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.

228

Album Review

Daniel Lanois: Black Dub

Read "Black Dub" reviewed by Nenad Georgievski

by Nenad Georgievski
March 19, 2011

Not even a heavy motorcycle crash accident can prevent Daniel Lanois from doing what he does best, and better than most--making music or helping other people make music. He is simply bulletproof to whatever circumstances slap his face, be they bad or good. During his recovery period, after the intensive care following the accident, he produced Neil Young's stellar and sonically charged Le Noise (Reprise, 20101), wrote his memoirs, Soul Mining (Faber and Faber, 2010), he made his own music ...

855

Album Review

Van der Graaf Generator: A Grounding in Numbers

Read "A Grounding in Numbers" reviewed by John Kelman

by John Kelman
March 19, 2011

When, in 2005, Van Der Graaf Generator released its first album in over 25 years, the reunited group proved it was not only possible to go back, but that it could be done without sacrificing forward-thinking modernity. Inconsistent, perhaps, but Present (Charisma/Virgin) demonstrated, with “Every Bloody Emperor," a group still capable of soaring majesty and nightmare-inducing maelstroms. The subsequent tour, documented on the breathtaking Real Time (Fie, 2007), provided even clearer notice that VdGG was back, and with a vengeance. ...

242

Album Review

Vijay Iyer: Tirtha

Read "Tirtha" reviewed by Mark F. Turner

by Mark F. Turner
March 18, 2011

A confluence of ideas is encountered in the kinetic and unusual Tirtha, featuring three South Asian luminaries: the critically acclaimed jazz pianist Vijay Iyer; and his equally accomplished trio-mates, guitarist/composer Prasanna, and tablaist Nitin Mitta. Iyer formed the band in 2007 when asked to put together a concert celebrating 60 years of Indian independence. The title (also the band's name) has significance, as “tirtha" (pronounced THEER-tha), is the Sanskrit word for “ford" or “crossing," a shallow part of a body ...

545

Extended Analysis

Weasel Walter / Mary Halvorson / Peter Evans: Electric Fruit

by Clifford Allen
March 18, 2011

Weasel Walter / Mary Halvorson / Peter EvansElectric FruitThirsty Ear2011 Percussionist and improviser Weasel Walter often uses the term “face rip" to describe a particularly intense musical experience. In improvised music, you often don't get a “blood and guts" approach; free jazz, in many instances, has been squeezed to the point that to remain relevant, it must often have structured erudition applied to it. That's understandable, of course--rarely can a musician ...

472

Live Review

The Evan Moore Quartet: Little Rock, March 5, 2011

by C. Michael Bailey
March 18, 2011

The Evan Moore Quartet Featuring Brittany CampbellJerry B'sLittle Rock, ArkansasMarch 5, 2011 Few will mistake Little Rock, Arkansas for a jazz mecca. The city was not the jazz hotbed that Kansas City and Memphis were. but that does not mean that there is no jazz in the city. In the 1920s and '30s, during the heyday of Jim Crow in the 20th Century, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Jay McShann, Earl Hines, Ray Charles and ...

175

Album Review

Hristo Vitchev Quintet: The Perperikon Suite

Read "The Perperikon Suite" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
March 18, 2011

While Bulgaria and the Monterey Peninsula are worlds apart, culturally and geographically speaking, guitarist Hristo Vitchev successfully reconciled these differences in September of 2010. Vitchev, a Bulgarian-born guitarist living in the San Francisco Bay area, premiered his seven-movement Perperikon Suite at the 53rd Monterey Jazz Festival, and presents this music in stunning fashion on this recording. While the title of the suite takes its name from the ancient Thracian city of Perperikon, located in present day Bulgaria, the music doesn't ...

505

Interview

Bertram Turetzky: Contrabass Pioneer

by Robert Bush
March 18, 2011

Contrabassist Bertram Turetzky's career is nothing short of extraordinary. He almost single handedly redefined the role of the bass in 20th Century classical music, from one of back row support to that of featured and celebrated soloist. Even within the confines of classical music, Turetzky's range is huge: he is a master of early, pre- Bach music; a noted performer of chamber music; a veteran of symphonic ensembles; and he's played everything from Brahms and Strauss to 20th Century mavericks ...

258

Album Review

Planeta Imaginario: Optical Delusions

Read "Optical Delusions" reviewed by Mark Redlefsen

by Mark Redlefsen
March 18, 2011

The term “progressive," when used to describe jazz fusion/rock, suggests a constant forward movement in the music. On Optical Delusions, Planeta Imaginario's third release (and the group's second for international distribution outside of their homeland of Spain), there is a shift towards a sort of larger jazz group sound. The Barcelona-based group delivers thirteen intricate compositions and themes that reckon their Canterbury-flavored music with an overall Gil Evans-type vibe. The omission of guitar on this release contrasts with PI's last ...

172

Album Review

Sammy Nestico and the SWR Big Band: Fun Time and More Live

Read "Fun Time and More Live" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
March 18, 2011

Big band jazz has evolved into its own avant-garde art form, where the arrangements have become progressively more complex and cerebral. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it does make for a different type of big band listening experience. Modern big band jazz, in some quarters, has veered off into a non-swinging, Stan Kenton direction and, while it remains interesting, it is not as enjoyable as a sweet Count Basie blues romp. Speaking of ...

280

Album Review

Kenny Wheeler: One of Many

Read "One of Many" reviewed by John Kelman

by John Kelman
March 17, 2011

In a 2001 Norma Winstone interview, the British vocalist referred to Kenny Wheeler as “the Duke Ellington of our time." Wheeler, whose reputation has grown almost in spite of his own quiet humility, may not possess Ellington's populist cachet, but that doesn't mean the trumpeter's music is any less distinctive or groundbreaking, and with no small reach: his music, studied in detail at universities around the world; his large ensemble work, grist for many a big band. Not being a ...