Jazz Articles

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Dick Hyman: Century of Jazz Piano

by Graham L. Flanagan
May 16, 2010

Dick Hyman Century of Jazz Piano Arbors Records 2010

This intimidating, six-disc set (five CDs and a DVD) succeeds on two key levels. Rarely do we find a release that is equally effective in terms of its value as both an educational tool and a source of entertainment. Dick Hyman remains one of the most important figures in jazz today and--with this set--you soon find out why. What makes ...

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Thomson Kneeland: Mazurka for the Modern Man

by Woodrow Wilkins
May 16, 2010

It is unfortunate when a person dies prematurely, and even more so when the death is by suicide. It makes for a bittersweet experience when listening to Mazurka for a Modern Man, by acoustic bassist Thomson Kneeland. Drummer Take Toriyama had been working with Kneeland almost weekly for ten years. He ended his life two weeks after recording the songs on this release. For Kneeland, the tragedy was immeasurable.

The core group on the recording consists of Kneeland, Toriyama, guitarist ...

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Lady Day: The Many Faces of Billie Holiday

by Ken Dryden
May 16, 2010

Billie Holiday Lady Day: The Many Faces of Billie Holiday Naxos 2009

Billie Holiday has long been acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz vocalists of all time. With her extensive catalogue of recordings for several labels, Holiday's music has been readily accessible though relatively little live footage with audio is available. Lady Day: The Many Faces of Billie Holiday integrates film and video performances, recordings, words from her controversial autobiography ...

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Clean Feed Records: Looking Outwards

by Pedro Costa
May 16, 2010

When Clean Feed first started I never imagined that we would have almost 200 releases after nine years. I guessed that we would put out about two or three records every year and have a hundred CDs released after a lifetime. I think one of the reasons for this thinking was the fact that we were based in Lisbon, a city that doesn't have a scene like New York, Chicago, Paris, Berlin, Stockholm or Oslo. But soon ...

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Dana Lauren: It's You Or No One

by Dan Bilawsky
May 15, 2010

At the age of 21, vocalist Dana Lauren has a command of her instrument that many professional singers twice her age would envy. Lauren has a voice that's one part Roberta Gambarini and one part Diana Krall, with a dash of soul thrown in to spice things up, and she puts it good use on this ten song program. Her debut album--Stairway To The Stars (Dana Lauren, 2008)--produced by and featuring trumpeter Arturo Sandoval--covered oft-performed standards like “How High The ...

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In Memoriam: Herb Ellis (1921-2010)

by AAJ Staff
May 15, 2010

I met Herbie way before he joined Oscar Peterson, going back to at least 1953. Herb worked for me, and he also recorded with me a few times. He worked with me on the Steve Allen show--he and Barney Kessel would take turns. There was also a group with Buddy DeFranco and a tribute to Benny Goodman with Buddy and Herb. Herbie was not only a great soloist, he was the best guitarist for any rhythm section. Boy, could he ...

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Lester Young: 100 Years - Forever Young

by Chris Mosey
May 15, 2010

In October 1944, Lester Young, one of the most influential saxophonists in jazz, was inducted into the US army. In the 15 months that followed he was subjected to blatant racial prejudice then court martialed for possession of marijuana and alcohol and sentenced to a year in a detention barracks. He returned to civilian life severely traumatized. As a result, the received wisdom is it's not worth listening to recordings made by Young after his discharge. This ...

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Tommy Gumina

by Elliott Simon
May 15, 2010

It is the rare jazz instrumentalist who gains such a total understanding of their instrument that by technical innovation they change the way the instrument is played to achieve that elusive 'sound in their head.' Jazz accordionist Tommy Gumina is such an artist. When it comes to the accordion, Gumina's modifications and amplification development are on a par with Les Paul's guitar inventions and his polytonal voicings and advanced harmonics, though distinctly different, match in instrumental significance those of pianist ...

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The Engines: Wire and Brass

by Mark Corroto
May 15, 2010

The second disc by the Chicago collaboration known as The Engines is a live date recorded at the Hungry Brain in April of 2008. Each player, a talented leader in his own right, adds equal measure to create music that dodges inside and out of composed direction and free form improvising.

Originally organized as a trio by saxophonist Dave Rempis (the yin to Ken Vandermark's yang in the Vandermark 5), The Engines' drummer Tim Daisy ( the saxophonist's ...

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B.B. King Live At The Hollywood Bowl, September 5, 2007

by AAJ Staff
May 15, 2010

One of the greatest blues figures is, of course, B.B. King. King fused the Texas blues playing of T-Bone Walker with a broader, almost literary sensibility; his thicker solo lines provide the opportunity to tell a story, to impart depth, and to dominate a horn section or at least supplement it on equal terms. Walker had learned his art from leading Blind Lemon Jefferson around from bar to bar when Walker was a young teenager in Dallas. Jefferson ...