Jazz Articles

like 876

Donny McCaslin

by Laurel Gross
April 17, 2010

If saxophonist Donny McCaslin's life were made into a movie, the following 'scene' could be a natural start: A young boy perched on a stool on the bandstand at a California mall. Too young to be let loose to wander, it's an efficient way his working father could keep an eye on the boy and still do his regular Sunday gig playing standards. The grown-up McCaslin--now juggling the delights and rigors of new fatherhood with his career ...

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Earl MacDonald: Re: Visions

by Dan Bilawsky
April 17, 2010

The big band era ended long ago, but the world is a better place because people like pianist Earl MacDonald still yearn to keep it alive in some way. MacDonald--a composer, arranger, pianist and Director of jazz studies at the University of Connecticut--is probably best known for his work in jazz education and his time spent with Maynard Ferguson, serving as musical director, pianist and arranger for the trumpet titan. Despite his considerable skills behind the piano, it's his composing ...

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On The Flip Side of Sound

by Russ Musto
April 17, 2010

On The Flipside of Sound Valery Ponomarev Softcover; 316 pages ISBN: 1438970463 ArtistHouse 2010

Valery Ponomarev's autobiographical tome tells the fascinating tale of the life of a working jazz musician from a uniquely personal perspective. The Moscow-born trumpeter, who became the first native of his country to achieve jazz fame in the United States when he joined Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, narrates his life story with wit and ...

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Dollison and Marsh: Vertical Voices: The Music of Maria Schneider

by Larry Taylor
April 17, 2010

Maria Schneider's orchestral music has been described as evocative, majestic, magical, heart-stoppingly gorgeous and beyond categorization. Therefore, it was with trepidation that vocalists Julia Dollison and Kerry Marsh approached Schneider with the concept of using their voices, with the aid of multi-tracking studio techniques, to create the sound of her orchestra. They would wordlessly sing the brass and woodwind parts in her complex orchestrations.

At first, Schneider says she thought they were insane, but, after listening to a portion of ...

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Bunky Green

by Marcia Hillman
April 17, 2010

Vernice “Bunky" Green (born Apr. 23rd, 1935) is a product of Wisconsin, where he was raised and learned to play the alto saxophone. His first big break came when Charles Mingus briefly hired him in the '60s--an association that left a lasting influence on Green's own style. Green left Mingus to relocate in Chicago where he performed regularly, appearing with such players as Sonny Stitt, Yusef Lateef and Louie Bellson among others. His style was ever-evolving and ...

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Caetano Veloso: zii e zie

by Ernest Barteldes
April 17, 2010

Legendary Brazilian singer-songwriter Caetano Veloso follows up on the career-shifting Cê (Nonesuch, 2008) with zii e zie, featuring the same band. Though the lineup includes only guitar, bass and drums (plus some occasional acoustic guitar from Veloso), the arrangements all carry his signature complexities and bossa-inspired changes.

In contrast to Cê, there are few angry moments. Instead, Veloso now wonders about his own ability to fall in love again and about the beauty around him. He often uses ...

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Roberto Badoglio: Re-Evaluation-Time

by Glenn Astarita
April 17, 2010

Twenty-five year old Italian bassist Roberto Badoglio conveys strikingly impressive chops on this jazz-fusion based studio date, featuring venerable keyboardist Steve Hunt. In a loose sense, the bassist merges classic fusion with a modern uplift. Consequently, Badoglio has studied with present day bass heavyweights, Matthew Garrison and Dominique Di Piazza and attended Boston's prestigious Berklee College of Music.

Badoglio resides as the lead musical component, sans a six-string guitarist, while trading zesty exchanges with Hunt's radiant Fender Rhodes ...

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John Butcher: Invisible Ear

by John Eyles
April 16, 2010

It is a pleasure to welcome John Butcher's Invisible Ear back into circulation on his own label. Originally released in 2003 as a limited edition on the Italian label Fringes, it has long been unavailable. For Butcher aficionados or followers of improvised saxophone, the album makes essential listening. Butcher has long been an intrepid explorer of his saxophones, and Invisible Ear is one of his more remarkable sets of explorations as he experiments with close miking, multi-tracking and feedback saxophone. ...

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Dee Dee Bridgewater Brings Lady Day to Dusseldorf

by Phillip Woolever
April 16, 2010

Dee Dee Bridgewater Tonhalle Dusseldorf, Germany March 2, 2010

Dee Dee Bridgewater and a stellar supporting band delivered a scintillating one-hour and forty-minute set that provided pitch perfect illustration, worthwhile reinterpretations, and a relevant history lesson.

The fans were primed for the course. It was the type of concert for which most patrons arrived sufficiently early to partake of the grape and make it a party. The hall Bridgewater charmed is probably better for ...

like 349

Hal Galper: E Pluribus Unum

by Dan McClenaghan
April 16, 2010

Pianist Hal Galper began his journey into “rubato" playing early on in the new millennium, after a quite vibrant career in the mainstream, playing and recording with the likes of all-star alto saxophonists Phil Woods and Cannonball Adderley, legendary trumpeter Chet Baker and guitarist John Scofield. It hasn't always been a smooth ride. At a show with guitarist John Stowell at Carlsbad, California's Museum of Making Music back in 2007, drawing a rather conservative crowd--a group of listeners that was ...