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

Mary Jenson: Beyond

Read "Beyond" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
May 4, 2012

Vocalist Mary Jenson follows her well-received 2009 recording Close Your Eyes (Self Produced) with an homage to the dream state with Beyond. Coming from a large military family that never stayed put for long, Jenson developed a gypsy's soul and a musical taste for the world rhythmic and cosmopolitan. Her song selection is novel, including compositions by The Beatles ("Come Together"), Stevie Wonder ("Too High") and Joni Mitchell ("Moon at the Window"). But it is the opener, ...

Contributor News

Tips, Festival Coverage, New Columns, Improvements and more!

by Michael Ricci
May 4, 2012

Dear fellow contributor, There's no such thing as a free lunch--but please read on for free overseas trips, free CDs, free job opportunities and more.Index 1. Festival Time!2. Looking for CDs to review?3. New Columns4. Improvements Galore5. Pros for Hire Page 6. Tips for Infrequent Contributors 1. Festival Time! If you're interested in covering a festival (in the ...

Album Review

Lisa Marie Baratta: Summertime Jazz

Read "Summertime Jazz" reviewed by Edward Blanco

by Edward Blanco
May 4, 2012

Born in Ancon, Panama, Lisa Marie Baratta came from a naval family, growing up in many places but finding music to be that certain constant, no matter where she traveled to next. Attracted to the woodwinds at an early age, Baratta also gravitated to alto and soprano saxophones, but became equally comfortable on flute. She plays all of these instruments on Summertime Jazz, her second album and follow-up to her 2003 self-produced debut, Struttin' (Lisa Marie Baratta, 2003). Though not ...

Album Review

Brenda Hopkins Miranda: Simple

by James Nadal
May 4, 2012

The piano thoroughly lends itself to the emotional manifestations of the consummate and contemplative Brenda Hopkins Miranda. Simple channels her profound individuality, drawn from a private source of focused consciousness and performed with genuine grace and elegance.As a composer and producer, Hopkins Miranda is well-honed, and she is attuned to the album concept, as luminously displayed on Recuerdos de Granada/Memoirs from Granada (Zona Boricua, 2009) and its repertoire, drawn from her Spanish sojourn. This time around, she is ...

What is Jazz?

The Beginnings of Free Form

by Sammy Stein
May 4, 2012

"Free form" is a term used to encompass a whole genre--or genres--outside mainstream jazz. Jazz has its roots in spiritual music, Dixieland, New Orleans, blues and ragtime, and after the 1940s these became fused into a catch-all assignation of genre. Jazz took on a predictability that was largely influenced not by the limitations of the players, but by the necessity of filling venues and adhering to musical rules. Jazz became generic and took on a style which was immediately recognizable ...

Cymbalism

Don Alias and Jaco Pastorious

by Melanie Futorian
May 3, 2012

[Author's Note: This marks the last article in the four-part series for Cymbalism, a tribute to the great percussionist and my companion, Don Alias. Please look for the forthcoming photo book on Amazon.com, Don Alias: The Moments We Spent. As well, keep an eye out for my upcoming for All About Jazz interviews with David Sanborn, Miles Evans and others.]Don Alias and Jaco PastoriusI had been touring supper clubs, posh hotels and concert halls with Lou ...

Album Review

Elliott Sharp Trio: Aggregat

Read "Aggregat" reviewed by Troy Collins

by Troy Collins
May 3, 2012

Long revered for his innovative approach to the electric guitar, composer Elliott Sharp's laudable but lesser known skills as a saxophonist finally come to the fore on Aggregat. Accompanied by bassist Brad Jones and drummer Ches Smith, Sharp performs on soprano and tenor saxophones, in addition to his main axe. In light of Sharp's oeuvre, this atypically straightforward trio setting intriguingly frames his progressive aesthetic within the context of a cross-generational ensemble.Jones came to prominence performing with the ...

Mr. P.C.'s Guide to Jazz Etiquette and Bandstand Decorum

May 2012

by Mr. P.C.
May 3, 2012

Dear Mr. P.C.: I am a jazz vocalist. When I am on a gig, is it OK to request that the bassist play arco on a solo, or should that be entirely up to his discretion? I hope you can help me. I don't want to make a dumb singer mistake here. Thanks! Katy

Dear Katy: My, you're really new to all this, aren't you? Your fundamental assumption--that a ...

Album Review

Geoff Vidal: She Likes That

Read "She Likes That" reviewed by Dave Wayne

by Dave Wayne
May 3, 2012

It's not often that a debut CD by a young artist brims with great playing, complex, soulful compositions, and exceptional group chemistry. But that's exactly what happens on Geoff Vidal 's She Likes That. Vidal is a young tenor saxophonist from New Orleans who--much like fellow Big Easy native Rob Wagner--wields a big, bluesy “bull tenor" in the mold of Tony Malaby, Clifford Jordan and Booker Ervin. On She Likes That, Vidal is backed by highly talented young players who ...

Take Five With...

Take Five with Lisa Hilton

by AAJ Staff
May 3, 2012

Meet Lisa Hilton: Pianist Lisa Hilton is driven to compose. Her compositions--rich in blues inflections and soul--make precise use of harmony and rhythm, welcoming audiences into a unique exchange between composer and listener, a human intersection where magic happens. The result is a fresh sound that is evocative, engaging and infused with 21st century sensibility.JazzReview succinctly dubbed her “The Lioness of Jazz."Hilton believes in tradition expressed in new ways, honoring the history of classical ...