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

Jenny Scheinman: Mischief & Mayhem

Read "Mischief & Mayhem" reviewed by Jack Huntley

by Jack Huntley
February 27, 2012

Violinist Jenny Scheinman's Mischief & Mayhem fires on all cylinders. Everything works--from arrangements to overall track cohesion, from the music's fertile energy to the musician's creative interplay, and from the quality of sound engineering to the ingeniously accomplished album art--making this a near-flawless package of musical craftsmanship. Mischief & Mayhem indeed, as the album is nothing if not melodically mischievous within its sparkling sonic mayhem. Scheinman has an innate ability to harness both the spirit and power ...

Album Review

Ivo Perelman / Joe Morris / Gerald Cleaver: Family Ties

Read "Family Ties" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
February 27, 2012

Her boyfriend might have left Janis Joplin with nothing, as she asserts in her classic version of Kris Kristofferson's “Me and Bobby McGee," but Ivo Perelman refutes Joplin's claim that “freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose" on Family Ties.The Brazilian saxophonist has returned to recording with a deluge of releases, this outpouring being inspired by his latest quartet, three-quarters of which are represented here. Missing is pianist Matthew Shipp, who is heard on the The ...

Album Review

David Weiss and Point of Departure: Snuck Out

Read "Snuck Out" reviewed by Raul d'Gama Rose

by Raul d'Gama Rose
February 27, 2012

Point of Departure: from where a takeoff ensues. The name of this ensemble is most appropriate when it comes to the performances by this extraordinary group of musicians. Snuck Out presents the companion set of a memorable date recorded on March 25, 2008 that produced Snuck In (Sunnyside, 2010). The same intense energy pervades both recording and makes each essential listening. Once again, trumpeter David Weiss does not contribute much in the way of original work for this set, but ...

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Album Review

Matthew Shipp Trio: Elastic Aspects

Read "Elastic Aspects" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
February 27, 2012

Even with a discography amassing over 40 releases under his own name, pianist Matthew Shipp continues to justify the plaudits. Sometimes it can be hard to find new things to say about artists who have been active over such a lengthy period, but Shipp keeps ringing the changes to provide talking points. Unlike the stellar live double-disc Art of the Improviser (Thirsty Ear, 2011), Elastic Aspects is a studio outing featuring the pianist's trio of bassist Michael Bisio alongside longstanding ...

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Extended Analysis

The Complete 1970s Epic Albums Collection

by Chris May
February 27, 2012

The six albums comprising this collection of George Duke's 1977-80 Epic releases are of uneven quality—as the keyboardist himself acknowledges in the liner booklet—but they make an interesting historical artifact. From a “jazz" point of view, five of the discs approach irrelevance, but the sixth, 1980's samba-informed A Brazilian Love Affair, is a classic which still has alluring legs. The back-story: Duke is one of those keyboard players who began their careers in the mid-1960s playing acoustic ...

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Interview

Jenny Scheinman: Some Serious Mischief

by Ian Patterson
February 27, 2012

It's often the case that the most interesting music is made by musicians with a broad musical palette and openness to new paths and horizons. Violinist/composer Jenny Scheinman certainly qualifies in both regards. Equally at home playing folk tunes or working in essentially modern jazz setups, Scheinman also jumps at the chance to play with classical musicians, and is increasingly in demand as an arranger for a diverse range of musicians, such as Lou Reed and Metallica, Lucinda Williams, Bono, ...

Multiple Reviews

Two Sides of Alex Ward

by John Eyles
February 26, 2012

Alex Ward originally came to prominence as an improvising clarinetist when he played at Derek Bailey's Company week in London back in 1988. But since 1997 he has also enjoyed a rising profile as a guitarist in ensembles including rock band Camp Blackfoot, the poppish instrumental group Pocket and improvising trio NEW (with Steve Noble on drums and John Edwards on bass). In 2002 he began writing songs, leading to his solo album Hapless Days (Copepod, 2005) and the band ...

Album Review

S/S Motsol: Parallel Pleasures

Read "Parallel Pleasures" reviewed by Eyal Hareuveni

by Eyal Hareuveni
February 26, 2012

Experimental Norwegian duo Motsol-- vocalist Stine Janvin Motland and drummer Ståle Liavik Solberg-- is a versatile unit. Last year the pair joined forces with reed player Frode Gjerstad and Chicago-based cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm on VCDC (Hipsid, 2011), and with Parallel Pleasures expand into an octet, comprised from some of the more forward-thinking musicians from the Oslo and Stavanger improvised music scenes. The ten unnamed miniatures are structured in a cohesive manner. All still emphasize Motland's imaginative, creative ...

Take Five With...

Take Five With Jay Vonada

by AAJ Staff
February 26, 2012

Meet Jay Vonada: Trombonist Jay T. Vonada, of Aaronsburg Pennsylvania, had his debut CD, Jammin', released on Tuesday July 22, 2008. His latest CD, Red Pajamas, was released in January of 2012 and features trombone, organ and drums.Vonada attended Mansfield University in the fall of 1993, studying jazz improvisation with Dr. Michael Galloway for one year and jazz arranging for one semester. He was lead trombonist and featured soloist with the Mansfield University Jazz Band for ...

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Album Review

The Wee Trio: Ashes To Ashes - A David Bowie Intraspective

Read "Ashes To Ashes - A David Bowie Intraspective" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
February 26, 2012

Vibraphonist James Westfall participated with several New Orleans-based musicians to cover the music of pop icon David Bowie and took the concept further by using this premise for The Wee Trio's third album. The band projects youthful vigor along the lines of The Bad Plus and Medeski, Martin & Wood; firmly rooted in the jazz vernacular, the trio adheres to Bowie's famous melodies and song forms, all enacted with jazzy variations and plentiful doses of improvisation. “1984" is ...