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.

177

Album Review

Josh Kyle: Possibilities

Read "Possibilities" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay

by Bruce Lindsay
October 18, 2011

Possibilities, the debut album from singer Josh Kyle, is modestly titled. Although he's still only 24 years old, the Australian-born/London-based artist is not merely a singer with possibilities; he's already a mature and innovative vocalist and lyricist. Kyle's chosen an out-of-the-ordinary mix of songs, combining classics with originals and adding his own lyrics to tunes by such master composers as Herbie Hancock ("Proof") and Wayne Shorter ("Is It Yes Or Is It No"). The choices indicate that ...

156

Album Review

Deborah Winters: Lovers After All

Read "Lovers After All" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
October 18, 2011

Placing vocalists under a specific, descriptive heading can be limiting in some ways, but it also shines a light on their greatest strengths. Singer Joe Williams--of Count Basie fame--resented being labeled as a “blues singer," since he possessed great range and felt that this tag had suggestions of racism behind it; few would argue, however, that his strongest body of work falls into that category. Vocalist Deborah Winters--like Williams and any singer worth their weight in sound--is ...

285

Take Five With...

Take Five With Rahe

by AAJ Staff
October 18, 2011

Meet Rahe: Composer/guitarist/multilingual vocalist (she speaks fluent Portuguese and Castilian Spanish), Rahe (pronounced “Ray") spent most of her childhood in Japan and Spain (the land of her heritage), before settling in Colorado at 13. Her first profound musical experiences occurred in Andalucia at age five, where she was invited into the Flamenco circles of the gypsies to participate in the palmas (handclapping percussion). Self-taught on the guitar (from the blues of Lightnin' Hopkins to the bossa nova of ...

141

Live Review

Hong Kong International Jazz Festival, Days 7-8, October 1-2, 2011

by Ian Patterson
October 18, 2011

Days 1-3 | Days 4-6 | Days 7-8 Hong Kong International Jazz Festival Hong Kong, ChinaSeptember 25-October 2, 2011 Hong Kong is, without a doubt, one of Asia's most iconic cities, with views from the upper levels of its numerous skyscrapers which really take the breath away. Watching the lights gradually come on from the best vantage points just before sunset is an unforgettable experience. Finding a suitable outdoor area to host a jazz ...

175

Album Review

Samuel Blaser Quartet: Boundless

by Dave Wayne
October 17, 2011

In a relatively short time, Swiss-born trombonist Samuel Blaser has established himself as one of the most interesting and innovative low brass players to emerge from the international avant-jazz scene at the beginning of the 21st Century. He's also becoming quite prolific, releasing four CDs under his own name over the previous 12 months.Boundless, Blaser's debut recording for the preeminent Swiss jazz label Hat Hut, virtually cements the notion that Blaser is more than just another technically adept youngster.

154

Album Review

Marc Copland / John Abercrombie: Speak to Me

Read "Speak to Me" reviewed by John Kelman

by John Kelman
October 17, 2011

Plenty of artists explore that most naked of musical couplings, the duo, but few have mined its intimate potential the way pianist Marc Copland has. Since 2003, the light-of-touch, impressionistically lithe pianist has put out no less than six duo records amongst the more than 15 albums he's released on half a dozen labels--though since 2007, with the exception of a couple reissues, he's remained steadfastly aligned with Germany's increasingly prestigious Pirouet label. Speak to Me isn't ...

204

JazzLife UK

It's Our Generations

by Bruce Lindsay
October 17, 2011

It's been a strange summer here in the UK. To be fair, that description can be applied with no trace of irony to almost any British summer--and the summer of 2011 seems to have been a strange one for much of the world. But this is a JazzLife UK article, and parochial concerns are paramount, thus the strange British summer takes precedence. One aspect in particular. Because it's a very positive aspect, a cheering and upbeat and oddly synchronous part ...

272

Album Review

Lajos Dudas / Hubert Bergmann: What's Up Neighbor?

Read "What's Up Neighbor?" reviewed by Jerry D'Souza

by Jerry D'Souza
October 17, 2011

When clarinetist Lajos Dudas read about a workshop for new and improvised music in his town of Lake Constance, at the foot of the Alps, he was taken aback. Long a proponent of free jazz, Dudas was surprised that he was not aware of the event. A few days later, he was invited, by Hubert Bergmann, to a meeting where the pianist suggested that they record together. Dudas had his doubts about the project working--after all, he improvised freely, while ...

209

Mix Tape

McCoy Tyner: Vol. One, 1959-60

by Lawrence Peryer
October 17, 2011

Vol. One, 1959-60 | Vol. Two, 1960-61 Most biographers rely on one of two creation myths for pianist McCoy Tyner's career: He first emerged from his native Philadelphia as part of saxophonist Benny Golson and trumpeter Art Farmer's Jazztet, or he had been known to, and gigged around town with, saxophonist John Coltrane as early as 1955, when Tyner was all of 17. Each version is true in its own way but neither tells the whole story. ...

233

Interview

Jeremy Udden: Far From Plain

by R.J. DeLuke
October 17, 2011

Jeremy Udden is one of those outstanding working musicians on the scene in Brooklyn. A saxophonist, composer, and bandleader, he is--like so many musicians of his generation--influenced by a variety of things outside what is known as jazz, and his music reflects that. He's developed a band called Plainville that offers a different sound and feel. A different tapestry on which musicians can subtly embroider their improvisations. A different mosaic. Out of the New England Conservatory, he cut ...