Jazz Articles

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The Musical Art of Jazz: Your Own Thing

by Chuck Anderson
April 20, 2010

Art or commercialism? It's almost always a problem to musicians and singers who pursue the jazz industry. We recognize it as an art but it has to make money to be a profession. Are these two concepts in conflict with each other or are they merely paradoxical? We know that anything can be marketed by the skillful use of advertising and promotional techniques. If the material of the commercial world can be successful through promotion and advertising, why can't the ...

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Steve Howe Trio: Travelling

by Bruce Lindsay
April 19, 2010

The boundary between progressive rock and jazz is a fluid one--indeed, it's increasingly unrecognizable, as some of the finest musicians around move effortlessly between and within the genres. Thus Robert Fripp, one of prog's most influential players, can be found in the company of jazz musician Theo Travis, who is himself a member of Soft Machine Legacy and Gong. Steve Howe, another prog rock guitar great, is equally adept at moving across the genres. But while Fripp and Travis inhabit ...

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Steve Howe: Great Guitars and Great Guitarists

by Bruce Lindsay
April 19, 2010

Steve Howe has been a major figure in contemporary music for over 40 years. He first came to international prominence with Yes; he's a key figure in rock supergroup Asia; and his distinctive guitar style makes him one of the most recognizable players on the scene. His love of jazz is less well-known but it has been a crucial part of his life since he was a teenager. His work with the Steve Howe Trio now gives him a chance ...

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Dave Stapleton Quintet: Between The Lines

by Chris May
April 19, 2010

Leading a band while simultaneously recording other musicians for your own label is no easy feat, but it's one pianist Dave Stapleton is achieving with style. Between The Lines is the third disc by the feisty and engaging Dave Stapleton Quintet for Edition Records, whose catalogue includes well received albums by Polar Bear saxophonist Mark Lockheart, pianists Ivo Neame, Matthew Bourne, Keith Tippett and Tom Cawley, and Troyka, and is growing fast. Stapleton, who graduated from the Royal ...

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Andy Fusco and Friends

by David A. Orthmann
April 19, 2010

Andy Fusco and Friends Kean UniversityEnlow Recital Hall Hillside, NJ March 25, 2010

There was a stark contrast between the first and the second half of a concert billed as “Jazz on the Fazioli" and “Andy Fusco and Friends." Pianist Ted Rosenthal opened with jazz interpretations on classical themes. Making the most of a magnificent Fazioli grand piano, Rosenthal's solo renditions of Beethoven's “Sonata Pathetique," J.S. Bach's “Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring," ...

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Espen Eriksen Trio: You Had Me At Goodbye

by John Kelman
April 19, 2010

When Rune Grammofon released In the Country's outstanding 2005 debut, This Was the Pace of My Heartbeat, it was promoted as the Norwegian label's “first jazz record." Still, that piano trio's eminently beautiful music retained the skewed edges so definitive of the label, while subsequent releases, including 2009's ambitious Whiteout, have aligned even more closely with Rune's experimental, forward-looking aesthetic. With You Had Me At Goodbye, Norwegian pianist Espen Eriksen and his trio further mine a new tradition forged, in ...

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Paulinho Garcia: My Very Life

by Javier AQ Ortiz
April 19, 2010

My Very Life, by Paulinho Garcia, is a release from Chicago Sessions--a subscription label service “featuring the best Chicago jazz artists." Many years ago Garcia realized that it pays to be a toucan in a land of penguins and he has been leaving his mark in the Windy City--and beyond--ever since.

This recording finds Garcia under a somewhat different spotlight. For example, although his recent solo work and his recordings with Two for Brazil do not feature much of his ...

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Maceo Parker in Denver

by Geoff Anderson
April 19, 2010

Maceo Parker Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom Denver March 12, 2010

Maceo Parker doesn't just play funk. He IS funk. He's one of the innovators, being there not just for its conception and birth, but for the child-rearing, shaping and development of the musical form. After extended stints with James Brown starting in the mid-60s, and later George Clinton, Bootsy Collins and Parliament/Funkadelic through the 70s, he's been leading his own band and touring extensively since ...

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Take Five with Shauli Einav

by AAJ Staff
April 19, 2010

Meet Shauli Einav:Shauli Einav is an emerging jazz saxophonist. He has already performed with his ensembles on prestigious stages such as the Red Sea Jazz Festival, The Israel Festival in Jerusalem, The Rochester International Jazz Festival, Tel-Aviv Intl Jazz Festival, The Knitting Factory NYC, Fat Cat, Smalls and more. Shauli has been invited to perform with some of today's finest jazz musicians, including bassist Omer Avital, pianist Aaron Goldberg, guitarists Bob Sneider and Frank Gambale, and the late ...

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Lady K and the Kings of Swing featuring Dale Head: Live at the Blackhawk

by Raul d'Gama Rose
April 19, 2010

An album of show tunes and film songs is not necessarily a bad thing, and when the music is performed with finesse and a certain pizzazz, it can be downright enjoyable. This certainly is the case with Lady K and The Kings of Swing Live at the Blackhawk. The big band is based on the West Coast and is directed by its tenor saxophonist and flutist, Kaye Leedham. However, Leedham is gracious, maintaining that this is an ensemble effort, and ...