Jazz Articles

like 336

Bobby Sanabria: Kenya Revisited LIVE!!! (feat. Candido)

by Graham L. Flanagan
January 10, 2010

Led by percussionist Bobby Sanabria, the Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra delivers a worthy tribute to one of the greatest AfroCuban jazz recordings ever made: Machito's Kenya. Recorded in 1957, Kenya exists for many as one of the essential albums of its kind. It's absolutely appropriate that, more than half a century later, someone should honor its legacy with a live performance. The Afro-Cuban Orchestra proves to be worthy of tackling such a massive endeavor. ...

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Kalle Kalima / Ed Schuller / Ernst Bier: Jazz Parasites: Very Early

by Marc Medwin
January 10, 2010

Parasites is an international trio that has been in existence for over five years. Drummer Ernst Bier and bassist Ed Schuller's long-fostered musical partnership is evident throughout, resulting in an airtight but loosely swinging rhythmic feel, no matter what the context. Similarly, guitarist Kalle Kalima demonstrates his diverse influences while never falling victim to them. He'll introduce a certain flexibility of vibrato or a delicate turn of phrase or change of dynamic that is beholden to none. ...

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Roberto Occhipinti Trio Redefines Saturday Afternoons at Toronto Pub

by Neal Colgrass
January 9, 2010

Roberto Occhipinti TrioDora Keogh PubToronto, CanadaDecember 19, 2009

Hilario Duran and Roberto Occhipinti

Few world-class jazz trios play at neighborhood pubs. But Toronto has lost two of its most popular venues--goodbye Top O' the Senator; au revoir Montreal Bistro--and several smaller places are helping to kick-start the scene. Why not a cozy bar that bills itself as being “authentic Irish"?

Teenage dancers were leaving the Dora Keogh pub after a Celtic ...

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Tom Hamilton / Bruce Eisenbeil: Shadow Machine

by John Sharpe
January 9, 2010

Guitarist Bruce Eisenbeil continues to push beyond the outer reaches of the guitar universe, building on the work of pioneers like Derek Bailey and Fred Frith. His career trajectory takes him ever farther from the jazz mother lode, and his last outing--on Totem>'s Solar Forge (ESP, 2008)--stretched the boundaries of the guitar power trio to breaking point. Before that he had a series of fine releases to his name on the CIMP label, as well as appearances with Cecil Taylor ...

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Mostly Other People Do the Killing: Forty Fort

by Dan McClenaghan
January 9, 2010

Irreverent devils, aren't they, these four guys who make up the piano-less quartet called Mostly Other People Do the Killing (MOPDtK)? This is Our Moosic (Hot Cup Records, 2008) was a play on Ornette Coleman's This Is Our Music (Atlantic, 1960) in title and with the cover photo and design. Forty Fort sports a cover laid out to look like one of the the classic Impulse! Records albums of the same time period. And then there's the music.With ...

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Samo Salamon Trio: Live!

by Bruce Lindsay
January 9, 2010

Guitar, drums and tuba may not be one of jazz music's classic combinations, but on Live! Slovenian guitarist Samo Salamon's trio shows that such a line-up can deliver creative, tight and engaging performances that are easily a match for more traditional ensembles. Salamon is a prolific musician, whose history includes work with John Scofield, Josh Roseman and Gerald Cleaver, among many others, and he has released nine albums as leader. Live! features ten of his compositions--many of ...

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Torrie Zito: A Retrospective

by Nick Catalano
January 9, 2010

The extraordinary career of composer/arranger/pianist Torrie Zito provides an opportunity to reconsider the criteria by which we evaluate musical achievement. Because Zito attained his heights primarily as an orchestra writer, scholars need to examine his achievements alongside those of Ravel, Debussy and Faure who received plaudits for their work as classical composers. And although Zito created music akin to these artists who, he once acknowledged, were his chief influences, he failed to receive serious critical merit because his genre was ...

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Mike Clark: Blueprints of Jazz, Vol. 1

by Dan Bilawsky
January 9, 2010

When Mike Clark's name comes up in conversation, most people recall his brilliant playing and funk fusion grooves on Herbie Hancock's Thrust (Columbia/Legacy, 1974). While “Actual Proof" and a slew of other terrific tracks have cemented Clark's reputation as a drummer with chops to spare, this particular period of his musical life has often pigeonholed him. Blueprints of Jazz, Vol. 1 will alter this perception as he demonstrates why, throughout his storied career, he has been a first call drummer ...

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Atomic: Retrograde

by Lloyd N. Peterson Jr.
January 9, 2010

Every time I have the opportunity to attend a performance by Atomic, I find myself asking, how does a band this dynamic and creative miss the radar on so many different media and industry levels? If the Miles Davis Quintet with Tony Williams, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter and Herbie Hancock could have rocked, they would have been the brilliant and ass-kicking Atomic. If they were from New York, my peers would be drooling at the opportunity to discover the arrival ...

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Linda Oh Trio: Entry

by Mark F. Turner
January 8, 2010

First appearances and sounds can be deceiving. Linda Oh's petite stature defies the muscularity that her instrument emanates--a knotty booming bass that's at once authoritative and free flowing, delivered with momentum and zest. And like the well-noted arcos of Charles Mingus, Dave Holland and Charlie Haden, Oh already has the traits to become a noteworthy player and leader, as witnessed on Entry. Born in Malaysia, raised in Australia, and living in New York, Oh's extensive training included ...