Jazz Articles

like 387

Pure Music: Zakir Hussain & Shivkumar Sharma in Paris

by David Miller
January 8, 2010

Zakir Hussain & Shivkumar SharmaSalle PleyelParis, FranceDecember 12, 2009Indian classical music is all about moods and feelings. It would be possible to describe an otherworldly interplay between Zakir Hussain and Shivkumar Sharma bordering on telepathy. Or to call attention to the sheer virtuosity with which these two extraordinary musicians played, and the way their technical mastery made everything seem so simple. Or to portray their great humility in confronting the sound problems that plagued them ...

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Monkadelphia at Chris' Jazz Cafe

by Victor L. Schermer
January 8, 2010

MonkadelphiaChris' Jazz CaféPhiladelphiaJanuary 2, 2010

This reviewer decided to kick off the New Year jazz season by going to hear Monkadelphia at Chris' Jazz Café. Recently, he has been immersed in Robin D.G. Kelley's excellent new biography, Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original (Free Press, 2009); he also is a fan of Monkadelphia, a group of Philadelphia-based musicians who render Monk's tunes with their own panache, driving force and creative improvisations. ...

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Eldad Tarmu: Songs for the Queen of Bohemia

by Raul d'Gama Rose
January 8, 2010

In January 2009, Los Angeles-born, Romanian vibraphonist, Eldad Tarmu took his Chamber Jazz Ensemble, featuring Israeli drummer Yoni Halevy and the Timisoara String Quartet, on tour with a superb new symphonic poem, Songs for the Queen of Bohemia. It has been on record almost since then, but sadly has not received the attention it deserves. Admittedly the world of music is becoming a crowded place, but this music deserves to be taken much more seriously. The music ...

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Ergo: Multitude, Solitude

by Glenn Astarita
January 8, 2010

Keyboardist Carl Maguire is a multifaceted artiste, often-heralded for his work in various jazz-related formats for Between The Lines, MoonJune Records and other progressive record labels. On this trio's second CD, Maguire, trombonist/computer operator Brett Sroka and drummer Shawn Baltazor spawn an experimental muse, where rigid definitions or categorizations, justifiably fall flat. Essentially, the respective artists rely on synergy and intuition to get the job done. And that is a good thing, since the cutting-edge aspects translate into an endearing ...

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Joe McPhee at Cafe Oto, London

by John Sharpe
January 8, 2010

Joe McPhee Cafe Oto London, England December 11, 2009

When the eerie vocalized wail first manifested itself, the audience was left looking for the source. But it quickly became apparent that, even though his facial expression didn't betray the burden, saxophonist Joe McPhee was generating the noise at the same time as extracting multiphonic timbres from his soprano saxophone. McPhee's throat singing added an emotionally charged dimension to his already deeply soulful ...

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Take Five With Charley Langer

by AAJ Staff
January 8, 2010

Meet Charley Langer:Intelligent smooth jazz. Think “Phil Woods meets Boney James." So far, the reviews are very positive:

“Charley Langer doesn't waste these tracks. If you take the time to listen, each one reveals a different side of his musical personality... What we see here is a jazz musician as jack of all trades, and a darn good one, to boot."--Dan MacIntosh, Indie-Music.com; critic for CMJ, Paste, and Spin.

A classically-trained saxophonist, Charley developed his technique under such ...

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Gabriel Riesco Project: Sculptures in Time

by Edward Blanco
January 8, 2010

Spanish guitarist Gabriel Riesco leads his GRProject quintet on their second album, Sculptures in Time, presenting a challenging selection of original modern and fusion-like jazz diced with elements of Latin and a splattering of smooth jazz. Billed as a jazz/samba and fusion guitarist, Riesco's guitar style compares quite nicely to Pat Metheny, though their approaches are different. Riesco gleamed his experience with fusion as a member of the international jazz-fusion band Global Grooves, and immersed himself in Latin music when ...

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Part 6 - Brooklyn's Akoya Afrobeat

by Chris May
January 7, 2010

Akoya AfrobeatP.D.P. President Dey PassAfrobomb Music2008 Among the spin-off benefits which are following the success of the hit Broadway musical Fela!, and the attendant media interest in Afrobeat, is the revitalization of the Brooklyn band Akoya Afrobeat. Formed in 2002, Akoya was off radar for much of 2009, while its members were involved in other projects, but it is once again performing regularly in the New York area. Which makes this ...

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Bengt Berger: Beches Brew

by Raul d'Gama Rose
January 7, 2010

There is vorticist movement in percussion colorist Bengt Berger's music. Like a whirling fluid mass slingshot around the world--although anchored in the broad folks forms of Swedish music--it sucks in the dancing and chanting, moaning and prancing rhythmic Hindustani and Carnatic music of India and West Africa, especially that of Ghana. And it is all here on Beches Brew, one of the most spectacular records to come out of Europe in 2009. The music is sophisticated and lurid, downright earthy ...

like 234

Vicki Burns: Live at Anna's Jazz Island

by Jeff Winbush
January 7, 2010

Is it possible to love jazz and not possess the restless spirit of discovery? Probably not. Jazz is a restless art forum and, while it respects it's rich and varied history, it always welcomes talented young bloods to renew and replenish the pool of talent.Vicki Burns isn't a widely known jazz singer--yet. Some honcho at a record label needs to download Live at Anna's Jazz Island--currently only available as a digital download--and lock her up to a contract. ...