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.

255

Live Review

Sonny Rollins, Live at NJPAC

by Joel Roberts
May 25, 2011

Sonny RollinsNew Jersey Performing Arts CenterNewark, NJMay 13, 2011 The expectations for a Sonny Rollins concert have always been extraordinarily high. One anticipates waves of awe-inspiring solos and jaw-dropping feats of musical dexterity from the saxophone colossus, and more often than not, he delivers. But in recent years, something else has begun to happen when Rollins performs. As he ambled onto the stage at NJPAC in Newark, a stooped 80-year-old man with ...

155

Album Review

Russ Lossing Trio: Oracle

Read "Oracle" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
May 25, 2011

Haunting, meditative, solemn and high-impact are descriptors that bear pianist Russ Lossing's approach and sensibilities. While Oracle denotes his trio's debut effort for hatOLOGY records, it's been a working unit for several years, largely based in New York City. The program is architected via disparate levels of pitch amid a capacious vibe, but the trio often picks up steam and executes through a vast plane of propositions, where gravitational pull and heavy-artillery counterattacks balance the flowing contours. Drummer ...

129

Album Review

Mark Alban Lotz: Istanbul Improv Sessions May 5th

Read "Istanbul Improv Sessions May 5th" reviewed by Eyal Hareuveni

by Eyal Hareuveni
May 25, 2011

Dutch master flutist Mark Alban Lotz is a true musical nomad, seeming to have played with musicians from all over the world, and feeling free in any musical setting, whether it is solo performance, free or mainstream jazz, contemporary new music or African, Balkan, East-Asian or Indian traditions. Istanbul Improv Sessions May 5th documents highlights of his meeting with some of Istanbul's great exponents from its vibrant improvising scene, many of them members of the musical collective and label re:konstruKt, ...

300

Live Review

Borneo Jazz 2011

by Ian Patterson
May 25, 2011

Borneo JazzMiri, Sarawak, BorneoMay 12-15, 2011 Borneo Jazz--known as the Miri International Jazz Festival for the previous five editions--has undergone a certain amount of rebranding in an effort to promote its growing stature as one of the leading jazz festivals in the region. This year the festival has increased from two to four days, with the opening night formerly reserved for musicians and media now open to the public. In addition, Borneo Jazz has extended its ...

143

Album Review

Mike Moreno: First In Mind

Read "First In Mind" reviewed by A. Lienhard

by A. Lienhard
May 25, 2011

First In Mind, Mike Moreno's sophomore effort for the Criss Cross label, finds the 31 year-old guitarist interpreting songs both old and new. He explores selections from his former band mate Joshua Redman and one by upcoming singer/songwriter Josh Mease; Milton Nascimento and Miles Davis receive attention, too. It's an eclectic mix, but one wrangled into a consistent program via his sharp musical aesthetic. Pianist Aaron Parks once again serves as a foil for the guitarist. Over the ...

Album Review

Joëlle Léandre: Live at the Ulrichsberg Kaleidophon

Read "Live at the Ulrichsberg Kaleidophon" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
May 24, 2011

Few modern era instrumentalists sojourn into uncharted regions of the musical cosmos with the ingenuity of bassist extraordinaire Joëlle Léandre. Supported by her vast discography as a leader and co-conspirator, Léandre's serious intentions are differentiated by a sincere vision and jubilant demeanor. These attributes repeatedly surface on her recordings. This release is a two-CD gala that presents stark contrasts, given the tentet and trio groupings. Recorded live in Austria on successive dates, the respective programs convey more emotive aspects and ...

144

Live Review

Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland 2011: Days 8-10

by Matt Marshall
May 24, 2011

Days 1-3 | Days 4-6 | Days 8-10 32th Annual Tri-C JazzFest ClevelandCleveland, OhioApril 28-May 8, 2011 Chapter Index May 4: Robert Glasper Trio May 5: TCJF SoundWorks with Benny Golson and Ndugu Chancler May 6: Will Bernard / Dr. Lonnie Smith / Medeski Martin & Wood May 4: Robert Glasper Trio Over the years, the shows at the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland have been ...

132

Album Review

Pascal Schumacher Quartet: Bang My Can

Read "Bang My Can" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay

by Bruce Lindsay
May 24, 2011

Bang My Can is the Pascal Schumacher Quartet's fifth album, and it finds the band expanding its range as it creates yet more fascinating music. Schumacher, the Quartet's Luxembourg-born leader, is an exceptional vibes player with a sparkling, fluid sound that is by turns romantic, cheeky, and dark. The band has been together in this lineup since 2008, when pianist Franz Von Chossy replaced original member Jef Neve, and the players have developed a strong understanding that leads to some ...

218

Album Review

Benjamin Drazen: Inner Flights

Read "Inner Flights" reviewed by David A. Orthmann

by David A. Orthmann
May 24, 2011

Alto and soprano saxophonist Benjamin Drazen's smashing debut recording as a leader contains all of the essential ingredients for a meaningful mainstream jazz record. The leader's seven original compositions are a diverse, substantial, and pleasantly familiar lot. Drazen and pianist Jon Davis, the disc's primary soloists, play in the moment and think their way through improvisations instead of endlessly spewing licks mastered in the practice room. The rhythm section, comprised of Davis, bassist Carlo DeRosa, and drummer Eric McPherson, evinces ...

101

Album Review

Swingadelic: The Other Duke

Read "The Other Duke" reviewed by Greg Simmons

by Greg Simmons
May 24, 2011

Swingadelic has a standing Monday night gig at the New Jersey club Maxwells, which surely makes this band the greatest thing to come out of Hoboken since they built the Lincoln Tunnel. These eleven musicians--a smallish big band--blow an enormous amount of sound out of The Other Duke, a collection of Duke Pearson songs with new arrangements. Pearson was a great pianist who both led small and large ensembles and was an A&R representative for Blue Note in the 1960s. ...