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.

159

Live Review

Curtis Fuller/Gilbert Castellanos Quintet Live at the Saville Theater

by Robert Bush
October 3, 2010

Curtis Fuller Quintet with Gilbert Castellanos Saville Theater, San Diego City College San Diego, CA September 21, 2010 There was a palpable sense of energy in the air for Tuesday night's concert which sold out well in advance. The chance to see a former band-mate of John Coltrane, (and a legend in his own right), doesn't come along very often--especially in San Diego. At age 75, trombonist Curtis Fuller doesn't seem to be slowing ...

301

Album Review

John Esposito / Ira Coleman / Peter O'Brien: Orisha

Read "Orisha" reviewed by Jakob Baekgaard

by Jakob Baekgaard
October 3, 2010

No matter the musical constellations he has worked in, deconstruction and reimagining of the jazz tradition has always been a crucial part of the art of pianist John Esposito. This is especially true when considering his take on the piano trio, one of the most tried and true formats in jazz. Back in 2006, Esposito released Down Blue Marlin Road on his own Sunjump label. It was a record that showcased his encyclopedic knowledge of tradition, from ...

149

Album Review

Jean-Michel Pilc: True Story

Read "True Story" reviewed by Raul d'Gama Rose

by Raul d'Gama Rose
October 3, 2010

There are few pianists in any realm of music as expressive, and with such extraordinary touch and dynamics, as Jean-Michel Pilc. He is also so enormously inventive that he might be perhaps one of very, very few pianists to inhabit the same rarefied atmosphere as Bill Evans. And that is only half the story. To Pilc, the piano is not another instrument; it is an extension of the human voice. It whispers sensuously and provocatively, babbling on with excited chatter ...

237

Take Five With...

Take Five With Tammy Scheffer

by AAJ Staff
October 3, 2010

Meet Tammy Scheffer: Born in Belgium, raised in Israel and currently residing in Brooklyn, NY, vocalist and composer Tammy Scheffer's music combines influences of contemporary jazz with her own expressive voice and unique approach to vocal improvisation. She recently recorded an album of her original compositions for a sextet, to be released in October 2010 by Inner Circle Music.Saxophonist Greg Osby was in the studio on the day of the recording, and later commented: “The music was vibrant, ...

Album Review

Alexander McCabe: Quiz

by Bruce Lindsay
October 3, 2010

Quiz, alto saxophonist Alexander McCabe's second album as leader, appears five years after his previous release, The Round (Wamco Music, 2005). McCabe has been a member of Ray Charles' Orchestra and ska band Mephiskapheles, as well as working with jazz greats like Joe Henderson and Ray Brown. He cites tenor giants Ben Webster, John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins as influences, but it's altoists like Charlie Parker and Eric Dolphy that impact most clearly on his sound. The ...

156

Album Review

Norman Johnson: If Time Stood Still

Read "If Time Stood Still" reviewed by Jerry D'Souza

by Jerry D'Souza
October 3, 2010

Norman Johnson was in high school in Jamaica when he heard George Benson and became interested in the guitar. He says that he was mesmerized by Benson, and though he figured that he was too old at 16 to begin playing an instrument he went ahead. Later studying at the Hartt School of Music with Jackie McLean and Brian Keane, his influences grew to include Wes Montgomery, Earl Klugh, and Andres Segovia. Segovia fostered his love for classical music and, ...

113

Working Out to Jazz

Recent Releases For Running

by Chris Lawhorn
October 3, 2010

[Editor's Note: Working Out to Jazz is a new All About Jazz column, devoted to providing jazz playlists for the purpose of working out. For his second installment, Chris Lawhorn's emphasis is on largely up-tempo tracks from a handful of recent releases. Check in with Working Out to Jazz regularly, for new workout music suggestions, as Chris breaks it out for you by Beats Per Minute (BPM).] For this month's playlist, I've tried to highlight a few recent ...

256

Live Review

Merzbow and Charles Cohen at the International House

by Nick Millevoi
October 2, 2010

Merzbow and Charles Cohen Ars Nova Workshop at the International House Philadelphia, PA September 27, 2010At a table on the floor in front of the large, darkened room of the International House's Ibrahim Theater sat Charles Cohen. A single light dimly shone down upon Cohen, and his desk light illuminated the finer points of his signature Buchla Music Easel, an extremely rare analog synthesizer in a blue box. Cohen twisted knobs, plugged and ...

106

Album Review

Neil Young: Le Noise

Read "Le Noise" reviewed by Doug Collette

by Doug Collette
October 2, 2010

On Le Noise, Neil Young collaborates with famed producer Daniel Lanois (Peter Gabriel, {Bob Dylan, U2) and it's a fascinating experiment to be sure. Yet, to whatever extent this pair of like-minded Canadians are successful,they have outwitted themselves in an all too-obvious attempt (as with the play on words of the title) to present the artist as a lone voice trying to communicate amidst the noisy interference of contemporary culture. Given Young's credibility, they overstate the obvious. Even ...

152

Album Review

Trudy Kerr and Ingrid James: Reunion

Read "Reunion" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay

by Bruce Lindsay
October 2, 2010

Two talented vocalists, top-class musicians, inspired song selections, a few new lyrics and a genuinely original set of arrangements come together to make Reunion: a fresh-sounding and charming album from Australian singers Trudy Kerr and Ingrid James. Kerr, based in London since 1990, and James have been friends for many years. Each of them has toured and recorded extensively but surprisingly, given the obvious empathy between them, this is their first recording together. Kerr and James' voices ...