Jazz Articles

like 234

Charnett Moffett: The Art of Improvisation

by Hrayr Attarian
March 18, 2010

Discs that focus on a single instrument are not that uncommon in jazz, but recordings focusing primarily on the bass are quite rare, even for bassists who lead their own bands. Charnett Moffett's The Art of Improvisation joins the rank of such gems as Paul Chambers's Bass on Top (Blue Note, 1957) and, in particular, Ron Carter's Piccolo (Milestone, 1977) because Moffett also plays piccolo bass, an instrument invented by Carter, on three of The Art of ...

like 329

Clogs: The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton

by John Kelman
March 18, 2010

With the digital-only EP, Veil Waltz (Brassland, 2010), neoclassicist quartet Clogs announced that it was back in action after a lengthy hiatus. But that brief collection, largely written for film, was really only a taste-whetter for The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton, Clogs' first full-length CD since Lantern (Brassland, 2006). Like Veil Waltz, Lantern presaged what was to come, but there's as much unexpected as there is familiar on The Creatures, Clogs' most ambitious project to date.

like 310

Raphael Imbert Trio: N_Y Project

by Bruce Lindsay
March 17, 2010

Bookending eleven of your own tunes with Duke Ellington's “Echoes of Harlem" and John Coltrane's “Central Park West" is a bold decision for any jazz musician to make--it's a confident statement and a risky one. On N_Y Project the decision pays off--saxophonist Raphael Imbert's compositions have their own strengths and innovations, ensuring that they stand such close comparison. The Marseille-based musician and the New York-based rhythm section also demonstrate some strong playing across this exciting collection of songs inspired by ...

like 1,113

Eddie Prevost: Looking Back, Looking Forward

by John Eyles
March 17, 2010

Drummer and percussionist Eddie Prévost was a founding member of the pioneering free-improvising group AMM, back in 1965, and has remained a member ever since. In the intervening years, AMM saw frequent personnel changes, from the early lineup of Prévost--saxophonist Lou Gare, guitarist Keith Rowe, pianist Cornelius Cardew, and cellist Lawrence Sheaff--through to the current duo of Prévost and pianist John Tilbury. Rowe left AMM in 2004 after a prolonged period of the group being a trio. Rowe gave his ...

like 633

JD Allen Trio at Bohemian Caverns, February 27, 2010

by Franz A. Matzner
March 17, 2010

J.D. Allen Trio Bohemian Caverns Washington, DC February 27, 2010Saxophonist JD Allen's music is an outgrowth of the mystical and transcendental experimentation key jazz musicians undertook in the sixties and seventies. However, unlike many contemporary performers who explore this tradition as a stylistic choice, perhaps driven by admiration for Coltrane's sound, Allen's exploration of this style is founded in his personal experience, musical direction, and deep spiritual sense.

“When I am ...

like 355

Marc Mommaas: Landmarc

by Dan McClenaghan
March 17, 2010

In an era of single tune downloads and shortened attention spans, works like Marc Mommaas' Landmarc could be on their way out, facing marketplace extinction. The Dutch-born, New York-based saxophonist has created a nine-song set with a continuity of concept and mood at a time when it's all too common for artists to mix lineups, moods and genres on their CDs, to display their versatility and/or appeal to the download customer.Mommaas is capable of fire, rage and raw ...

like 253

Cuarteto Latinoamericano + Quintet of the Americas, March 10 at Americas Society

by Ernest Barteldes
March 17, 2010

Cuarteto Latinoamericano + Quintet of the Americas Wednesday, March 10, 2010 Americas Society New York, NY

Compositions by new Mexican composers were presented at this joint appearance from the two classical/folk groups, at their first live collaboration in four years. The Cuarteto Latinoamericano (Saul Bitran, Aton Bitran and Aron Bitran: violins; Javier Montiel: viola; Alvaro Bitran: cello) opened the proceedings with Javier Alvarez's “Metro Chabacano," a lively number inspired by the cadence ...

like 248

Chris Cheek / Victor Prieto: Rollo Coaster

by Martin Gladu
March 17, 2010

Chances are you have never heard the accordion played the way Victor Prieto plays it. Indeed, much like Toots Thielemans established the harmonica in the jazz lore huffing and puffing bop lines through his teeth, Prieto breaks the glass ceiling hovering above the crown of Cyrillus Demian's patented invention, squeezing improvised airs with a technical assurance that deserves more widespread recognition.Long known for catapulting the French valse musette, the Bohemian polka, the French-Canadian reels, and the festive music ...

like 269

Shining: Blackjazz

by John Kelman
March 17, 2010

Few groups have been as inherently frightening from the get-go as art rock progenitor King Crimson, in particular tracks like “Cirkus," from Lizard (DGM Live, 1970), “The Devil's Triangle," from In the Wake of Poseidon (DGM Live, 1970) and, perhaps most iconically, “21st Century Schizoid Man," the opening track to the group's opening salvo, In the Court of the Crimson King (DGM Live, 1969). It's no coincidence that Norway's Shining has chosen to end Blackjazz with an even more terrifying, ...

like 220

Oran Etkin: Kelenia

by Hrayr Attarian
March 17, 2010

Exposure to traditional African music is limited in the western hemisphere so it is always a pleasant surprise when a recording is released, especially when it is a solid, well above average effort. Clarinetist and saxophonist Oran Etkin has fused Malian music with elements of improvisation and jazz in his debut, Kelenia. This is not just mere pastiche but a successful melding of musical genres into a work that maintains a strong traditional identity while solidly remaining ...