Jazz Articles
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Marbin: Breaking the Cycle
by Chris M. Slawecki
At its jazz-rock core, Marbin is the Israeli duo of guitarist Dani Rabin and saxophonist Danny Markovitch, sort of a Israeli version of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, the essence of Steely Dan. Bassist Steve Rodby and drummer Paul Wertico, who cumulatively won 18 Grammy Awards as members of the Pat Metheny Group, provide the rhythm support for Marbin's second album and MoonJune debut; Wertico herewith returns the favor of Marbin's melodic contributions to the drummer's 2009 release Impressions of ...
Continue Reading...Tad Hershorn: Norman Granz - The Man Who Used Jazz For Justice
by Ian Patterson
Norman Granz: The Man Who Used Jazz For Justice Tad Hershorn Hardcover; 488 pages ISBN: 9780520267824 University of California Press 2011 That this is the first comprehensive biography on groundbreaking jazz impresario Norman Granz (1918-2001) says much about the man's private nature. Granz shied away from interviews and never introduced himself to audiences at the concerts he emceed. Granz emerges from Hershorn's pages as a hugely charismatic figure, ...
Continue Reading...Barrel: Gratuitous Abuse
by John Eyles
The release of Gratuitous Abuse by Barrel--the trio of violinist Alison Blunt, violinist/violist Ivor Kallin and cellist Hannah Marshall--is a welcome continuation of two ongoing trends in improvised music. First, it adds to the impressive series of Emanem CDs by ensembles consisting solely of improvising string players, joining an illustrious list that already includes Arc (2009), The Stellari String Quartet (2009) and Kent Carter String Trio (2006). Second, it joins a growing list of releases by ensembles which are subsets ...
Continue Reading...Mike Melito: The Right Time
by Dan Bilawsky
When the word “predictable" shows up in music reviews, it's often wrongly viewed as the kiss of death. Somewhere along the way, “defying expectations" or “charting new territory" have become the quickest way to gain recognition, but the tried-and-true shouldn't be sold short. On The Right Time, veteran drummer Mike Melito and his band deliver a mixture of new numbers, rarely heard tunes and classic jazz gems, and, though many of them basically rely on a fairly predictable head-solos-head format ...
Continue Reading...Mikko Innanen & Innkvisitio: Clustrophy
by Jerry D'Souza
When a band parlays different styles and moods into one defining experience, as saxophonist Mikko Innanen and Innavista do on Clustrophy, it would be easy for some of the music to slip down the hatch of inconsequence. The band, however, keeps this at bay with an avid sense of observation and release, letting structure stamp the quintet's class and freedom to find its realm without losing focus. The path to resolution has some surprising twists and turns that are navigated ...
Continue Reading...Duduka Da Fonseca: Plays Toninho Horta
by Edward Blanco
Guitarist/singer/songwriter Toninho Horta is a living legend, a leading figure of the Brazilian music scene and the focus of Plays Toninho Horta, a well-conceived tribute to a friend and fellow musician from Brazilian drum icon/Grammy nominee, Duduka Da Fonseca. With his featured Rio de Janeiro-based trio of bassist Guto Wirtti and pianist David Feldman, the veteran drummer offers a primarily gentle landscape, with light interpretations of nine Horta compositions. “Retrato Do Gato" is an exception to the ...
Continue Reading...Gowanus Reggae and Ska Society: GRASS on Fire: Gowanus Reggae and Ska Society Plays Catch a Fire
by Chris M. Slawecki
At first look, jazz seems to have little use for reggae. After all, isn't the essence of jazz its flights of improvisatory fancy, while reggae's trademark is that resolute, lockdown rhythm? But a solid point from which to take off and return is most helpful when flying, and reggae provides a rhythmic foundation more solid than most.The Gowanus Reggae and Ska Society (G.R.A.S.S.) is made up of Brooklyn area musicians who enjoy the improvisational spontaneity of jazz and ...
Continue Reading...Brad Mehldau: The Art of the Trio - Recordings 1996-2001
by John Kelman
Brad Mehldau Trio The Art of the Trio: Recordings 1996-2001 Nonesuch Records 2011 It's hard to believe that it's only been fifteen years since Brad Mehldau emerged on the scene, so prevalent and influential has the pianist become since then. At the same time as he was gaining some significant attention for his work with saxophonist Joshua Redman on Moodswing (Warner Bros., 1994), the then 24 year-old pianist had been recruited by Redman's label, ...
Continue Reading...Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet: Apparent Distance
by Chris Rich
Taylor Ho Bynum SextetApparent DistanceFirehouse 122011 Taylor Ho Bynum cuts to a cornet's chase with his declaration of intent, in the liner notes to Apparent Distance, a 2010 New Jazz Works commission grant from Chamber Music America and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation:“My goal," he writes, “is not just to blur the lines between composition and improvisation (a long-time pursuit), but to try to upend the listeners' expectations in other ...
Continue Reading...Rez Abbasi's Invocation: Suno Suno
by Matt Marshall
On the second recorded effort with his Invocation group after 2009's Things To Come (Sunnyside), Rez Abbasi opts for more of a rock/groove vibe to underpin the guitarist's modern jazz explorations with his fairly regular cohorts, saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa and pianist Vijay Iyer. Gone is Indian vocalist Kiran Ahluwalia, who sang on much of Things To Come, lending it a decidedly Eastern character. But Indian and Pakistani accents still flavor much of this followup, even as it hums, rattles and ...
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