Jazz Articles

like 323

Zevious: After the Air Raid

by John Kelman
January 6, 2010

Amidst a legion of guitarists for whom chops is the end not the means, there's an alternate group of players with unrelenting skill and an avoidance of the “look at me" posing that seems endemic to the instrument, especially when it comes to more aggressive, rock-centric playing. Ben Monder's remarkable Oceana (Sunnyside), one of 2005's best albums, couldn't have been performed by a guitarist with anything less than complete mastery of his instrument, yet avoided any posturing front man mannerisms. ...

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C. Michael Bailey's Top 10 Best Releases of 2009

by C. Michael Bailey
January 6, 2010

Ten of them. Here they are: Martial SolalLive at the Village Vanguard: I Can't Give You Anything But LoveCam JazzMartial Solal is a nuclear physicist of the piano. He tinkers with the subatomic structure of compositions, moving elements around, pulling them apart, and smashing them together in ways that both surprise and delight...continue. Enrico PieranunziEnrico Pieranunzi Plays Domenico ScarlattiCam JazzItalian jazz pianist Enrico ...

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Dave Rempis / Frank Rosaly: Cyrillic

by Troy Collins
January 5, 2010

Since 2004, the duo of saxophonist Dave Rempis and drummer Frank Rosaly has committed to exploring the textural, tonal and rhythmic possibilities of spontaneous improvisation, drawing upon a rich legacy of similar pairings for its studio debut, Cyrillic. Chicago scene regulars whose congenial rapport has been honed in The Rempis Percussion Quartet and The Ingebrigt Haker Flaten Quintet, Rempis and Rosaly's studied interplay lends even the most threadbare of skeletal themes a sense of foresight, making this fully improvised session ...

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Eric Harland: Searching the Patterns in Life

by John Patten
January 5, 2010

Drummer Eric Harland is between gigs, just back from a dates and clinics in Japan and getting ready to head to Europe. He's got new recordings out with several bands-- including the Charles Lloyd Quartet, The Monterey Quartet with Dave Holland and Jason Moran--and a handful of compositions to get recorded with his own group.But then, in a way, this was foretold by an eight year-old Harland to his mother. --->“She said I told ...

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Larry Carlton: Greatest Hits Recorded Volume One

by John Kelman
January 5, 2010

Since emerging as a ubiquitous session ace--his sweet tone and lyrical bent creating some of the 1970s' most definitive guitar solos for artists including The Crusaders, Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell--Larry Carlton has combined unerring melodic instincts and stunning harmonic knowledge into a discography as accessible as it is deep. For some, he's veered too close to the border of smooth jazz--crossing over, even--but get past the easygoing rhythms and changes, and there's far more than meets the eye. Not ...

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Niu's 1st International Bangkok Jazz Festival, Dec. 11-12, 2009

by Ian Patterson
January 5, 2010

Niu's 1st International Bangkok Jazz Festival Baan Silom, Bangkok.

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Joe McPhee: Alto

by Lyn Horton
January 5, 2010

It takes a certain amount of confidence for a musician to stand alone on a stage or in a recording studio and play an instrument. One of the few masters of jazz reed instruments, Joe McPhee still proceeds to make music as if for the first time. He is a master of the instruments he plays because, like an athlete, he maintains the physical chops as well as an openness to the application of the musical vocabulary he has cultivated ...

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Ithamara Koorax: Bim Bom - The Complete Joao Gilberto Songbook

by Raul d'Gama Rose
January 5, 2010

Ithamara Koorax Bim Bom: The Complete João Gilberto Songbook Motema Records 2009 Jo&#227o Gilberto did not just epitomize bossa nova, “The New Thing" that he virtually invented, but he also brought his new, laconic vocal style to Brazilian music. So deeply passionate and idiosyncratic was his pronounciation and intonation that he could wail and groan with equal lyricism. Pitch did not seem to matter as mood and emotion often took precedence ...

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Grutronic: Essex Foam Party

by Glenn Astarita
January 5, 2010

Grutronic is a free improvising collective, featuring musicians spanning progressive jazz, free jazz and experimental persuasions. On Essex Foam Party, the core electronics-based quartet aligns with special guests, vibraphonist Orphy Robinson and sampler Paul Obermayer. With liquefying, trickling and ping ponging effects, the musicians implement analog and digital equipment to play with tricks with the psyche, offering some curiously intriguing propositions along the way.

At times the band draws similarities to the minimalistic and edgy facets witnessed within ...

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Seamus Blake: Bellwether

by Woodrow Wilkins
January 5, 2010

SSome albums are named for a time, a place, an experience, or even a person. Others have a concept. Saxophonist Seamus Blake takes on concept with Bellwether, a term for leader or trendsetter. Born in England and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Blake has gained recognition by Down Beat and JazzTimes magazines, and finished first in the 2002 Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition. His associations include Mark Turner, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Larry Grenadier and Victor Lewis. For Bellwether, Blake is accompanied ...