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.

Live Review

NYC Winter Jazzfest, Day 1: January 6, 2012

by Daniel Lehner
January 16, 2012

Day 1 | Day 22012 NYC Winter Jazzfest, Day 1New York, NYJanuary 6, 2012 No one could argue that jazz didn't have a tumultuous 2011. For the better, bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding's Grammy for Best New Artist marked the first time a jazz musician was awarded that honor, and veteran tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins was honored for his lifelong (and continuing) achievement at the Kennedy Center. For the worse, the winter was a gloomy ...

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Interview

Enrico Rava: To Be Free or Not To Be Free

by Ian Patterson
January 16, 2012

Freedom, it could be argued, is most deeply understood by those who have been somehow constrained against their will, or who have been prisoners of their own skewed vision of what it means to be free. Trumpeter Enrico Rava knows the meaning of musical freedom; he was part of the free-jazz scene of the 1960s and 1970s where chords were frowned upon, and made recordings almost at will in the '80s and '90s, “many of which were not necessary," he ...

Album Review

Olavi Trio & Friends: Triologia

Read "Triologia" reviewed by Eyal Hareuveni

by Eyal Hareuveni
January 15, 2012

The most famous Olavi in history of modern Finnish music may be Olavi Virta, the godfather of the Finnish Tango. The Olavi Trio has little in common with the famous Olavi; it just happens that everyone in this trio carries the middle name Olavi--two, as their official names despite being rarely known by it. These three Olavis represent the history of the Finnish jazz: the elder, 70 year-old double bass master Teppo Hauta-aho, was a member of the Helsinki Philharmonic ...

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Book Review

Steve Slagle: Scenes, Songs & Solos - A Composition and Improvisation Workbook for the Creative Musician

by Dan Bilawsky
January 15, 2012

Scenes, Songs & Solos: A Composition and Improvisation Workbook for the Creative MusicianSteve SlaglePaperback; 139 pagesISBN: 97819361822882Schaffner Press2011 There's no substitute for experience in the world of jazz, and saxophonist Steve Slagle has experience in spades. Slagle has been putting his horn to good use, working with the likes of bassist Charlie Haden, saxophonist Joe Lovano, pianist Carla Bley, the Mingus Big Band, and many others over ...

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Album Review

McCoy Tyner Trio: Inception

Read "Inception" reviewed by Lawrence Peryer

by Lawrence Peryer
January 15, 2012

Though two tracks from October 1960 were previously issued under McCoy Tyner's name, they were outtakes from John Coltrane dates where the saxophonist sat out. Inception marks the pianist's first proper release as bandleader, with the sessions for Impulse! taking place at Rudy Van Gelder's studio on January 10 and 11, 1962. Of the set's six tracks, four are Tyner compositions, with “Effendi" becoming something of a modern jazz standard and embraced, most notably, by pianist Ahmad Jamal.

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Book Excerpts

Birds of Fire: Jazz, Rock, Funk, and the Creation of Fusion

by Kevin Fellezs
January 15, 2012

This article appears in Chapter 3 of Birds of Fire: Jazz, Rock, Funk, and the Creation of Fusion by Kevin Fellezs (Duke University Press, 2011). Vital Transformation: Fusion's Discontents Ironically, fusion was, on the one hand, largely a concern for jazz participants and observers even though they largely denied its value or any valid connection to “real jazz." On the other hand, despite rock and funk critics and musicians' interest in augmenting commercial success with the ...

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Album Review

Superbrass: Under the Spell of Spain

Read "Under the Spell of Spain" reviewed by Nicholas F. Mondello

by Nicholas F. Mondello
January 15, 2012

Duke Ellington is quoted anecdotally as saying there are only two kinds of music--good and bad. It's quite possible that, after experiencing Under the Spell of Spain, there might be yet another category--music magnificently defying description. Rest assured Superbrass' disc is very good; however, while it is not an entirely jazz-focused effort--leaning heavily on the orchestral ensemble style-- Under the Spell of Spain defies any category other than: superb. Comprised of some of the United Kingdom's finest ...

Live Review

Gov't Mule at the Beacon Theatre on New Year's Eve

by Doug Collette
January 14, 2012

Gov't MuleBeacon TheatreNew York, NYDecember 30-31, 2011 Though Gov't Mule had played hardly any gigs since January 1, 2011, it nevertheless presented a hearty welcome to 2012 with a two-night Beacon theatre run that marked the tenth anniversary of the its New York City tradition. No question, Gov't Mule took its time after casually taking the stage December 30. “Devil Likes It Slow," goes one of the band's vintage tunes, and so ...

Album Review

Jimmy Owens: The Monk Project

Read "The Monk Project" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
January 14, 2012

Jimmy Owens' tribute to the indomitable music of Thelonious Monk is a luxurious road trip that travels on smooth roads once precarious and quite perilous. His septet, an experienced large/small ensemble, glides almost effortlessly through the opulence of this music.The ease in which these musicians maneuver through the nine Monk compositions, plus Duke Ellington's “It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)," is a testament to their talents, but more so to Owens' deft arrangements. ...

Live Review

Grinderman: Novi Sad, Serbia, July 10, 2011

by Nenad Georgievski
January 14, 2012

GrindermanExit FestivalNovi Sad, SerbiaJuly 10, 2011 The well-known adage that all roads lead to Rome may not be entirely true when the Exit festival is happening, as all roads seem to lead there. For four days--taking place at the Petrovaradin fortress near Novi Sad--Serbia welcomes floods of people from all over the world who are attracted by its exotic location, good food and excellent music. Considering its history and things that have happened there, there ...