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.

Take Five With...

Take Five With Eric Hofbauer

by AAJ Staff
May 22, 2012

Meet Eric Hofbauer: Known as “a crucial instigator in Boston's DIY avant-jazz scene" (Jon Garelick, Boston Phoenix), Eric Hofbauer has been one of the city's most active musicians and organizers for the past decade. When not documenting his own distinctive approach as a solo guitarist, or leading his working quartet, The Infrared Band, he is performing and recording with such ensembles as the Garrison Fewell/Eric Hofbauer Duo, BOLT (featuring Jorrit Dijkstra and Eric Rosenthal), Karayorgis/Hofbauer/William/Gray and Charlie Kohlhase's ...

Album Review

Erik Johannessen: Inkblots

Read "Inkblots" reviewed by Eyal Hareuveni

by Eyal Hareuveni
May 22, 2012

Norwegian trombonist Erik Johannessen is a very busy musician: he is a member of the left-of-center Norwegian jazz outfits Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, Jaga Jazzist, Lord Kelvin and Magic Pocket, and contributes to recordings by artful songwriters such as Susanne Sundfør and Synne Sanden, so it is no surprise that he has only now released his first solo album. Luckily, Johannessen justifies the waiting by a beautiful set of short compositions which accommodate the rich vocabulary of his ...

Album Review

Joel Harrison 7: Search

by Troy Collins
May 22, 2012

For over a decade, Joel Harrison has been steadily expanding his palette as a composer, although his penchant for unorthodox instrumental combinations and multicultural folk forms encompass only one facet of his inclusive aesthetic. Harrison's most recent efforts have borrowed heavily from Western neo-classical tenets; The Wheel (Innova, 2008) included an expansive five movement suite for jazz quintet and string quartet, while The Music of Paul Motian (Sunnyside, 2011) featured stately arrangements performed by two electric guitarists and a traditional ...

Album Review

Jim Holman: Explosion!

Read "Explosion!" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
May 22, 2012

Up-and-coming Chicago pianist Jim Holman channels all his musical influences into his debut recording without losing his own personal identity. The resulting Explosion! is an intriguing album that treads the border between hard bop and bolder styles. Recorded in two sessions, the disc features Holman in the company of more established musicians like saxophonists Frank Catalano and Richie Cole. Holman deftly leads both quartets and is not overshadowed by his more experienced band mates on almost all ...

Profile

Sachal Vasandani: A Deep Thinking Jazz Singer

by Gregg Akkerman
May 22, 2012

Even with a few albums behind him, vocalist Sachal Vasandani is still considered a member of the younger generation of jazz musicians. What sets him apart from many of his contemporaries or predecessors is his keen intellectualism when it comes to his musicality and career aspirations. He does not just get by with a gorgeous tone and attractive stage presence and assume the details will take care of themselves. This is a man that still hones his craft and pursues ...

Album Review

Joanna Wallfisch: Wild Swan

Read "Wild Swan" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay

by Bruce Lindsay
May 22, 2012

After immersing herself in the New York jazz scene, English singer/songwriter Joanna Wallfisch decided to return to the city in December 2011 to record her debut album, Wild Swan. A great decision—Wallfisch's soaring and expressive voice combines with superb playing from Big Apple musicians to create a fascinating and original set of songs. The young vocalist cites Joni Mitchell and Norma Winstone as inspirations. Winstone is the most obvious vocal inspiration of the two, but Mitchell's quirky approach ...

Jazz in the Aquarian Age

Herbie Mann: An Amalgamation of Everything

by Bob Kenselaar
May 22, 2012

[Flauist Herbie Mann was often ahead of the trend with his wide explorations into sounds from everywhere. When I asked him in this 1978 interview where music in general was heading, he talked about a broad mix--"an amalgamation of everything"--which might be a good way to describe Mann's overall career, except that it doesn't account for his own personal, exuberant voice.] Over the last 25 years, Herbie Mann has taken his flute all over the map--literally and figuratively. It's not ...

106

Interview

Ron Carter: The Right Notes, Alright

by R.J. DeLuke
May 21, 2012

There can't be any jazz musician or jazz listener who doesn't know Ron Carter and his standing as one of the most successful and influential bass players in the history of music in America. He's a musician of the highest order, with a rich, immediately identifiable sound that has resonated in the jazz world for some five decades. Those beautiful bottom notes. Always on the search for the right ones, he probably hasn't played too many clunkers over the years. ...

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Album Review

Joel Palsson: Horn

by Dave Wayne
May 21, 2012

A 21st Century jazz aficionado really shouldn't be surprised about where his/her jazz is coming from. That said, the whole concept of an Icelandic jazz scene may well bring a wry smile. Known primarily for innovative rockers Björk and Sigur Rós, and smooth jazzers Mezzoforte, the volcanic island nation has also borne innovative jazz artists such as guitarist Hilmar Jensson and bassist Skúli Sverrisson, both former musical associates of Berklee-educated saxophonist/composer Jóel Pálsson who, unlike Jensson and Sverisson, returned to ...

Bailey's Bundles

John Pizzarelli and Tessa Souter: Classical Mashups

by C. Michael Bailey
May 21, 2012

The improvisatory nature of jazz provides a myriad of ways to enhance and tweak both the arrangement and performance of the music's canon. One approach being tried is the interpolation of one harmonically or rhythmically related song into another. Guitarist/vocalist John Pizzarelli and vocalist Tessa Souter have produced just such projects in their recordingsDouble Exposure and Beyond the Blue. This is intelligent and compelling music making. John PizzarelliDouble ExposureTelarc Records2012