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.

245

Album Review

Chris Tedesco: Living The Dream

Read "Living The Dream" reviewed by Edward Blanco

by Edward Blanco
May 15, 2010

After two decades in Los Angeles making a living from the movie industry, performing television theme songs, and making radio and TV commercial jingles, trumpeter Chris Tedesco unveils his first jazz album as leader completing a musical journey begun in high school. While Tedesco plays many styles of music--an obvious requirement for musicians in the movie/TV industry--jazz has always had a special draw for the trumpeter in a career that has in his words, “surpassed [his] wildest musical expectations," leading ...

403

Multiple Reviews

Myron Walden: Momentum & Momentum Live

by George Kanzler
May 15, 2010

Myron WaldenMomentumDemi Sound2010 Artist #2Momentum LiveDemi Sound2010 Momentum is both album title and the name Myron Walden has used for one of his ensembles, inspired by the '60s Miles Davis Quintet (another ensemble, Myron Walden In This World, seems poised at the intersection of Windham Hill and ECM dale). Like Wayne Shorter in that ...

159

Album Review

Ellen Rowe Quartet: Wishing Well

Read "Wishing Well" reviewed by Woodrow Wilkins

by Woodrow Wilkins
May 15, 2010

Sometimes, less is more. In the case of Wishing Well, the Ellen Rowe Quartet delivers plenty of good sound, simply by playing rather than trying to be trendy. Rowe has been part of groups led by musicians as diverse as Ray Charles and John Zorn. Born in Ridgefield, Connecticut, she began playing piano by ear at the age of 4. Her jazz studies began in high school. Accompanying Rowe are saxophonist Andrew Bishop, bassist Kurt Krahnke ...

382

Multiple Reviews

Manuel Valera: Yaoundé, Currents & Oscar e Familia

by David Adler
May 15, 2010

Samuel TorresYaoundéBlue Conga2009 Manuel ValeraCurrentsMAXJAZZ2010 Oscar FeldmanOscar e FamiliaSunnyside2010 Cuban pianist Manuel Valera is throwing his weight around the jazz scene and having an impact on several different levels. He's a fine acoustic stylist but also a serious proponent of electric keys. He's a rhythmic hyper-modernist ...

314

Album Review

Bill Gerhardt: Momentum

Read "Momentum" reviewed by George Kanzler

by George Kanzler
May 15, 2010

It takes uncommon knowledge of jazz history to begin a solo piano album with a dedication to Herbie Nichols. “One for Herbie" is only one of the delightful surprises from pianist Bill Gerhardt on this winning solo recital, sumptuously recorded on a 10-foot Fazioli grand piano at the SteepleChase studios in Europe. Based in Asheville, North Carolina, Gerhardt may be known to Big Apple jazz fans for his work in Cotangent, a quartet he co-leads with the Dutch (NY-based) saxophonist ...

529

Multiple Reviews

100 Years of Artie Shaw

by George Kanzler
May 15, 2010

Artie ShawThe Last Recordings Vol. 1MusicMaster-Nimbus2009 Artie ShawThe Last Recordings Vol. 2MusicMaster-Nimbus2009 Artie ShawThe Last Recordings Vol. 3MusicMaster-Nimbus2009 Artie ShawThe Complete Spotlight Band 1945 BroadcastsHep Jazz2009 Artie ShawComplete Thesaurus Transcriptions 1949Hep Jazz2010

478

Multiple Reviews

Samuel Blaser: Pieces of Old Sky & Vol à Voile

by David Adler
May 15, 2010

Samuel BlaserPieces of Old SkyClean Feed2009 Pierre Favre/Samuel BlaserVol à VoileIntakt2010 There's a wonderfully eerie quality to Pieces of Old Sky, trombonist Samuel Blaser's recording with guitarist Todd Neufeld, bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Tyshawn Sorey. Opening with the 17-minute title track, Blaser conjures a mood of dark, open expanse and gradual development. Neufeld ...

434

Multiple Reviews

Baristas: Ronnie Cuber, Roger Rosenberg & Reed's Bass Drum

by Fred Bouchard
May 15, 2010

Ronnie CuberRONNIESteepleChase2009 Roger RosenbergBaritonalitySunnyside2009 Reed's Bass DrumWhich is WhichSelf-produced2009 Do baritone saxophonists get insufficient respect? Worthy recordings by an elder master, a mid-career pro and a genial parvenu suggest they might deserve quite a bit more. Ronnie Cuber, who'll be 69 this Christmas ...

519

Multiple Reviews

Miles of Miles: Nefertiti, In a Silent Way & Bitches Brew

by Russ Musto
May 15, 2010

Miles DavisNefertitiSony-Legacy2009 Miles DavisIn a Silent WaySony-Legacy2009 Miles DavisBitches BrewSony-Legacy2009 Taken together, Nefertiti, In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew, recorded over a period of slightly more than two years from June of 1967 to August of 1969, present a reasonably representational overview of the (r)evolution ...

470

Multiple Reviews

Trumpet & Piano: Dennis González/João Paulo & Enrico Rava/Ran Blake

by A. Henkin
May 15, 2010

Dennis González / João PauloScapeGraceClean Feed2009 Enrico Rava / Ran BlakeDuo En NoirBetween the Lines2009 Different instruments paired in duet with piano bring out unique facets. With drums, its percussive nature becomes remarkably apparent while matched with an upright bass, it becomes more harmonic and moody. Though done with less frequency than those formats, ...