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.

161

Album Review

Ross Bolleter: Night Kitchen

Read "Night Kitchen" reviewed by Raul d'Gama Rose

by Raul d'Gama Rose
August 5, 2010

Ross Bolleter delivers on a promise he never made but has always suggested, throughout his long and distinguished musical career. On Night Kitchen--a reference to a crepuscular event with the ruined pianos in question--he succeeds in producing what should go down in the history of music as an amazing document that furthers the cause of improvised music. The music of Bolleter's ruined pianos possess an element of surprise; even if their sound is a fixed feature--as characterized by the finality ...

228

Album Review

Aki Takase: A Week Went By

Read "A Week Went By" reviewed by John Eyles

by John Eyles
August 4, 2010

Across its nine varied tracks--five trio, three solo, one duo; all improvised--A week went by documents pianist Aki Takase's visit to Gateshead in June 2008 to play the On the Outside festival. The album opens with three trio performances, on which Takase is joined by double-bassist John Edwards and drummer Tony Levin. They are fitting company to complete this trio, as Takase easily straddles the territory between jazz and free improvisation--territory in which Edwards and Levin are both experienced and ...

617

JazzLife UK

"Dancing:" It's A Dirty Word

by Bruce Lindsay
August 4, 2010

JazzLife UK continued apace during May and June 2010, adding many more photographs to the project and hearing more great jazz in yet more odd and unusual venues. Early May brought more indications of summer to the British weather, and ushered in a General Election. JazzLife UK can now reveal--as promised in my previous article--that the winner of this era-defining event was: Liberal Democrat Leader, Nick Clegg. Britain's first coalition government for decades brought Clegg power, fame and influence far ...

147

Album Review

Dave Wilson: Spiral

by Dan Bilawsky
August 4, 2010

Saxophonist Dave Wilson's Spiral isn't directed at one specific jazz-listening demographic. High-brow originals ("Spiral") line up next to new arrangements of neglected jazz works (Richie Beirach's “Elm"), while rock-based performances (Creed's “My Own Prison") reside near gentler soprano saxophone statements ("Summer Breezes"). Fortunately, disparate stylistic directions don't derail the overall sound or focus of this project and the quartet manages to maintain a unified sound throughout. “Spiral" and “Elm," which start off the album, threaten to scare ...

345

Album Review

Jazzmasters: Jazzmasters VI

Read "Jazzmasters VI" reviewed by Jeff Winbush

by Jeff Winbush
August 4, 2010

To understand why Paul Hardcastle's latest Jazzmasters album is such a tedious drag it's first necessary to understand that the multi-instrumentalist has taken an unfortunate interest in a subdivision of smooth jazz, called Chill.Chill relies on ambient sounds, airy vocals, quietly tinkling keyboards, and the occasional alto sax bubbling away in the mix. It's so smoothed-out and laidback that it's nearly comatose. Chill is less ambitious than smooth jazz but not quite as lightweight as New Age. Take ...

219

Album Review

Retta Christie: Retta Christie with David Evans and Dave Frishberg

Read "Retta Christie with David Evans and Dave Frishberg" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
August 4, 2010

Many saxophonists also double on clarinet, some notable examples being Lester Young, Art Pepper and Phil Woods, as well as the converse in Eddie Daniels, Don Byron, and Victor Goines. The two reeds complement one another by informing the performance of a player talented enough to play both. Young, who played a vibrato-less tenor with perfect tonal dimensions, achieved the same with his clarinet. Some of that master's notable clarinet tunes include “Three Little Words" and “I Got Rhythm," from ...

551

Extended Analysis

Various Artists: Into the Light - Korean Music III - Traditional Music & Korean Jazz

by Ian Patterson
August 4, 2010

Various Artists Into the Light: Korean Music III: Traditional Music & Korean Jazz KAMS 2010 Although the differences in beat, rhythm and harmony that separate traditional Korean music and jazz may partially explain why jazz has been approached only relatively recently in Korea, in fact Korean traditional musicians are fundamentally suited to jazz given the large element of improvisation inherent in Korean folk styles. These two CDs offer a tantalizing slice of ...

244

Album Review

Stryker Slagle Band: Keeper

Read "Keeper" reviewed by Karl Ackermann

by Karl Ackermann
August 3, 2010

Guitarist Dave Stryker is one of the most prolific talents in jazz, with almost two dozen releases as a leader, and stints with artists including Stanley Turrentine and Jack McDuff. His unique style has garnered him a number of prestigious awards. No less productive is Stryker's long-time co-leader, saxophonist Steve Slagle, who has led his own bands for twenty years and played with a highly impressive roster including Carla Bley, Steve Kuhn and Joe Lovano. Having worked together for the ...

794

Interview

Dan Weiss: The Creative Absence of Egotism

by Lloyd N. Peterson Jr.
August 3, 2010

The first time drummer/composer Dan Weiss is heard, there can be a perception of something inherently wrong with the music. It slowly creeps up--like a chill on a cool morning, just as the sun is rising over a misty ridge. Waves of lush pastel colors pass over and around in impassioned washes of rhythm and elements of time. The slow intensity of his cymbal work is similar to tones on a keyboard connecting with all aspects of a quiet and ...

237

Album Review

Red Garland: The 1956 Trio

Read "The 1956 Trio" reviewed by Eric J. Iannelli

by Eric J. Iannelli
August 3, 2010

By the time pianist Red Garland recorded the amalgam of tracks on this essential disc, he'd been playing with the Miles Davis Quintet for about a year. Although he had performed alongside big names before, including Charlie Parker and Lester Young), The Quintet (as it would come to be known) was truly an all-star lineup: Garland, plus John Coltrane, Philly Joe Jones and Paul Chambers. Garland--with a modest profile in 1955 that would more or less remain that way--reached a ...