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.

151

Album Review

Roberta Piket: Sides, Colors

Read "Sides, Colors" reviewed by Wilbert Sostre

by Wilbert Sostre
February 22, 2011

Some people describe music in terms of colors. Composers like Duke Ellington used them in song titles like “Black, Brown And Beige," “Black And Tan Fantasy" and “Mood Indigo," to describe the mood and feeling of his music, Sides, Colors is a perfect title for this release by pianist Roberta Piket, as she demonstrates her different musical sides and colors. Piket shows her classical, lyrical side on “Billy's Ballad" and Bill Evans “Laurie," while the classical feel ...

364

Album Review

The Lou Grassi Po Band with Marshall Allen: Live At The Knitting Factory Volume 1

Read "Live At The Knitting Factory Volume 1" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
February 22, 2011

Drummer Lou Grassi, with his progressive jazz and improvisational luminaries, slams matters into high gear during this gutsy 2000 recording, captured at New York City's Knitting Factory. Historically, Grassi is known for his driving passion and prominent leadership, while almost always engaging with superior musicians. Here, the frontline musicians lock horns, via intervallic spikes and scorching dialogues. “RePoZest" presents an evolving vista, commencing with introspective musings between trumpeter Paul Smoker's linear phrasings and flautist Marshall Allen's cosmological lines. ...

150

Mix Tape

Essential CTI: Part 2

by Douglas Payne
February 22, 2011

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Founded by legendary producer Creed Taylor in 1970, CTI Records achieved a legacy that is unrivaled in jazz. CTI produced records that were not only commercially successful but many that were superbly and artistically satisfying. Some of them are immortal. This is the second of three such sets devoted to the “Essential CTI" recordings. TrackNameTimeArtistAlbum1 So What9:20George BensonBeyond The Blue Horizon2 The Rite Of Spring [Album ...

205

Album Review

Piron's New Orleans Orchestra: Piron's New Orleans Orchestra

Read "Piron's New Orleans Orchestra" reviewed by Andrew J. Sammut

by Andrew J. Sammut
February 21, 2011

Listeners accustomed to the wail and stomp of early New Orleans jazz might be surprised to hear the whisper and glide of Piron's New Orleans Orchestra. While famed pioneers such as Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, and Johnny Dodds spoke from the earthy tradition of the outdoor parade, Piron's orchestra illustrated the smooth sounds of indoor entertainment. Not that Piron's band couldn't turn up the heat when it wanted; it was just a slow burn rather than a sudden bonfire.

713

Interview

Russ Gershon: Time Traveler, Four Million Years Later

by Ian Patterson
February 21, 2011

Twenty-five years is a long time in jazz. When saxophonist/composer/bandleader Russ Gershon founded the Either/Orchestra back in 1985, trumpeter Miles Davis was on the crest of his jazz/funk comeback wave, and the so-called Young Lions movement fronted by trumpeter Wynton Marsalis was coming into prominence, just as Weather Report--the last of the great '70s fusion bands--was coming to an end. In those days, the orchestras of Cab Calloway, Buddy Rich and Sun Ra were still touring, and you could also ...

786

Live Review

Polar Jazz: Longyearbyen, Svalbard, February 3-7, 2011

by John Kelman
February 21, 2011

Polar Jazz / Arctic MoodLongyearbyen,Svalbard, Norway February 3-7, 2011 Flying into Longyearbyen is a surreal experience. It's a two-day trip from North America--one day to get to Oslo, Norway, and the second to make the final trek above the Arctic Circle to the islands of Svalbard, about halfway between the northernmost tip of mainland Norway and the North Pole, on which the town is situated. Despite flying generally west from Norway (but farther north ...

114

Album Review

Either/Orchestra: Mood Music for Time Travelers

Read "Mood Music for Time Travelers" reviewed by Ian Patterson

by Ian Patterson
February 21, 2011

As saxophonist/founder Russ Gershon has noted, the 25-year history of the Either/Orchestra constitutes a quarter of jazz's eventful history. The changes in this large ensemble's music in part reflect wider trends and at the same time are the results of an organic evolution as members have come and gone. In the early years, Gershon plumbed the jazz cannon for repertory in addition to composing original material. However, arrangements of songs by Bob Dylan, Bing Crosby and Robert Fripp pointed to ...

172

Album Review

Jason Robinson: The Two Faces of Janus

Read "The Two Faces of Janus" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
February 21, 2011

In Roman mythology, Janus signified the god of entryways and beginnings, amid two heads that looked to the past and future. On The Two Faces of Janus, however, saxophonist Jason Robinson revealsa multi-contextual and many-sided stance, while maximizing the talents of his estimable support system. Robinson soars to a zenith during his alliances with reed man Marty Ehrlich and alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa on select works. But with the core ensemble, Robinson scores a highly literate set of ...

111

Album Review

Nicholas Urie: My Garden

Read "My Garden" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
February 21, 2011

First thoughts of accompanying the poetry of Charles Bukowski to music are predisposed to the techniques of Tom Waits and his post-beatnik circus. Composer/arranger Nicholas Urie takes another path, instead, orchestrating his 12-piece big band towards an alternative rendition and deeper understanding.Like his previous Excerpts From An Online Dating Service (Red Piano, 2009) ,where he put personal ads to music, Urie employs vocalist Christine Correa to sometimes sing, and sometimes speak the poet laureate of American lowlife's words. ...

173

Album Review

Ralph Bowen: Power Play

Read "Power Play" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay

by Bruce Lindsay
February 21, 2011

With over 20 years experience as a recording artist and composer, saxophonist Ralph Bowen has a mastery of straight-ahead jazz that is immediately apparent on Power Play, his third album for the Posi-Tone label. Bowen's first two Posi-Tone releases, 2009's Dedicated and 2010's Due Reverence were quintet recordings. For Power Play, he trims down to an all-new quartet lineup, but it still swings. On the album's opener, “K. D.'s Blues," Bowen jumps straight in with a hard-edged ...