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.

310

Album Review

Benjamin Herman: Hypochristmastreefuzz (Special Edition)

Read "Hypochristmastreefuzz (Special Edition)" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay

by Bruce Lindsay
November 18, 2010

Since Esquire voted alto saxophonist Benjamin Herman Best Dressed Dutchman 2008, most reviews of his music have felt compelled to mention the award, and this review is no exception. Of course, such sartorial fripperies would be barely worthy of comment if Herman couldn't actually play. But play he can--whether he's flying like Charlie Parker on “Hypochristmastreefuzz," blowing rhythm 'n' blues style on “Brozziman," or adding mournfully to the funereal sound of “Arm Weil." Hypochristmastreefuzz was originally released ...

562

Live Review

John McLaughlin & The 4th Dimension: Philadelpha, PA November 12, 2010

by Linda Braceland
November 18, 2010

John McLaughlin & the 4th DimensionThe Keswick TheatreGlenside, PA 19038November 12, 2010 Guitarist John McLaughlin kicked off the US portion of his North American Tour Friday night in the Philadelphia area, at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside, PA. Whether you are a fan of fusion, blues, rock or strictly jazz, there is no disputing the talent that appeared on the stage in the form of McLaughlin and his band, The 4th Dimension. This tour, which ...

350

Album Review

Bobby Watson: The Gates BBQ Suite

Read "The Gates BBQ Suite" reviewed by Mark F. Turner

by Mark F. Turner
November 18, 2010

An esteemed alto saxophonist, Bobby Watson serves up some “down to the bone" goodness in The Gates BBQ Suite. The seven-part suite for large ensemble features the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music & Dance Concert Jazz Orchestra, and is a heartfelt tribute to Watson's hometown of Kansas City--the people, the culture, and tastes, which includes the area's landmark Gates Barbecue restaurant. Watson's big band masterwork epitomizes an illustrious career of more than 25 years, with ...

276

Album Review

Brettina: Brettina

by James Nadal
November 18, 2010

Blending efficiency and clarity into a self titled debut, Brettina projects herself as a vocalist with a defined focus on her music. Having written seven of the ten selections, her compositions reveal articulated nostalgia, laced with subtle personal drama. She sings as if relishing the role of messenger for people and places she left behind. Brettina hails from the Bahamas, and defines herself as an island girl, while musically branching out into metropolitan arrangements with strong jazz ...

104

Album Review

Jacob Melchior: It's About Time

Read "It's About Time" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
November 18, 2010

The art of the trio often takes shape in a variety of ways. Many of today's leading three-piece groups rely on a difficult-is-better approach, reveling in rhythmic trickery, harmonic complexity and melodic fragmentation. Others choose to distill everything down to bare essentials but, in doing so, run the risk of playing dumbed-down lounge jazz that's generic and generally boring. Drummer Jacob Melchior's trio travels on a path that moves comfortably between these two extremes and, in doing so, remains highly ...

110

Album Review

Puttin On The Ritz: White Light White Heat

Read "White Light White Heat" reviewed by Raul d'Gama Rose

by Raul d'Gama Rose
November 18, 2010

It is rumored that the total lack of beauty on the original version of the Velvet Underground's White Light/White Heat (Verve, 1968) widened the rift between violist, John Cale--a primary architect of the band--to such an extent that he left the band. Nothing can come, however, even remotely close to the ugly beauty of Puttin' on the Ritz's version of the seminal album from the band that Andy Warhol cofounded with Cale and Lou Reed. BJ Rubin and Kevin Shea ...

825

Take Five With...

Take Five With Yelena Eckemoff

by AAJ Staff
November 18, 2010

Meet Yelena Eckemoff: Yelena Eckemoff was born and raised in Moscow, Russia. Her parents noticed that she had great musical potential when she started to play piano by ear at the age of four. Yelena's mother, Olga, a professional pianist, became her first piano teacher. At the age of seven Yelena was accepted into an elite Gnessins 10-year School for musically gifted children where, in addition to common school subjects, she received extensive training in piano, music theory, ...

331

Live Review

Camerata Aberta at Americas Society, Nov. 12, 2010

by Ernest Barteldes
November 18, 2010

Camerata AbertaAmericas SocietyNew York, NYNovember 12, 2010Modern contemporary music of Brazil was on the menu for the New York debut of Camerata Aberta's at Manhattan's Americas Society. In the words of music director and composer Sergio Kafejian, the ensemble dedicates itself to the “research of the intensity, fluidity and exuberance of Brazil" through the music of its collaborators and full-time musicians, who all reside in the city of Sao Paulo.The program opened with ...

274

Multiple Reviews

Hatology's Big Band Big Bang

by Mark Corroto
November 17, 2010

Creative large ensembles are precious commodities. In the modern era, maintaining both features (innovation and size) is a marvel. There are large repertory ensembles playing those “oldies" that are, maybe, goodies, and smaller, more economically efficient bands that have always been the flag bearers for originality. But to witness a large ensemble, big band or arkestra that can add new life to this music is to appreciate the labor and dedication composers, arrangers, musicians and, maybe, accountants need to put ...

238

Album Review

Carlo Morena: ...Some Portraits

Read "...Some Portraits" reviewed by Ian Patterson

by Ian Patterson
November 17, 2010

Some Portraits is the debut of Italian pianist/composer Carlo Morena's trio. A student of both jazz and the 20th century European classical tradition, Morena has collaborated with a long list of jazz notables such as saxophonists Charlie Mariano and Iain Ballamy, guitarists Kurt Rosenwinkel and John Abercrombie, and trumpeter Enrico Rava, in a twenty-year career. Morena has sympathetic company in bassist Yuri Goloubev-- formerly one of the world's premier classical bass players, who switched to jazz-- and drummer Michele Sagarello, ...