Jazz Articles
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Donny McCaslin: Perpetual Motion
by Dan Bilawsky
Each new record from tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin is cause for celebration. With each album, McCaslin has put himself in the middle of a different instrumental configuration, challenging the saxophonist to reach new heights, and Perpetual Motion is no different. Now that he has proven his mettle on the piano-less trio battleground with Recommended Tools (Greenleaf, 2008), and demonstrated his significant arranging abilities with Declaration (Sunnyside, 2009), McCaslin moves on to a roiling locale with electric undercurrents. ...
Continue Reading...Marbin: Breaking the Cycle
by Hrayr Attarian
Marbin's sophomore album Breaking the Cycle is very different than its eponymous debut. Gone is the Zen-like, expansive but quiet sound, in favor of a cinematic quality with intensely complex tunes full of color and texture. The lineup has also expanded from the duo of guitarist Dani Rabin and saxophonist Danny Markovitch to include bassist Steve Rodby, a few different vocalists and various percussionists--and, most notably, veteran drummer Paul Wertico, whose hypnotic and propulsive rhythms drive the opening “Loopy." A ...
Continue Reading...John Beasley: Letter to Herbie
by Wilbert Sostre
Those who don't yet know John Beasley are missing the opportunity to hear one of the best pianists and improvisers on the jazz scene today. Beasley is a master musician, with total command of the jazz language, and his playing is always intense in both emotion and technique.John Beasley's 2009 album, Positootly (Resonance) was nominated, more than deservedly, for a Grammy Award for best jazz instrumental album. Even though Letter to Herbie, his previous album released in 2008, ...
Continue Reading...James Sherlock Trio: Domestic Arts
by Ian Patterson
Domestic Arts caps a busy 2010 for Melbourne guitarist James Sherlock, following the release, earlier in the year, of the impressive Solo (Pinnacles Music, 2010). That recording highlighted not only Sherlock's notable chops but also his songwriting skills, with more than half the compositions self-penned works of striking originality and nuance. This time out Sherlock leads a trio through a vibrant set of mostly standards, with two of the seven tracks composed by the leader. “Domestic Arts ...
Continue Reading...John Zorn: In Search of the Miraculous
by Warren Allen
John ZornIn Search of the MiraculousTzadik2010 John Zorn's compositions revel in a rare blend of allusion and mystery. His albums often exist both on a self-contained level as individual works of art, yet are simultaneously layered with tokens and tributes to the many artists who have shaped his unusually eclectic aesthetic. While the first album of his Alhambra Legacy compositional project consisted of a collection of light and airy melodies for piano ...
Continue Reading...Umbria Jazz Winter #18 Days 3-5: December 31, 2010-January 2, 2011
by Sara Villa
Days 1-2 | Days 3-5 Umbria Jazz Winter #18 Orvieto, Italy December 29, 2010-January 2, 2011 The Alfredo Rodriguez Trio Discovered, produced and hailed by Quincy Jones, Alfredo Rodriguez chose to contradict any potential preconception linked with the highly slippery definition of Latin Jazz to which his Cuban origins tie him. From the very first composition at his Umbria Jazz Winter performance, the young pianist's “Silence," it was clear that Rodriguez was ...
Continue Reading...Charlier / Sourisse: Imaginarium
by John Kelman
To affirm that jazz is, indeed, a global concern one only need look at transatlantic collaborations taking placed on a regular basis. One look at the list of albums reviewed at All About Jazz and it's patently clear that, while cultural cross-pollination has been going on for decades, it's now a norm rather than a phenomenon. Whether meeting at international jazz festivals, or simply making cold calls to artists with whom they'd like to play, more and more musicians are ...
Continue Reading...Donny McCaslin: Perpetual Motion
by C. Michael Bailey
Donny McCaslin's Perpetual Motion is an embarrassment of riches, employing a lineup populated by the edgiest, most progressive-thinking jazz musicians currently composing. Alto saxophonist David Binney (who also produces the disc), pianist Uri Caine, bassist Tim Lefebvre and drummer Antonio Sanchez have been producing music that has positively expanded jazz music for the past decade. McCaslin has made good company with these artists since hitting his stride on Declaration (Sunnyside, 2009) and Recommended Tools (Greenleaf Music, 2008), and here, this ...
Continue Reading...Marcus Shelby Orchestra: Soul Of The Movement: Meditations On Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
by Edward Blanco
A man with a deep social conscience and a fervent interest in social history, San Francisco bassist and band leader Marcus Shelby has previously used music to illuminate past injustices on Port Chicago (Noir Records, 2006), and then again with Harriet Tubman (Noir Records, 2008). On Soul Of The Movement: Meditations On Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Shelby once again tackles another large-scale project of social and spiritual significance expressed through his creative musical interpretations.For Shelby, the inspiration ...
Continue Reading...Chano Dominguez: Piano Ibérico
by Josep Pedro
Spanish pianist Chano Dominguez keeps on with his unique blending of flamenco and jazz with Piano Ibérico (> (Iberian Piano), an exquisite homage to some of Spain's most influential composers, including Isaac Albéniz, Manuel de Falla, Enrique Granados, and Frederic Mompou. Along with three new compositions of his own, Dominguez creates his own interpretations of these four piano composers. “They are the inspirers of this work and, to me, the first flamenco pianists because they were able to take the ...
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