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.

210

Album Review

Tom McMahon: Spring 2011

Read "Spring 2011" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
June 24, 2011

Instruments often tell stories through music, but it's rare that a story can spawn an actual instrument. When author Frank Herbert's Dune hit book store shelves in the '60s, he probably never imagined that his book would become a movie or a television mini-series, but that's not the only thing that came to life from the pages of his writing. The baliset--a stringed instrument played by tapping the strings against the frets--was born from Herbert's words. Diehard fans know that ...

215

Album Review

Dida Pelled: Plays And Sings

Read "Plays And Sings" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
June 23, 2011

While no “one size fits all" prescription exists for molding and educating unique artists, some schools seem to have an exceptional track record. A large segment of the who's who of jazz greats from Detroit went through Cass Technical High School and more than a few Texas jazz titans received their education at Booker T. Washington High School For The Performing And Visual Arts. Another, less likely source--The Thelma Yellin High School Of The Arts in Tel Aviv, Israel--wasn't really ...

204

Live Review

Triple Play with Dave Brubeck: Saratoga Springs, NY, June 10, 2011

by R.J. DeLuke
June 23, 2011

Triple Play with special guest Dave Brubeck Skidmore College SaratogaArtsFest Saratoga Springs, NY June 10, 2011 The Brubecks are a family of fabulously talented musicians, starting of course at the top with father Dave, an American cultural icon. Among that brood is Chris, known for his talents as a bassist and trombonist, who has spent some time touring in his father's quartet, and plays outstanding jazz in a band his drumming brother, as The Brubeck ...

212

Live Review

Elliott Sharp: San Diego, CA, June 7, 2011

by Robert Bush
June 23, 2011

Elliott Sharp Bonnie Wright House Concert San Diego, CA June 7, 2011 Composer and multi-instrumentalist (guitar, bass, reeds, electronics) Elliott Sharp dropped into San Diego for an exclusive, by invitation-only house concert organized by the area's most adventurous curator, Bonnie Wright, on June 7. Sharp is a man with multiple projects, recordings and performances going at all times. He recently released an opera, Binibon (2011) on Wright's Henceforth Records, and he's ...

258

Album Review

Peter Zak: Down East

Read "Down East" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
June 23, 2011

Pianist Peter Zak and his superb trio went into the studio to swing on Down East, and swing they did. Opening with Duke Pearson's “Is That So?," Zak displays a light touch and a sparkle and shine not unlike that of Red Garland or Oscar Peterson, with ubiquitous bassist Peter Washington and drummer Rodney Green locking the rhythm into a tight foundational groove for Zak's bright ebullience. On a set of well-chosen standards mixed with lesser-known gems, and with the ...

305

Take Five With...

Take Five With The Brett Sandler Trio

by AAJ Staff
June 23, 2011

Meet The Brett Sandler Trio: Brett Sandler: I'm a classically trained pianist who began studying Jazz in college. I started composing my own jazz tunes after listening to Wayne Shorter for the first time. I love music, movies, and videogames and enjoy spending my time on those three pursuits. I grew up in Rocky Hill CT, a typical suburban town in New England.Adam Pin: One day I told my mom I kind of wanted to play ...

240

Album Review

Erik Friedlander: Bonebridge

Read "Bonebridge" reviewed by Troy Collins

by Troy Collins
June 23, 2011

The quartet featured on Bonebridge is an augmented variation of cellist Erik Friedlander's Broken Arm Trio. The group, with bassist Trevor Dunn and drummer Mike Sarin, was originally conceived in tribute to Oscar Pettiford's cello experiments--which were undertaken in 1949 when the legendary bassist played the smaller instrument while recovering from a baseball injury. Refraining from bowing, Friedlander employs a fulsome pizzicato technique on the new ensemble's self-titled debut, finding supple concordance with slide guitarist Doug Wamble's spiky twang. Their ...

844

Album Review

Charito: Heal The World

Read "Heal The World" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
June 23, 2011

Michael Jackson tribute discs are inevitable. Every stripe will be conceived and performed, from the sublime to the truly frightening. Chiming in at the front of the former line is Charito's excellent Heal The World. The Japan-based singer is best known for her successful string of recordings begun in the early 1990s. Her singing is plush and near perfect, well-suited for a contemporary repertoire like the Michael Jackson songbook. Produced by Harvey Mason, who also plays drums, Heal The World ...

156

Album Review

Silvano Monasterios: Unconditional

Read "Unconditional" reviewed by Greg Simmons

by Greg Simmons
June 23, 2011

Miami pianist Silvano Monasterios' Unconditional doesn't announce its qualities with musical histrionics: it's far subtler than that. This collection of eight original tunes shows craftsmanship, fine improvisation and coherence. Monasterios has constructed a compelling musical statement with an emphasis on composition and attention to detail. This is an entire album, not simply a collection of songs. Even in places where the percussion is prominent, it is integrated with a vision that never becomes frenetic. There are passages on ...

289

Multiple Reviews

Ornette Coleman & Thelonious Monk: One Revolution After Another

by Chris May
June 22, 2011

Two albums in Original Jazz Classics' Remasters series capture one iconoclastic genius at his late 1950s' peak and another limbering up for 1960s' notoriety. Each disc benefits from Joe Tarantino's resonant remastering. Ornette ColemanSomething Else!!!!Original Jazz Classics/Contemporary2011 (1958) In early 1958, when Contemporary's director/producer, Lester Koenig, recorded him on Something Else!!!!, alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman was still waiting in the wings, unknown outside a few local scenes. His ...