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.

224

Album Review

Eldar Djangirov: Three Stories

Read "Three Stories" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
April 21, 2011

The “child prodigy" tag can be a blessing or a curse. Some people who are labeled in such a manner spend the rest of their lives trying to live up to a reputation that was forced upon them at an early age, while others simply mature and grow into themselves, ultimately capitalizing on the attention they received in their youth. Eldar Djangirov falls into the latter category. While Djangirov--in his early twenties when this album was recorded--can still be considered ...

221

Album Review

Ljubojna: Ljubojna in Life

Read "Ljubojna in Life" reviewed by Nenad Georgievski

by Nenad Georgievski
April 21, 2011

As a band Ljubojna is a sum of many parts. While folk music is a prominent ingredient in its music, so, too, are jazz, pop, hip-hop, jungle and other forms; for this septet, the folk background is merely just another aspect of its musical Esperanto. All of the musos are more than able, prolific and have a more than solid background in playing jazz, avant and dance music. It is obvious that Ljubojna was not designed with purists in mind ...

263

Mix Tape

I Can't Make You Love Me

by Jeff Dayton-Johnson
April 21, 2011

Leslie Pintchik's version of the Bonnie Raitt song “I Can't Make You Love Me," from her We're Here To Listen is just about perfect. It seems to contain, or to suggest, a whole range of other music, all of it tied up with themes of regret, saudade, soul, and with a smile on its face. TrackNameTimeArtistAlbum1I Can't Make You Love Me7:16Leslie PintchikWe're Here To Listen2¿A Dónde Van?4:34Silvio RodríguezMujeres3In The Afterglow3:35Wynton MarsalisMarsalis Standard Time Vol. 14Eu Vim Da ...

324

Album Review

The Dave Sterner Quintet: Sidetracked

Read "Sidetracked" reviewed by Matt Marshall

by Matt Marshall
April 20, 2011

While this sophomore effort from saxophonist Dave Sterner and his quintet is something of an excursion, bulleting the boys out of their home base in Cleveland to romp in Southern musical locales like New Orleans and the Caribbean Islands, Sterner hardly sounds sidetracked. That is, his intentions seem clear, his hand steady at the wheel--no careless Casey Jones driving this train. Nevertheless, the pace is quick, jumping out of the gate with the bebop piece, “Mine--or Yours." “Where ...

206

Live Review

The Power of the Blues: Eric Clapton & Wynton Marsalis at Jazz at Lincoln Center

by David Miller
April 20, 2011

Eric Clapton, Wynton Marsalis, Taj MahalRose HallNew York, NYApril 9, 2011 Let's get something out of the way here. Eric Clapton has nothing left to prove. That much is certain. The man many call “god" has accomplished enough throughout his long and varied career that he is now free to pursue any number of his “passion projects." And good on him for taking the time to play these special shows at Jazz at Lincoln Center ...

273

Album Review

Julia Hulsmann Trio: Imprint

by John Kelman
April 20, 2011

Longevity is tough to maintain, in a time when artists largely need to work with a variety of projects to make a living, but there are increasing (and encouraging) signs of the value placed on chemistry and the kind of collective voice that evolves naturally, over time. German pianist Julia Hülsmann has maintained the same trio lineup for 15 years, though her early releases on the ACT label were augmented with vocalists and, in the case of Good Morning Midnight ...

191

Album Review

Margo Leighton & Tim Nikolsky: Redemption

Read "Redemption" reviewed by Ian Patterson

by Ian Patterson
April 20, 2011

Redemption is the songwriting collaboration of two Melbourne-based musicians, vocalist Margot Leighton and guitarist Tim Nikolsky. Essentially a vehicle for Leighton's honey-toned voice, the quintet interprets 14 originals, which cover a range of styles from Latin and soul, to funk, ballad, R&B, and a slice of the Aussie equivalent of Americana. Leighton and Nikolsky certainly don't try to reinvent the wheel, but the sunny disposition of the music, the excellent musicianship, and memorable compositions mark Redemption out as the perfect ...

212

Live Review

40 Years of Jazz at Harvard: Cambridge, April 9, 2011

by Andrew J. Sammut
April 20, 2011

Harvard All-Stars and the Harvard University Sunday and Monday Jazz Bands Harvard Sanders Theatre Cambridge, MA April 9, 2011 Ivy League universities are known for bringing together extraordinary individuals to do extraordinary things. Yet Saturday, April 9 was an even more extraordinary night at school for Harvard students, when an honor roll of jazz talent joined them to celebrate “40 Years of Jazz at Harvard." The concert capped off a weekend of events, including the opening ...

177

Album Review

Alex Pinto Quartet: Inner State

Read "Inner State" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
April 20, 2011

Indo-American forms of jazz have become more common over the years, but plenty of people who work in this arena have little personal connection to this hybrid form of music. Guitarist Alex Pinto is an exception. Pinto's paternal lineage leads to Karnataka, in southwestern India, and his worldly upbringing contributes to his unique sound. While the guitarist was born in the Washington, D.C. area, he spent part of his childhood in Poland and Russia, where his father was posted by ...

279

Album Review

Michael O’Neill: Michael O’Neill

Read "Michael O’Neill" reviewed by Javier AQ Ortiz

by Javier AQ Ortiz
April 20, 2011

When Michael O'Neill isn't touring with George Benson he does his thing and Touch the Past is his thing. For this Yamaha-sponsored guitarist, the recording is a compliment to the so-called Blue Note era of jazz. His radio-friendly songs, however, don't seem to dwell much in the past, and are very much in the here and now, as this is certainly not a Blue Note production; it's O'Neill through and through. O'Neill is a wise and mature ...