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.

199

Live Review

McCoy Tyner/Alfredo Rodriguez: Toronto, December 11, 2010

by Alain Londes
January 8, 2011

McCoy Tyner / Alfredo RodriguezKoerner HallToronto, CanadaDecember 11, 2010 As part of the Aspects of Oscar series, featuring top jazz pianists performing in honor of the late Oscar Peterson, this particular evening brought two solo piano performances to Toronto's Koerner Hall: aspiring young Cuban talent, Alfredo Rodriguez, opened the show; while legendary giant, McCoy Tyner, completed the double bill.It's likely that most of the audience attended the show with Tyner in mind. Rodriguez ...

258

Album Review

Charlotte Hug / Fred Lonberg-Holm: Fine Extensions

Read "Fine Extensions" reviewed by John Eyles

by John Eyles
January 8, 2011

Dating from a concert in Zurich in March 2009, this duo between violist Charlotte Hug and cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm adds to the impressive array of improvising string recordings already on Emanem. The viola and cello--the two middle members of the violin family--overlap in the pitches they can produce, so the combination makes for fascinating listening; mainly, their sounds are distinct enough to be clearly distinguishable, but sometimes they play in similar ranges so that they blend together more. Hug and ...

391

Album Review

Trondheim Jazz Orchestra with Eirik Hegdal and Special Guest Joshua Redman: Triads and More

Read "Triads and More" reviewed by John Kelman

by John Kelman
January 8, 2011

In the ever-shrinking musical sphere, it's encouraging to find cross-pollination happening between less-than-likely--or, at least, unlikely on the surface--players. Watching saxophonist Joshua Redman as a guest with Norwegian violinist Ola Kvernberg's “Liarbird" project at Molde Jazz 2010, it became clear that, as excited as the Nordic continent was to share the stage with an American jazz “star," so, too, was Redman clearly struck by the talent around him. This was not Redman's first encounter with some of Norway's best young ...

220

Live Review

Daniel Carter Quartet: Brooklyn, September 18, 2010

by Harrison Weiss
January 8, 2011

Daniel Carter QuartetThe Freedom GardenBrooklyn, New YorkSeptember 18, 2010 If you do not know about Daniel Carter, you are not to blame. For over thirty years Carter has been an New York musician, playing with free jazz innovators such as David S. Ware, William Parker, and Matthew Shipp, but has always remained obscure. Talking with Carter, it becomes clear that he has avoided the spotlight by choice; despising how people in the music industry ...

129

Album Review

Hilary Kole: You Are There

Read "You Are There" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
January 8, 2011

Vocalist Hilary Kole is more than a mere interpreter of songs. Like the great singers who came before her, Kole is a master storyteller who merges cabaret sensibilities, jazz vocal craft and a slight hint of folk charm into one appealing package. She possesses a voice that could fit naturally on a Broadway stage or in a swanky jazz club, and she puts it to good use on this all-standards affair. Kole sticks to the softer side ...

261

Album Review

Joey DeFrancesco / Robi Botos / Vito Rezza / Phil Dwyer: One Take: Volume Four

Read "One Take: Volume Four" reviewed by Ernest Barteldes

by Ernest Barteldes
January 8, 2011

On the fourth volume Alma Records' One Take series, everything heard on disc, as stated on the back cover, was was recorded during a single take with “no rehearsals, no overdubs, no edits--just raw, untouched and inspired performances."It is immediately clear that these sessions were quite informal. “How do you want to start this?" a voice asks, shortly before a ten-minute long rendition of “There is No Greater Love" where organist Joey DeFrancesco immediately takes the lead with ...

446

Year in Review

2010: The Year in Jazz

by Ken Franckling
January 8, 2011

The jazz scene in 2010 was marked by a bit of cultural thaw between the U.S. and Cuba, royal honors for Marian McPartland that led honors galore for living jazz musicians, and significant acknowledgments for late jazz greats across North America. Efforts continued to expand jazz into new realms--or to hold on during the aftershocks of the Great Recession that began two years ago. On the performance front, nothing could top Sonny Rollins's 80th birthday event at ...

570

Big Band Report

Moody's Mood Was Always Happy

by Jack Bowers
January 7, 2011

James Moody, whose noble spirit and radiant personality were as impressive as his exploits on saxophone and flute for more than six decades, died December 9, 2010 from pancreatic cancer at his home in San Diego. He was 85 years old. To anyone who was lucky enough to meet him, the Moody hug was unforgettable: a warm, good-natured embrace accompanied by a smile as wide as the horizon. Moody's personality was the same: friendly, outgoing, overflowing with ...

175

Album Review

Peter Hum: A Boy's Journey

Read "A Boy's Journey" reviewed by John Kelman

by John Kelman
January 7, 2011

Some believe that to be a “real" musician it's all or nothing--no part-time venture; it requires flat-out, full-on commitment. The truth is that it is possible to be full-time in spirit, even if not always in practical terms. As writer/editor for The Ottawa Citizen newspaper, Peter Hum has been involved with music from another angle for most of his adult, with his fine Jazzblog.ca blog receiving plenty of praise. A meticulous planner, the Canadian pianist has been quietly working towards ...

164

Album Review

Dom Minasi: The Bird, The Girl And The Donkey

Read "The Bird, The Girl And The Donkey" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
January 7, 2011

This music is like a shot of adrenaline to the heart. It's full of energy and raw power, and it brings a little bit of pain along with it. This quintet delivers ferocious avant-garde music that, essentially, runs full tilt from beginning to end. Guitarist Dom Minasi's name is at the top of the marquee, but the music on The Bird, The Girl And The Donkey is delivered by a collective presence; Minasi is, in fact, one ...