Jazz Articles

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Danilo Pérez: Things to Come: 21st Century Dizzy

by Alain Londes
April 7, 2010

Danilo PérezKoerner HallToronto, ONMarch 27, 2010 Danilo Pérez was part of Dizzy Gillespie's United Nations Orchestra back in 1989 and is now firmly established as a pianist in his own right. In tribute to one of bebop's pioneers, he brought a multicultural program entitled “Things To Come: 21st Century Dizzy" to the halls of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, accompanied by tenor saxophonist David Sanchez, alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, trumpeter Amir ElSaffar, percussionist ...

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Dave Liebman / Evan Parker / Tony Bianco: Relevance

by Mark Corroto
April 7, 2010

It is hard to imagine that these two saxophone titans, Dave Liebman and Evan Parker, had never met on stage before this 2008 concert at The Vortex in London. Both are innovators with a distinct, almost larger than life sound and they combine forces to make this meeting very special.

Back in the 1970s, Liebman was chosen by Miles Davis to help drive the trumpeter's sound on recordings like On The Corner (Columbia, 1972), Dark Magus (Columbia, 1974), ...

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Dave Glasser: Evolution

by Dan Bilawsky
April 7, 2010

Alto saxophonist Dave Glasser might have been born at the wrong time. While he is performing and recording some terrific music in the 21st century, his stylistic preferences lean heavily on the music of the 1940s and '50s. Glasser spent ample time over the past two-plus decades performing with Clark Terry, Illinois Jacquet, and Barry Harris, learning about this music from the men who were there. While he continues to use this knowledge on the bandstand, he also pays it ...

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Amir ElSaffar / Hafez Modirzadeh: Radif Suite

by Stuart Broomer
April 7, 2010

This is an illuminating meeting between musicians who share similar cultural background and creative directions. Trumpeter Amir ElSaffar is an Iraqi-American whose work has fused elements of jazz and the maqam music of Iraq. His CD-length suite from 2007, Two Rivers, was a triumph of synthesis and vision. Tenor saxophonist Hafez Modirzadeh is an older Iranian-American who has worked with jazz forms and Persian dastgah to develop his own tonal system that he dubs “chromodal," suggesting perhaps the “harmolodics" of ...

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Steve Swallow / Ohad Talmor / Adam Nussbaum: Playing in Traffic

by Lyn Horton
April 7, 2010

Recorded at the 2008 Xopana Festival in Madeira, Portugal, Playing in Traffic begins with its title tune and a rhythmic walking line from electric bassist Steve Swallow's nimble fingers. Drummer Adam Nussbaum follows with rapid stick and brushwork and tenor saxophonist Ohad Talmor folds into the rhythm with precise staccato phrases. This bouncy cut introduces a body of music that becomes nostalgically tuneful, simultaneously demonstrating focus and integrity. Talmor is a master at making melody his subject ...

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Fats Waller: Fats Waller on the Air 1938 Broadcasts

by Ken Dryden
April 7, 2010

Fats Waller was one of the top Harlem stride pianists as well as a prolific composer. Waller discographer Stephen Taylor uncovered 15 unreleased tracks in his quest to remaster several of Waller's 1938 broadcasts for this compilation. Three separate broadcasts are heard in complete form. The first is a studio session featuring Fats Waller and His Rhythm. Even without an audience, Waller acts as if he is in a nightclub, with his customary ad lib commentary. Unlike ...

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Paul Klinefelter: Night Mood

by Dan McClenaghan
April 7, 2010

Connoisseurs of jazz trios led by pianists may be familiar with bassist Paul Klinefelter's contribution to Ron Thomas's superb Music in Three Parts (Art of Life Records, 2006). That particular piano trio outing, one of that year's finest, featured Klinefelter's big bass sound interacting in a three-way Zen dance with pianist Thomas and the extraordinary drummer Joe Mullen. Night Mood, by contrast, finds Klinefelter in the leader's seat on a set that mixes styles and shifts line-ups on a polished, ...

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The Nels Cline Singers: Initiate

by Troy Collins
April 6, 2010

Called “The World's Most Dangerous Guitarist" by Jazz Times and named one of twenty “Guitar Gods" by Rolling Stone, Nels Cline's profile has expanded considerably since his collaborations with underground personalities like Thurston Moore and Mike Watt and recruitment by Wilco in 2004. Cline's roots in the West Coast jazz scene pre-date his newfound mainstream recognition however, dating back to the mid-1970s.

Initiate is the fourth release from The Nels Cline Singers, Cline's versatile ten-year old power trio ...

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Ulf Wakenius: Signature Edition 2

by John Kelman
April 6, 2010

For the second in its Signature Edition compilations, dedicated to--and selected by--its vanguard artists, ACT profiles a guitarist who only became an exclusive artist in 2005, with the release of his homage to pianist Keith Jarrett--Notes From the Heart--but whose career truly demands retrospection and reevaluation. Unlike Signature Edition 1's fusion guitarist Nguyên Lê, who has released nearly a dozen labels for Siggi Loch's German label, Swedish six-stringer Ulf Wakenius has, in addition to a handful of ACT guest appearances, ...

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Martin Taylor's Spirit of Django: Last Train to Hauteville

by John Barron
April 6, 2010

Often, tribute recordings are nothing more than a way to get over to a wider audience by exploiting the innovations and persona of past musical giants. When done with sincerity, however, a tribute captures the essence of the honoree while eschewing mimicry and blatant commercial intent. Such is the case with Last Train to Hauteville, a lively outing by Scottish guitar virtuoso Martin Taylor and his Spirit of Django ensemble. The acclaimed ensemble was formed by Taylor in 1994 to ...