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.

164

Album Review

JD Allen Trio: Victory!

Read "Victory!" reviewed by Raul d'Gama Rose

by Raul d'Gama Rose
May 14, 2011

Every new musical expedition undertaken by tenor saxophonist JD Allen serves to solidify his reputation as one of the finest, most adventurous young musicians playing today. Victory!--a superb collection of short works--is no exception. With a gently swinging, ponderous vibrato he weaves his way into territory that he has charted for himself. The rebellious yell of his voice finds fortuitous echo in the elemental sadness of the blues, the solemnity of gospel and ultimately in the joyful recapitulation of life ...

124

Mr. P.C.'s Guide to Jazz Etiquette and Bandstand Decorum

May 2011

by Mr. P.C.
May 13, 2011

Dear Mr. P.C.: Getting lost: Is it the end of the world? Tom, Austin

Dear Tom: Hardly. Think about it: The “form" and “changes" are really just artificial barriers between the song you're playing and the song within you. While you're painstakingly navigating the harmonic maze, music is welling up inside you, ideas developing faster than they're able to escape. It's quite unhealthy, really, much liked trapped gas rumbling in the taut belly ...

101

Album Review

Darius Jones / Matthew Shipp: Cosmic Lieder

Read "Cosmic Lieder" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
May 13, 2011

Duets with saxophonists loom large in pianist Matthew Shipp's discography. His first release featured one such with a young Rob Brown--Sonic Explorations (Cadence Jazz, 1988)--and there have been further outings over the years with other reed men, including Roscoe Mitchell, Ivo Perelman, Evan Parker and Sabir Mateen. To add to that impressive roster comes a worthy addition in Cosmic Lieder, with talented newcomer alto saxophonist Darius Jones, who received serious plaudits for his stunning 2009 debut Man'ish Boy (A Raw ...

131

Live Review

Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2011: April 27-May 2, 2011

by Bruce Lindsay
May 13, 2011

Cheltenham Jazz FestivalCheltenham, EnglandApril 27-May 2, 2011 The Cheltenham Jazz Festival, now in its sixteenth year, is one of the more eclectic of British jazz festivals, this year featuring major jazz figures such as vocalist Dame Cleo Laine and singer/pianist Jamie Cullum, cutting-edge bands like Outhouse Quartet and Curios, and throwing in a few surprises along the way. Its working definition of “jazz" is an inclusive one, finding space for R&B, blues and hip-hop as well. ...

172

Album Review

Randy Hamm: Yellow Cadenza

Read "Yellow Cadenza" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
May 13, 2011

If Randy Hamm's Yellow Cadenza doesn't encompass enough musical goodies to suit many tastes, it's not for lack of trying. Hamm, a talented saxophonist who has spent more than a decade teaching at Missouri State University, introduces himself (on alto) by way of a lush ballad ("Here's That Rainy Day") complete with string section before settling into a more straight-ahead groove on his own compositions, “The Oath," “52 Short," “Port 54" and “Second Wind." The strings return ...

106

Live Review

Samba Jazz & The Music of Jobim: New York, NY, April 28, 2011

by Ernest Barteldes
May 13, 2011

Samba Jazz & The Music of Antonio Carlos JobimDizzy's Club Coca-ColaNew York, NYApril 28, 2011 The music of Antonio Carlos Jobim was at the center of this five-day (April 28-May 3) residency featuring Duduka Da Fonseca (drums), Helio Alves (piano), Claudio Roditi (trumpet), Toninho Horta (electric and acoustic guitars, vocals), George Mraz (bass) and Maucha Adnet (vocals), who gave a solid performance from both bossa nova and jazz points of view. The ...

148

Album Review

Michael Dease: Grace

Read "Grace" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
May 13, 2011

Michael Dease is to the trombone what Harry Allen is to the tenor saxophone. Lyrical, traditional, well-studied and broad based, both artists can equally get their freak on when necessary. Dease's trombone style contains many influences, but like many conservatory-trained musicians, Dease has had the time and practice to develop is own potent voice. Emerging among a class of young musicians that include Sharel Cassity and Carol Morgan, Dease presents as a neo-traditionalist with pristine chops and ...

126

Album Review

Fred Hersch: Alone at the Vanguard

Read "Alone at the Vanguard" reviewed by Raul d'Gama Rose

by Raul d'Gama Rose
May 13, 2011

The beauty of subtle emotion and the glacial calm of Fred Hersch's pianism are so arresting and so captivating that it virtually stops the breath. His mastery of the instrument, coupled with a deep and soulful connection with the joy of music gives Hersch the unique power to both entertain as well as heal the mind with utmost spirituality. This is so rare a phenomenon among musicians that only a handful of them in recent times--perhaps John Coltrane and Bobby ...

171

Album Review

Nori Jacoby / Yoni Kretzmer / Haggai Fershtman: One Afternoon

Read "One Afternoon" reviewed by Nic Jones

by Nic Jones
May 13, 2011

One of the points of interest of free improvisation is its autonomy. Given the lack of prearrangement, the potential for both triumph and disaster is there in equal measure, especially if the music is being recorded for posterity. One Afternoon is one of those occasions when the recording happened at just the right moment. Any trio consisting of viola, tenor sax and drums hardly runs the risk of sounding stale, but it's the extent to which these ...

161

Live Review

Alexander Hawkins Ensemble: London, UK, April 5, 2011

by John Sharpe
May 12, 2011

Alexander Hawkins EnsembleCafé OtoLondon, UKApril 5, 2011 What do you do when two mainstays in your band leave? Tonight's gig was the first outing for the new line up of pianist Alexander Hawkins' group, necessitated by the loss of regular bassist Dominic Lash to New York City for a year, and drummer Javier Carmona's return to Barcelona. There was a lot to live up to: the old aggregation was a cohesive unit ...