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.

153

Film Review

Drum Dialects, Demonstrations and Discussions on DVD: Eric Harland, Ralph Peterson and Ari Hoenig

by Dan Bilawsky
December 22, 2011

Some people, whether through financial means, geographical convenience, long term educational pursuits or a combination of all three, are fortunate enough to study with master jazz musicians, but the majority of aspiring musicians will never have such opportunities. This reality has resulted in the advent of a variety of resources to help expose musicians to the musical philosophies and techniques that guide the giants of jazz and, with the exception of books, video releases are chief among them.

108

Album Review

Bryan and the Haggards: Still Alive and Kickin' Down the Walls

Read "Still Alive and Kickin' Down the Walls" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
December 22, 2011

Still Alive and Kickin' Down the Walls is the second foray into an unlikely marriage of free jazz and the Bakersfield, California, country sound of the legendary Merle Haggard, a follow-up to the pairing's raucous honeymoon, Pretend It's the End of the World (Hot Cup Records, 2010). Saxophonist Bryan Murray leads this outfit, a rowdy, rough around the edges quintet comprised of two reeds in front of a guitar-driven rhythm section.Opening with Haggard's “Ramblin' Fever," the music sounds ...

153

Reassessing

Clifford Brown: With Strings

by Chris May
December 22, 2011

Clifford BrownWith StringsEmarcy1955 Recordings setting soloists alongside string ensembles were not a staple of the bop years, but, when trumpeter Clifford Brown recorded With Strings, he had two illustrious predecessors. In 1946, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie recorded four Jerome Kern standards with an ensemble arranged by Johnny Richards. Kern's estate, horrified at the “desecration," blocked their release (they were finally issued in 1980 on Phoenix Records). In 1949, saxophonist Charlie Parker recorded ...

106

Album Review

Colin Stranahan / Glenn Zaleski / Rick Rosato: Anticipation

Read "Anticipation" reviewed by Florence Wetzel

by Florence Wetzel
December 22, 2011

The piano-bass-drum trio format is a classic configuration in jazz, and with good reason: given the right musicians, this particular combination of instruments forms a perfect sonic triangle. As the jazz world mourns the November 2011 death of drummer Paul Motian--a member of pianist Bill Evans's paradigm-shifting trio, along with gifted bassist Scott LaFaro--it's good to hear Capri Records' Anticipation, which carries the tradition forward via three talented musicians. Throughout the CD, drummer Colin Stranahan, pianist Glenn Zaleski, ...

432

Journey into Jazz

Stretch, BAM and the Future of Jazz

by John Beaty
December 22, 2011

A few months ago Felix Pastorius, Chris Ward, Zaccai Curtis and I started something called The Stretch Movement. We started quietly amongst our friends and launched our website, mymomthinksimgreat.com on November 2, 2011. Why quietly? I was worried; it was the uneasiness of being the first to do something. In our mission statement we were acknowledging that jazz was not only dead but that that word didn't aptly describe the music we play. We started Stretch for all the amazing ...

137

Album Review

EYOT: Horizon

Read "Horizon" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay

by Bruce Lindsay
December 21, 2011

Formed in 2008 by pianist and composer Dejan Ilijic, EYOT creates a distinctive and rather beautiful sound based on a mix of jazz, prog rock and contemporary classical influences. The Serbian quartet's debut, Horizon, recorded in November 2009, is a collection of nine Ilijic tunes, showcasing his sparse and surprisingly delicate approach to composition. The band is adept at building each tune gradually, layering sounds on top of each other with restraint and creating real tensions. Often ...

310

Live Review

Penang Island Jazz Festival: Penang, Malaysia, Dec 1-4, 2011

by Ian Patterson
December 21, 2011

8th Penang Island Jazz FestivalPenang, MalaysiaDecember 1-4, 2011 For small, independent jazz festivals heavily reliant on private sector sponsorship, it can be a jungle out there. In the case of the Penang Island Jazz Festival, sandwiched between the Straits of Malacca and tropical forest, this is literally true. Monkeys, civet and leopard cats, pangolins, turtles, and a vast assortment of birds, reptiles and amphibians make their home here. Snakes, spiders and scorpions are also indigenous, but ...

213

Year in Review

R.J. DeLuke's Best Releases of 2011

by R.J. DeLuke
December 21, 2011

It's that time again--a reluctant glance at some fine records. Take with two grains of salt... a pint of ale and two fingers of Wild Turkey ain't a bad idea either ...The annual process of selecting any list of “best" for the year is a precarious endeavor, especially in music where one man's Miles is another man's Megadeath. But it's an entertaining exposure and it also is a good way to look back and remember what good disks ...

136

Album Review

Bill Frisell: All We Are Saying...

Read "All We Are Saying..." reviewed by Ian Patterson

by Ian Patterson
December 21, 2011

Thirty-one years after John Lennon's murder there's no sign of his influence waning. Guitarist Bill Frisell adds personal tribute to the singer/songwriter/activist on All We Are Saying..., the year after vigils and tribute concerts were held to honor Lennon's 70th birthday from Liverpool to New York and everywhere in between. In Iceland, Yoko Ono lit a tulip-shaped beacon of light in the memorial Imagine Peace Tower, which combined with the Northern Lights in spectacular tribute. Frisell's homage is, of course, ...

115

Live Review

Pipoka Trio with Sam Huber, Helsinki, Finland, December 7, 2011

by Anthony Shaw
December 21, 2011

Pipoka Trio with Sam Huber Rytmihairioklubi Helsinki, Finland December 7, 2011 For a band with a name as simple as it is impenetrable, Pipoka embodies all that is exciting yet daunting in modern Finnish jazz. Its two founding members, accordionist Veli Kujala and guitarist Jarmo Julkinen, have now found a stable source of bass in the form of virtuoso tubaist Petri Keskitalo, who adds mellifluous lilts, booms or vibrato, while sharing their dedication to musical ...