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.

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Album Review

Chantale Gagné: Wisdom Of The Water

Read "Wisdom Of The Water" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
February 11, 2011

In many ways, water is the ultimate life force. Approximately seventy percent of the Earth's surface is covered by water and more than half of the human body is made up of water. Perhaps, it was with this in mind that nature endowed water with a certain degree of logic in motion. Water often flows ever-forward in endless streams of beauty, creating deep ripples within the very fabric of its moving form, and the same can be said for much ...

307

Multiple Reviews

Assaf Kehati Quartet: Finding Its Own Voice

by Eyal Hareuveni
February 11, 2011

Israeli guitarist Assaf Kehati, Boston-based since 2007, is a regular in drummer Billy Hart's outfits. His melodic compositions are, he says, inspired by the details of daily life. He cites as influences composers who have blurred the distinctions between folk/pop and more sophisticated music--Hector Berlioz, George Gershwin, guitarist Pat Metheny, Sting and even country singer Kenny Rogers. On both of his self-produced releases he is backed by young Israeli players--Alon Farber on sax, Daniel Sapir on bass and Udi Shlomo ...

214

Album Review

Ballister: Bastard String

Read "Bastard String" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
February 11, 2011

There is something special about watching jugglers perform. It is a marvel how the juggler can seemingly interrupt the laws of gravity at will, keeping balls (or chainsaws) suspended through sheer tenacity. Such it is when listening to Ballister perform the three lengthy improvised pieces on Bastard String.As the juggler doesn't rely on willpower to perform his visual feats, neither do saxophonist Dave Rempis, cellist Fred Lonbeg-Holm, and drummer Paal Jorrit Dijkstra. These three improvising artists have been the ...

273

Album Review

Pierre Favre Ensemble: Le Voyage

by Nic Jones
February 11, 2011

Pierre Favre is a scion of the improvisation scene in Europe and beyond. There's always been a reflective element in his drum and percussion work that suggests a slightly conservative disposition which has been manifested in a kind of politeness and reticence. Those two qualities in many respects sum up the music on this disc. While the antithesis of those qualities does not necessarily make for compelling music, in this case of this recording the overall mood is slightly soporific, ...

251

Album Review

Brad Shepik Quartet: Across The Way

Read "Across The Way" reviewed by Jerry D'Souza

by Jerry D'Souza
February 11, 2011

Guitarist Brad Shepik mines a lode of styles on his compositions. Shadow and light play through his music, and he is not averse to opening the door to let a swath of sunshine in. The mood is never static, the wheel of invention is constantly churning out ideas that surprise and delight. Shepik wrote most of Across The Way's tunes while he was on the road, where he teamed up with vibraphonist Tom Beckham, bassist Jorge Roeder and ...

261

Album Review

Seval: i know you

Read "i know you" reviewed by Karl Ackermann

by Karl Ackermann
February 11, 2011

Jazz fans and speech pathologists may disagree on the technicalities, but analogies between vocals and instrumentation date back to Billie Holiday. Holiday referred to her own singing as feeling like, ..."I'm playing the horn." If validation of the theory were in doubt, Ethiopian-born, Vietnamese-raised vocalist, Sofia Jernberg lays it to rest. The very inventive vocalist is front and center in cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm's quintet, Seval. On this release, i know you, the Chicago-based Lonberg-Holm surrounds himself with some notable players ...

344

Mix Tape

Henry Mancini: Jazz & Cocktails

by Michael Ricci
February 11, 2011

A swinging collection of Hank tunes for when you're lounging on the chaise. Don't forget the bitters! TrackNameTimeArtistAlbum1Moon River Cha Cha2:37Henry ManciniMartinis With Mancini2Something For Sellers2:50Henry Mancini & His OrchestraMartinis With Mancini3Tippin' In (Marty Symes—Bobby Smith)3:49Henry ManciniThe Blues And The Beat4Something Loose2:49Henry ManciniMartinis With Mancini5Sidewalks Of Cuba3:20Ramon RiveraCombo!6Playboy's Theme2:58Henry ManciniMartinis With Mancini7The Pink Panther2:37Henry ManciniL'arte Dell'orchestra8Moanin'2:53Ramon RiveraCombo!9Megeve3:01Henry Mancini & His OrchestraMartinis With Mancini10Mambo Parisienne2:34Henry Mancini & His OrchestraMartinis With Mancini11Loose Caboose3:09Henry ManciniMartinis With Mancini12It Had Better Be ...

366

Extended Analysis

Jacqui Sutton: Billie & Dolly

by C. Michael Bailey
February 10, 2011

Jacqui Sutton and The Frontier Orchestra Billie & Dolly Toy Blue Typewriter Productions 2010 Heaven knows that contemporary jazz vocals could use a shot of sense-of-humor. The scene hosts a legion of earnest singers paying tribute to their idols, firebrands intent on extending the already stretched-taut realms of scat and vocalese, and soccer moms and dads fulfilling a vanity ambition--all so serious. Sense of humor is in order, but not just ...

262

Album Review

Samo Salamon Trio: Almost Almond

Read "Almost Almond" reviewed by Nic Jones

by Nic Jones
February 10, 2011

It's starting to feel as if the further guitarist Salamon Salamon progresses in his career, the faster the company he keeps. On this trio date, he's working with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Tom Rainey, both with numerous appearances on record to their credit. But Salamon isn't out of his depth; this is a trio that speaks with one voice. It would be wrong, however, to infer that this is upright music. Salamon is arguably a little ...

234

Live Review

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra: Toronto, February 1, 2011

by Alain Londes
February 10, 2011

Jazz at Lincoln Center OrchestraMassey HallToronto, CanadaFebruary 1, 2011 If big band fans relish their enjoyment of musical artistry, then the 15-piece Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) would have to be on their shortlist. The venerable Massey Hall was appropriately sold out for this performance of the current Vitoria Suite (Emarcy, 2010) tour. Not even the threat of a major regional snow storm could keep people away. The Suite gets its name from the ...