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.

144

Album Review

James Carter Organ Trio: At The Crossroads

Read "At The Crossroads" reviewed by Troy Collins

by Troy Collins
October 13, 2011

A ubiquitous presence in the mid-1990s, saxophonist James Carter faded from the limelight when Atlantic Records disbanded its jazz department in 2000. Undeterred, Carter forged ahead, eventually signing with EmArcy Records in 2008, turning misfortune into opportunity. In addition to releasing Carter's engaging Present Tense the same year, the label also issued his long-awaited premiere of composer Roberto Sierra's “Concerto for Saxophones," featured on Caribbean Rhapsody (2011).Picking up where Atlantic left off, EmArcy continues to encourage Carter's stylistic ...

283

Bailey's Bundles

Gary Norian: Houston Lifts Off

by C. Michael Bailey
October 13, 2011

Houston, Texas is the oil capital of the United States. It is also, in 2011, becoming a jazz mecca ready to take on New Orleans, Chicago and New York City. Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery Counties are home to an exploding jazz population that includes pianist, vocalist and trombonist Henry Darragh, vocalists Melissa Darragh, Jacqui Sutton, Tianna Hall and Danielle Reich, tenor saxophonist Larry Slezak and, by long extension, Texas-native and trumpeter Carol Morgan. Actually, Morgan hails from Texas but ...

159

Album Review

Alexis Parsons: Alexis Parsons

Read "Alexis Parsons" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
October 13, 2011

Chicago-born/New York-bred vocalist Alexis Parsons has often worked with trios, but pares down the instrumental backing for this self-titled release. Alexis Parsons presents eight numbers that pair the singer with piano ace Frank Kimbrough, whose classy, top-shelf accompaniment, combined with Parsons' lovely and occasionally languorous vocals, bring a pleasant, sleepy quality to this music. A-list material from the likes of Rodgers and Hammerstein ("Hello Young Lovers"), Benny Carter and Sammy Cahn ("Only Trust Your Heart"), and Michel ...

177

Multiple Reviews

Joe McPhee: A Band Apart

by Clifford Allen
October 13, 2011

You might expect a musician who has been a steady figure on the creative improvising scene for nearly 45 years to have some variance in their discography and a diverse range of projects and band concepts. Reedman (and sometime pocket trumpeter) Joe McPhee's vast number of recordings and ensembles speak to that impulse, but the curious thing is that there doesn't seem to be a preferred instrumental context for his playing--not really. McPhee's cultish free-funk sides of ...

208

Album Review

David Strother: Soundings.live

Read "Soundings.live" reviewed by Florence Wetzel

by Florence Wetzel
October 12, 2011

The Japanese term mono no aware means “the pity of things," a reference to the gentle sadness that results from acknowledging the impermanence and transience of life on earth. David Strother's beautiful EP, Soundings.live, evokes this quality throughout. Strother has created six aural haiku using the unique combination of a five-string electric violin and sounds from the streets of Los Angeles. Strother displays admirable restraint throughout the EP, tastefully merging his violin with a variety of street noises. ...

593

Record Label Profile

Music Matters: The Blue Note Reissue Series

by Greg Simmons
October 12, 2011

Music Matters has been reissuing classic Blue Note jazz records since 2007. It has dug deep into the catalog, remastering lesser known, infrequently heard titles, and done so with passionate attention to presenting the highest possible sound quality. Offering an analog solution in a digital age, this exceptional series is available on 45rpm vinyl records only. It is an extraordinary collection of music. With some of the Blue Note recordings now pushing 60 years old, it's wholly appropriate ...

247

Album Review

Christian McBride Big Band: The Good Feeling

Read "The Good Feeling" reviewed by David Rickert

by David Rickert
October 12, 2011

In today's jazz world, with most artists working clubs in small combos, there may be something a little retro about a big band recording. However, there are always musicians that are up for the challenge of arranging and recording for larger groups despite the logistics involved.Enter Christian McBride, one of the most accomplished and in-demand bassists on the scene. He has also done his share of arranging for big bands as well, so he's not new to the ...

137

Live Review

Zen Zadravec: West Orange, NJ September 16, 2011

by David A. Orthmann
October 12, 2011

Zen ZadravecCecil's Jazz ClubWest Orange, NJSeptember 16, 2011 The presence of bassist Bill Moring and drummer Eliot Zigmund on a New York City area bandstand virtually guarantees a nimble, efficient, swinging foundation, and bodes well for the success of any ensemble. Along with alto saxophonist Mark Gross, Moring and Zigmund served as subs for pianist Zen Zadravec's working band during a recent gig at Cecil's Jazz Club. While the combination of a pick-up band ...

166

Live Review

Alan Broadbent Trio: New York, NY, September 24, 2011

by Dan Bilawsky
October 12, 2011

Alan Broadbent TrioKitanoNew York, NYSeptember 24, 2011 Park Avenue's Kitano briefly seemed like Bradley's in its heyday, as piano jazz royalty like Fred Hersch, Bill Mays and Andy Bey converged on a single location to take in the sounds of one of their own. While Alan Broadbent is rightly hailed as one of the best arrangers in the business, praised for his work with Woody Herman in the '70s, and recognized for his contributions ...

167

Album Review

Ernest Dawkins' New Horizons Ensemble: The Prairie Prophet

Read "The Prairie Prophet" reviewed by Jerry D'Souza

by Jerry D'Souza
October 12, 2011

The Velvet Lounge in Chicago, opened by Fred Anderson in the 1980s, is well-known for the adventurous bands it presents. Time cannot encapsulate the number of bands that played there, fueling an ongoing interest in free jazz. Saxophonist Ernest Dawkins was one who found a welcoming stage; he now pays tribute to Anderson, who died in 2010. The New Horizons Ensemble has been together for a long time, and it shows in the assured and powerful performances that ...