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

Adrian Cunningham: Walkabout

Read "Walkabout" reviewed by Edward Blanco

by Edward Blanco
April 10, 2012

One of Australia's finest jazz musicians, Saxophonist Adrian Cunningham has been busy leading The Adrian Cunningham Quartet in venues around his country of birth, establishing himself as a fixture in New York's vibrant jazz scene since his relocation in 2008. Recorded in Cunningham's home town of Sydney, Australia, Walkabout is a tasteful slice of modern jazz featuring original statements performed by a core quartet, with backup from a four-piece string section. Known as a multi-instrumentalist, Cunningham adds variety and mix ...

Album Review

Darius Jones Quartet: Book Of Mae'bul (Another Kind of Sunrise)

Read "Book Of Mae'bul (Another Kind of Sunrise)" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
April 9, 2012

Saxophonist Darius Jones has rung the changes on each of his widely acclaimed leadership dates. Book Of Mae'bul subverts expectations again with an all new quartet drawn from NYC's finest, who shift between intricate script and flowing invention in the blink of an eye. Together they navigate eight of Jones' compositions, which tend towards order rather than entropy more than might be expected. For those looking for comparisons, drummer Mike Pride's From Bacteria To Boys' Betweenwhile (Aum Fidelity, 2010) which ...

Album Review

Kate McGarry: Girl Talk

Read "Girl Talk" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
April 9, 2012

While the world has no shortage of fine female singers, few have the musical depth, sense of passion and artistic ambitions of the divine Kate McGarry. It's doubtful that any other jazz singer could convincingly cover The Cars, weave their way through pianist Fred Hersch's take on Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, and triumphantly match wits, wisdom and sounds in the vocal super-group known as Moss. She even managed to transfix a discerning 2011 Newport Jazz Festival audience during a ...

Album Review

Jose Garcia: Songs For A Lifetime, Live

Read "Songs For A Lifetime, Live" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
April 9, 2012

Asking if Jose Garcia is a jazz singer is like asking the same to Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett. The most conservative answer is “no," that they are, perhaps, “popular music stylists." They are the vehicles that introduce and reintroduce the great American songbook to a public craving the high quality craftsmanship of these songs originally written for screen, stage, and radio from the 1920s through today. Improvisation is not prime directive of these singers; the melody is and, as ...

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Album Review

Brian Auger: Language of the Heart

Read "Language of the Heart" reviewed by Doug Collette

by Doug Collette
April 9, 2012

All the devout Brian Auger fan needs to know about Language of the Heart is that it overflows with the immediately recognizable tones of the British fusion pioneer's Hammond-B3 organ and Fender Rhodes electric piano. All the uninitiated needs to know is that this album favorably compares with the work Auger produced during the heyday of jazz- rock fusion.The seven tracks, written and arranged by Brian Auger and Tea--a duo composed of keyboardist/percussionist Phil Bunch and guitarist Franck ...

Album Review

Hendrik Meurkens / Gabriel Espinosa: Celebrando

Read "Celebrando" reviewed by Edward Blanco

by Edward Blanco
April 9, 2012

Harmonica master Hendrik Meurkens and bass virtuoso Gabriel Espinosa collaborate for a tribute of Brazilian jazz on Celebrando, which means “celebrating" in both Portuguese and Spanish. It's an appropriate title for this album, as it celebrates the distinctiveness of the genre and the influence it has had on musicians, audiences and the development of world music. It also pays a special salute to the many stellar musicians appearing on the album, all of whom have devoted a portion of their ...

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Hardly Strictly Jazz

Sun Ra: The Eternal Myth Revealed Vol. 1

by Skip Heller
April 9, 2012

Author's note: Michael Ricci has ordained me with the power to come to you once a month and throw a little information your way. A lot of great music falls through the cracks, often enough because the people who make it don't live comfortably in some nice categorical box. If you're someone who prefers music to categorical boxes, this column is dedicated to you. I'm starting things off with a look into a document that embodies the great ...

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Talkin' Blues

Talkin' Blues with the Groovemaster, Jerry Jemmott

by Alan Bryson
April 9, 2012

Jerry Jemmott's groove is the bedrock of guitarist B.B. King's career defining hit, “The Thrill is Gone." He was in the studio with Duane Allman and singer Wilson Pickett recording “Hey Jude," a track that was instrumental in launching the late Allman Brothers Band guitarist's musical career; and they were together again for flautist Herbie Mann's Push Push (Atlantic, 1971), Allman's first and only jazz sessions, and the last full album he recorded prior to his death on October 29, ...

Album Review

Will Fisher: Portage

by Dave Sumner
April 8, 2012

Whereas some drummers lead the charge and others spur on the ensemble from behind, Will Fisher takes the approach of examining the landscape from above and letting his rhythms settle down into the seams between the notes of others. The opening “The Great Karoo" puts this method on display right from word go. Guitarist Mikko Hilden leads with a catchy line that bassist Mike Downes matches step for step. Pianist Nancy Walker adds her voice to the mix, followed by ...

Extended Analysis

Lisa Hilton: American Impressions

by C. Michael Bailey
April 8, 2012

Lisa HiltonAmerican ImpressionsSelf Produced2012 The last few years have seen the release of significant jazz recordings celebrating Americana. The majority of these have been devoted to jazz vocals and include: Jacqui Sutton's novel “Frontier Jazz" concept as manifested on her 2010 release Billie & Dolly (Toy Blue Typewriter Productions), Laurie Antonioli's rugged and rustic Midwestern soundscape on American Dream (Intrinsic Music, 2010), and Tierney Sutton's bold and uncompromising New World vista American ...