released as an excuse for the 1981 tour--better than fair and captured on the all too brief Still Life (Rolling Stones, 1982)--rather than a fully-conceived unit as was Some Girls. ...

Album Review

Federico Ughi: Songs For Four Cities

Read "Songs For Four Cities" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
May 27, 2012

Drummer/composer Federico Ughi presents a collection of songs dedicated to four cities in which he has lived and that have made an impact on his music. His gentle and beautiful approach bridges European and American jazz, but mostly it filters the current New York scene through a silky translucent gauze.This album of music (explain to your kids that, at one time, artists recorded collections of music and not just singles) maintains a consistent dialogue between the players, the ...

Extended Analysis

Rory Gallagher: Top Priority

by Doug Collette
May 27, 2012

Rory GallagherTop PriorityEagle Records2012Rory Gallagher never made a bad album, but there are a select few recordings in his discography superior to the others. Top Priority is just one of those where the power of playing, enhanced by the production, in combination with the late guitarist's songwriting skills, renders it essential listening. It is, in fact, one of those Rory Gallagher discs worthy of play for the uninitiated, secure ...

Album Review

Peter White: Here We Go

Read "Here We Go" reviewed by Jeff Winbush

by Jeff Winbush
May 27, 2012

Make no mistake about it: Peter White is a technically proficient guitarist who blends impeccable taste and admirable fluidity in his playing. He is standing on the top of the smooth jazz food chain and Here We Go will do nothing to lessen his dominance as one of the most popular artists working today. White is a pro's pro who knows what he can do and he does it quite successfully.But there's a tad too much polish and ...

Take Five With...

Take Five With Phil Cavalieri

by AAJ Staff
May 27, 2012

Meet Phil Cavalieri: Born in 1974, Filippo “Phil" Cavalieri grew up in an era where jazz-rock was at its peak. His formative musical years took place in Ferrara, Italy, where he played in the clubs with all kinds of bands playing everything from Jimi Hendrix to Barry White. As he was learning his instrument, Phil was influenced by Santana, Jerry Garcia, Jimi Hendrix, and the guitarists of the classic rock bands of the seventies. Even though Cavalieri claims ...

Album Review

Tom Collier: Plays Haydn, Mozart, Telemann and Others

Read "Plays Haydn, Mozart, Telemann and Others" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
May 27, 2012

Tom Collier is a bit of a character as, can be attested by the YouTube videos below. He has served as Director of Percussion Studies at the University of Washington since 1980. In 2011, he was appointed Chair of Jazz Studies at the school, and was awarded the Adelaide D. Currie Cole Endowed Professorship in the School of Music for the academic years 2011-2014. He is, indeed, having a good year. His last recording, Mallett Fantasique (Origin Classical, 2010), received ...

Album Review

Maria Neckam: Unison

by Dan Bilawsky
May 26, 2012

Sophisticated pop, art song and modern jazz don't often get along, but vocalist Maria Neckam is the tie that binds them. The Austrian-born, New York-based Neckam turned plenty of heads with Deeper (Sunnyside, 2010), which featured her entrancing soprano and showcased her strong songwriting skills; she returns with an equally engaging program on her sophomore outing for the Sunnyside label. Neckam refracts varied sounds and musical ideas throughout this fifteen-song program, allowing her thoughts to move in ...

Album Review

Neil Welch: Boxwork

Read "Boxwork" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay

by Bruce Lindsay
May 26, 2012

Adjectives like “extraordinary" or “stunning" are overused epithets these days, their currency diminished. Such a shame, because Boxwork, from Washington State saxophonist Neil Welch, is stunning and extraordinary--not in the devalued contemporary sense of “quite interesting" but in the good, old-fashioned sense. From its beautifully handcrafted packaging to Welch's handwritten notes to the music itself, Boxwork is a lovingly produced artifact, a truly creative mix of artistic endeavors.The album's genesis is itself extraordinary. In mid-2009, Welch and his ...