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.

423

Book Review

Neil Young: Long May You Run - The Illustrated History

by Doug Collette
July 31, 2010

Neil Young: Long May You Run--The Illustrated HistoryDaniel Durcholz & Gary GraffHardcover; 224 pagesISBN: 0760336474Voyageur Press2010 As up-to-date as it's possible for the print medium to be, Neil Young: Long May You Run is both more and less than The Illustrated History of the Canadian rocker. To be sure, there's a panoply of great photographs, of Young by himself and with his various collaborators over ...

232

Album Review

Peter Bernstein: Live at Smalls

Read "Live at Smalls" reviewed by William Carey

by William Carey
July 31, 2010

A live recording from an intimate venue--in this case, the well-respected Greenwich Village club, Smalls--is like comfort food.. Live at Smalls, from guitarist Peter Bernstein, doesn't disappoint, starting off with a blues to welcome everyone in, with solid solo turns from all members of the quartet, also including pianist Richard Wyands, bassist John Webber and drummer Jimmy Cobb. Yes, Jimmy Cobb on drums. Not your average, everyday sideman. These performances come from two nights in 2008 (December ...

209

Take Five With...

Take Five With Katsuko Tanaka

by AAJ Staff
July 31, 2010

Meet Katsuko Tanaka: Katsuko Tanaka, born and raised in Osaka Japan, resided in California as a Rotary International Foundation Ambassador in the nineties. Being inspired by the live jazz music during her stay in the U.S., she decided to immerse herself into the jazz world. After being back in Japan (Tokyo and Osaka) for ten years, she came to New York in 2008 to further pursue her music. Instrument(s):Piano.Teachers and/or influences?My first ...

266

Album Review

Suresh Singaratnam: Lost In New York

Read "Lost In New York" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay

by Bruce Lindsay
July 30, 2010

Born in Zambia but brought up in Toronto, Canada, trumpeter Suresh Singaratnam is formally trained in both jazz and classical music, latterly at the Manhattan School of Music. Lost In New York is an album of original compositions that chronicles the young musician's early years in the city. It's a mix of experiences and emotions that are reflected in the tunes, which are divided into three groups of three to reflect the major changes in those early years.

325

Extended Analysis

William Hooker: Earth's Orbit

by John Sharpe
July 30, 2010

William Hooker Earth's Orbit No Business Records 2010 If East Coast is hot and West Coast cool in classic jazz parlance, then composer and drummer William Hooker subverts that tenet with East hot, West hotter in this limited edition, double vinyl set featuring separate bands captured live on each coast. Hooker has a fascination for incorporating other art forms into his performance, be it his own poetry or films, often transcending his ...

291

Album Review

Ratko Zjaca: Continental Talk

Read "Continental Talk" reviewed by Karl Ackermann

by Karl Ackermann
July 30, 2010

When a group's credentials include bassist John Patitucci, drummer Steve Gadd and trumpeter Randy Brecker, it's not an unreasonable expectation to hear some quality jazz. What may be more surprising is that leader, guitarist and composer, Ratko Zjaca and his longtime collaborator, saxophonist, Stanislav Mitrovic, steal the show on Continental Talk. This revelation is almost entirely due to the relative obscurity of these Croatian musicians in the U.S. As a teenager, Zjaca was inspired by performances from both the John ...

231

Live Review

Los Cenzontles at Americas Society, July 21 2010

by Ernest Barteldes
July 30, 2010

Los CenzontlesAmericas SocietyNew York, NYWednesday, July 21, 2010 The California-based 8-piece ensemble came to the crowded Upper East Side room with a selection of contemporary-inflected traditional Mexican music, kicking off with “Hermosissimo Lucero," an a capella number in two voices. That was followed by an original number entitles “Soy Mexico Americano," an up-tempo ranchera led by musical director Eugene Rodriguez on twelve-string guitar. The lyrics speak of the ups, downs and pride of being part ...

272

Album Review

Mike Mainieri: Crescent

Read "Crescent" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
July 30, 2010

Nearly forty-five years after the death of John Coltrane, jazz players still feel compelled to negotiate his music. Young cats wrestle with the harmonic complexities and attempt to conquer the saxophonist icon's mighty energy. Luckily, players like vibraphonist Mike Mainieri and saxophonist Charlie Mariano have made peace with the legend. Their document, in this two-disc set, is a fitting tribute to both the music of Coltrane and Mariano, for this was to be one of his last recordings before passing ...

249

Album Review

Joe Cuba: A Man & His Music--El Alcalde del Barrio

Read "A Man & His Music--El Alcalde del Barrio" reviewed by Chris M. Slawecki

by Chris M. Slawecki
July 29, 2010

Exhaustive and exhausting (because you won't be able to stop dancing), A Man & His Music--El Alcalde del Barrio presents the first major retrospective of the 240 albums recorded by Joe Cuba, the Father of Latin boogaloo, and was released in February 2010 to commemorate the one year anniversary of his passing.Gilberto Navarro was born in early 1930s Spanish Harlem. Inspired by the storied Latin percussionist Sabu, he taught himself to jam on congas and eventually wound up ...

507

Extended Analysis

Jessica Williams: Touch

by Dan McClenaghan
July 29, 2010

Jessica WilliamsTouchOrigin Records2010 Pianist Jessica Williams continues to evolve, and what a pure music lover's joy it is to hear an artist entering her sixth decade on a roll, growing and expanding her vision. Classically trained at the Peabody Conservatory, jazz-trained in the bands of Philly Joe Jones, Tony Williams, Stan Getz and others, Williams furthered her education with her own--more than seventy--albums/CDs as a leader.Always a high level ...