Jazz Articles

like 258

Eli "Paperboy" Reed at Joe's Pub, March 31, 2010

by Ernest Barteldes
April 16, 2010

Eli “Paperboy" Reed and the True Loves Joe's Pub March 31, 2010 New York, NY

Playing before a nearly sold-out crowd, the seven-piece True Loves (Freddy DeBoe: Baritone Sax; Mike Brooks: Tenor Sax; Patriq Moody: Trumpet; Jerrell Clopton: Drums; Michael Montgomery: Bass; Ryan Spraker: Guitar; J.B. Flatt: Organ) kicked off with a short 60s-inspired funk theme that warmed up the audience in preparation for what was to come: a collection ...

like 299

Oles Brothers with Rob Brown: Live At SJC

by Mark Corroto
April 16, 2010

It's funny how certain jazz players find other kindred spirits to play with. Where would Ornette Coleman have been if he hadn't found Charlie Haden? Or McCoy Tyner without John Coltrane? Like minds always seem to find and sometimes track down each other. Such is the case with the Polish brothers Marcin Oles (bass) and Bartlomiej Brat Oles (drums) recording with American saxophonist Rob Brown.

The brothers' previous outings have included collaborations with Kenny Werner Shadows (Fenomedia, 2006), ...

like 350

Soegaard Ensemble: Soundmapping The Genes

by Glenn Astarita
April 16, 2010

The premise for this electronics-based engagement is not steeped in customary backdrops, such as phantasmagorical space travel or existential musings of a divine entity. Conversely, the foundation for this trio's excursion relates to morphing DNA code-sequencing into music. The DNA modeled here emanates from the protein of the rainbow trout and is transformed into MIDI language, featuring 642 notes amid real-time music frameworks.

DNA is elevated into a mesmeric showcase, where Frederick Soegaard intermixes psycho-rock guitar with the ...

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Paul Motian / Chris Potter / Jason Moran: Lost In A Dream

by David McLean
April 16, 2010

A drummer whose inventive approach to percussion has produced one of the most recognizable and in demand sounds in the pantheon of jazz, Paul Motian's revolutionary playing has seen him approach the kit not as a rhythmic backbone, but as a tool for subtlety and soundscape creation. Lost In A Dream, Motian's set of midnight ballads, is a perfect evocation of the the New York Cityscape's iconography. His hushed brush work calls to mind the patter of rain--the mist and ...

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Peter Nero and the Philly Pops Celebrate the Music of the “Greatest Generation”

by Victor L. Schermer
April 16, 2010

Philly Pops Orchestra Revisits “The Stage Door Canteen"Peter Nero, Artistic Director Lynn Roberts, featured vocalistThe Kimmel Center for the Performing ArtsPhiladelphia, PA March 27, 2010 Why a concert review of the popular music of World War II on a jazz-focused website? The very question suggests how misguided it can be to separate jazz from its past. Many of the standards that jazz groups play today come from this period. And nearly all ...

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Earl MacDonald: Re:Visions

by Mark Corroto
April 15, 2010

There is a reason that the saying, “keeping it fresh" is rarely uttered in the same sentence as “17-piece jazz orchestra"--because a large orchestra in the world of jazz tends to maneuver about as delicately as an army deploys. Well, that is unless your jazz army is under the direction of Earl MacDonald. He commands his troops on Re:Visions to be both flexible and nimble. This buoyant recording is a big band record for those who prefer the dexterity of ...

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Rune Grammofon: Mutation and Reevaluation

by David McLean
April 15, 2010

Since its inception in 1998, Rune Grammofon has been at the forefront of ground breaking new music, heralding a new unprecedented interest in Scandinavian music. Whereas ECM's focus on the region has largely been based around the folk/traditional music explorations of its most prolific artists, including Jan Garbarek, Arild Andersen, Terje Rypdal and Jon Christensen, and a new wave of “Nordic Cool"/experimental signings such as Mats Eilertsen, Jacob Young, Trygve Seim and Tord Gustavsen, Rune Grammofon has stridently and effectively ...

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Nguyen Le: Signature Edition 1

by Chris May
April 15, 2010

Nguyên Lê Signature Edition 1 ACT Music 2010

It might seem perverse to begin a review of a Nguyên Lê release with the observation that there is “too much fusion" on it, as, increasingly since the late 1990s, it is to the fusion mast that the guitarist has nailed his colors. But it is legitimate when considering the anthology Signature Edition 1, a double-disc set which starts with Lê's recordings ...

like 548

Phronesis: Green Delay

by Alex J Watson
April 15, 2010

Following the success of Organic Warfare (Loop, 2007), Copenhagen-born bassist and Loop Collective member Jasper Høiby presents his second album as leader--Green Delay--with his London based trio Phronesis. Høiby is joined on this set of original compositions by drummer Anton Eger and pianist Ivo Neame, who replaces Organic Warfare's Magnus Hjorth. Characterized by intense, bass-driven grooves in odd time signatures, lyrical melodies, and fantastic interplay, this album shows Høiby's flair as a composer, whilst framing the pure strength ...

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Marc Wagnon: Earth is a Cruel Master

by John Barron
April 15, 2010

It took multi-instrumentalist Mark Wagnon an entire year to record and mix Earth is a Cruel Master, an engaging collection of original jazz-rock grooves with whirlwind melodic themes and robust improvisations. Known primarily as a vibraphonist, the New York-based Wagnon also plays drums, marimba, keyboards and various percussion instruments throughout the recording. Aided by guitarist Van Manakas, electric bassist Leo Traversa and, on a couple of tunes, upright bassist Danny Stone, the disc has the raw sound of a live ...