Jazz Articles

like 328

Mike Longo Trio: Sting Like a Bee

by Jack Bowers
January 25, 2010

Mike Longo, who studied piano with Oscar Peterson and served for a number of years as Dizzy Gillespie's pianist and music director, brings that experience and more to Sting Like a Bee, the follow-up to his well-received trio session from 2007, Float Like a Butterfly (Consolidated Artists Productions). While there's a different backup crew this time, it would be hard to envision a more virtuosic or compatible duo than bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Lewis Nash. Playing with Longo for ...

like 176

Jason Adasiewicz's Rolldown: Varmint

by Raul d'Gama Rose
January 25, 2010

Vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz appears to imagine a world exploding with the most unimaginable sound possible, bringing to life what he hears in his inner ear. Varmint is brimming with the unimaginable as Adasiewicz and Rolldown, comprising of cornetist, Josh Berman, woodwinds multi-instrumentalist Aram Shelton, bassist Jason Roebke and drummer Frank Rosaly hit a wonderful groove. Together the quintet pushes open the doors of perception, letting in a bright and vibrant new idiom of jazz. The gently resonant ...

like 873

Bing Crosby: Bing Crosby: The CBS Radio Recordings 1954-56

by David Rickert
January 25, 2010

For many years, in millions of homes, singer Bing Crosby ruled the airwaves. A large chunk of the US listened to his Kraft Music Hall on a weekly basis and as a result Crosby was able to dominate the music industry (and later the movie industry) without serious rivals. Aside from developing the template for radio programs, his most notable accomplishment may have been the move from live programming to taped recordings. Understandably, after doing it for years, Crosby wanted ...

like 281

Carlos Barbosa-Lima: Merengue

by Raul d'Gama Rose
January 24, 2010

Carlos Barbosa-Lima Merengue Zoho Music 2009There is distinct nobility surrounding the virtuosity of guitarist Carlos Barbosa-Lima. His South American sojourn, Merengue, presents sweeping vistas and myriad emotions described with degrees of technical superiority only a few other musicians have achieved. Unfortunately, Barbosa-Lima's reputation has not kept pace with his magnificent musicianship. But with this disc, he makes more than a double-leap forward. Not only does Merengue do great things ...

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Bud Shank: Fascinating Rhythms

by Jack Bowers
January 24, 2010

In the Wild West, when a cowboy passed away while doing his job, whether herding cattle, branding a steer or engaging in a gunfight, the popular saying was that he “died with his boots on." The adage applies as well to renowned alto saxophonist Bud Shank, who recorded what was to be his final album, Fascinating Rhythms, at the Jazz Bakery in Culver City, CA on January 29-31, 2009--less than three months before his passing at age eighty-two after a ...

like 547

Chris Potter's Underground at The Village Vanguard, NYC

by Giovanni Russonello
January 24, 2010

Chris Potter's Underground Village Vanguard New York City January 10, 2010

Maybe there's something to be said for throwback music. It can feel comforting to hear new music laced with the crackle of an old LP, or the warm horn harmonies of a vintage gospel record. But as Gil Scott-Heron reminds us on his classic “B Movie," in politics indulging that nostalgia means “not to face now or tomorrow, but to face backwards"--stagnation in ...

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Chris Cheek / Victor Prieto: Rollo-Coaster

by Mark F. Turner
January 24, 2010

An odd couple of sorts, this union between accordion and saxophone is at once curious but proves a match made in heaven with Chris Cheek and Victor Prieto's collaborative release Rollo-Coaster. With great aplomb, they cover a wide scope of music from Tango to improvisational stints and other influences. Prieto, originally from Galicia, Spain, is fast becoming one of the premier accordionists in jazz, providing mastery and flair to recordings with singers Beat Kaestli and Tessa Souter, ...

like 633

Fire In My Bones: Raw, Rare & Otherworldly African-American Gospel 1944-2007

by C. Michael Bailey
January 24, 2010

Various Artists Fire In My Bones: Raw, Rare & Otherworldly African-American Gospel 1944-2007 Tompkins Square Records 2009 “Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay." Jeremiah 20:9 (KJV) Mention gospel ...

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Positive Catastrophe: Garabatos Volume One

by Raul d'Gama Rose
January 24, 2010

There has always been a strong case to tear down the walls that divide music in the past two hundred years--especially in the 21st century. The best case for this phenomenon has always come from forward-thinking musicians themselves. One of the best examples of this comes in the form of Positive Catastrophe, a little big band co-led by cornetist/flugelhornist Taylor Ho Bynum and percussionist/vocalist Abraham Gomez-Delgado on the appropriately titled debut, Garabatos Volume One.

The record appears to be a ...

like 164

Samo Salamon Trio: Live!

by Jerry D'Souza
January 24, 2010

Guitarist Samo Salamon has shown, through his recordings, that he is capable of pushing boundaries. His instrument is the wellspring for ideas that manifest themselves in his compositions that traverse various genres. His playing is luminous and harmonically rich, driven by the clarity of his ideas. Salamon also continues to mature as a writer. His compositions here are not only saturated with appealing melodies, they are also fertile ground for improvisation.

The number of members in Salamon's bands varies. For ...