Jazz Articles

like 352

Quintus McCormick Blues Band: Hey Jodie!

by Nic Jones
February 20, 2010

It's clear from this release that Quintus McCormick has undergone a radical change of direction in the course of his musical life. In his formative years he was by his own admission hung up on Steve Howe of Yes but it's clear that as of November of 2008 when this set was recorded the fixation had long since passed. In the meantime he's become a master of what might be called the nuances of the blues, especially with reference to ...

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Ignacio Berroa Graces the Douglas Beach House

by Bill Leikam
February 20, 2010

Ignacio BerroaBach Dancing & Dynamite Society, Douglas Beach HouseHalf Moon Bay, CaliforniaJanuary 31, 2010 Sometimes you think you've heard it all, but then something comes along to let you know that there is even more. This was clearly the case on January 31, when Cuban drummer Ignacio Berroa and his quartet, consisting of Los Angeles-based Ben Wendel on sax, Otmaro Ruiz from Venezuela on piano and Mexico-based Rene Camacho on acoustic bass. Dizzy Gillespie ...

like 271

Corona King

by Gordon Marshall
February 20, 2010

for Louis Armstrong

I saw the Satchmo's shack of brick needle stopped on record warped humble as a corona with a cognac

fixtures plated gold reflecting me, directing me to the “s'all" in early fall stilling solos beat out on the balcony,

to the pitch of jet the great one spit down the scarlet throat of the strike zone, in the kitchen, oak, lacquered ...

like 477

Sting: If on a Winter’s Night

by Nenad Georgievski
February 20, 2010

Usually, winter is seen as a time of darkness, cold, and depression; a time of solitude and sometimes dislocated isolation. It is a time of stillness when all nature sleeps and everything is subdued. But it is also a time of renewal, a cleansing and a periodic cycle before everything awakens. The winter is also time of repose and celebration centering around Christmas and the holiday season. It is no wonder that winter holidays are centered around light and songs ...

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Edward Ratliff: Those Moments Before

by Jerry D'Souza
February 20, 2010

Multi-instrumentalist Edward Ratliff brings a wide tapestry of sounds to Those Moments Before. His inspiration comes from Henry Threadgill, a funeral march, the tango, and Hong Kong movies, and he has assembled a stellar cast of musicians to help realize his ambitious canvas. The portrait he presents is a dynamic, moving one.

Ratliff is comfortable in several zones and his music proves the point with instrumental virtuosity that underscores his artistry. One of the more intriguing tracks, “Kowloon ...

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Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: The Live Anthology

by Doug Collette
February 20, 2010

Tom Petty obviously reveres his band The Heartbreakers with the feeling being mutual, as the group not only welcomes the leader back from his solo projects with Jeff Lynne and Rick Rubin, but also deigns to skillfully reinterpret the most popular material from those projects.

Improvisation takes on many forms in the hands of musicians this skilled, ranging from working with an orchestra on “Dreamville" to conjuring up a raunchy guitar intro to “American Girl," as is the way this ...

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Frank Gambale: Natural Selection

by Jack Huntley
February 20, 2010

Frank Gambale, early Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) whiz-kid and longtime guitarist in the Chick Corea Elektric Band, is known for his sweep-picking technique, fretboard virtuosity, and penchant for fusion jazz. But with his 2006 outing, Natural High (Wombat Records), and now 2010's Natural Selection, Gambale has shown off a more straight-ahead style that wonderfully couples his technical artistry with a focused, melodic swing. Aided on Natural Selection by the superb pianist, Otmaro Ruiz, and the equally interesting ...

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Sol6: Sol6

by Chris May
February 19, 2010

Sol6 Sol6 Red Note 2010

When All About Jazz first interviewed saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, in 2005, she said: “The older I get the weirder I feel the music is going to be. I have a feel of where it's going and I know it's going to get less and less commercial." The next album Laubrock released, Let's Call This.... (Babel, 2006)--with pianist Liam Noble--was an intimate, lyrical disc which was, if anything, ...

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Fabio Morgera: Neapolitan Heart

by C. Michael Bailey
February 19, 2010

Trumpeter/producer Fabio Morgera's first album release was Take One (Red Records) in 1988. Hailing from Naples and in 2010 a New York City resident, Morgera recorded several notable collections in the 1990s and 2000s. As a leader Slick (Red Records, 1999) and Colors (Red Records, 2002); as a sideman J.D. Allen's In Search Of (Red Records, 1999); and with the Red Stars collective Red Stars (Red Records, 2004). Morgera also produced In Search Of and Pablo Bobrowicky's New York Connections ...

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Tom Harrell Quintet at Dazzle Nightclub in Denver

by Geoff Anderson
February 19, 2010

Tom Harrell Quintet Dazzle Nightclub Denver, CO February 11, 2010 (First Set)

My wife arrived early for the show, before me. Most of the nearly sold out crowd had yet to arrive. The maître'd offered her a table in the front. She declined stating, “No thanks, since this is a trumpet player, I'd like to sit further back." She needn't have worried. There was little that was shrill or piercing about Tom Harrell's ...