Jazz Articles

like 232

Ergo: Multitude, Solitude

by John Kelman
January 4, 2010

As jazz leans away from characteristics that so defined its earliest days, groups are emerging with unorthodox instrumental combinations, fleshed out by the vast potential of technological soundscaping. Ergo, at its core, seems as unconventional as they get--trombone, keyboards, drums--creating music that wouldn't have been possible before relatively recent innovations in sound processing and sampling/looping. Its 2005 indie debut, Quality Anatomechanical Music Since 2005, received significant critical acclaim, making its follow-up on the better-distributed Cuneiform label a sure bet for ...

like 572

Back in the Saddle Again...Sort Of

by Jack Bowers
January 4, 2010

After an absence of more than 45 years, your correspondent returned to the airwaves on December 15, 2009 co-hosting a three-hour program of big-band holiday music on KSFR-FM in Santa Fe, NM. I was invited to share a part of my CD library by Arlen Asher, one of New Mexico's finest jazz musicians, who has been hosting the weekly Tuesday morning show for several years.

Broadcasting is rather like riding a bicycle; one never quite forgets how to do it, ...

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Yuri Goloubev: Metafore Semplici

by Ian Patterson
January 4, 2010

After twelve years as principal bassist in the world renowned chamber orchestra Moscow Soloists, where he played with the likes of Mstislav Rostropovich, Vedim Repim and James Galway, Russian Yuri Goloubev made the bold move of abandoning the classical world, relocating to Italy and dedicating himself entirely to jazz. It hasn't worked out too badly, for in half a dozen years his rich, full tone and outstanding arco playing has graced forty recordings. Goloubev's third release as leader, Metafora Semplici, ...

like 557

Sun Ra Quartet in Italy, 1978

by Robert Dugan
January 4, 2010

The poet T.S. Eliot said “Mankind cannot take too much reality." Some people feel the same about keyboard player, bandleader and composer Sun Ra. Approaching Ra's output, both concert and studio recordings, can be daunting even for the initiated. Because the music was originally released in haphazard fashion, and has gone in and out of print on often obscure labels, it may seem near impossible to keep track of, let alone wrap your mind around. Some believe the work is ...

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Larry McKenna: Profile

by Victor L. Schermer
January 4, 2010

Tenor saxophonist Larry McKenna could well deserve a place among giants like Lester Young, Stan Getz, and Zoot Sims as a lyrical player whose artistry, precision, and interpretive capacities almost always exceed expectation. As Philadelphia DJ Bob Perkins states, in his liner notes to McKenna's Profile, “With Larry, the quality goes in before the McKenna name goes on."

A highly sought after and experienced musician--touring with Woody Herman and accompanying vocalists including Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett, Mel Tormé, and Frank ...

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Resonance Big Band: Plays Tribute to Oscar Peterson

by Raul d'Gama Rose
January 4, 2010

Resonance Big Band's Plays Tribute to Oscar Peterson is a true tribute. Here is an artistic offering made in reverential regard to the great pianist, Oscar Peterson. It is something fresh and inviting and eminently deserving of high praise--for George Klabin, who conceived of it, and a magnificent big band that brings the spirit of Peterson to life. Much of this has to do with the wonderful ideas of its arrangers--Bill Cunliffe, Kuno Schmid and Claus Ogerman. There is also ...

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David Gibson: A Little Somethin'

by Edward Blanco
January 4, 2010

With his fourth album as leader, New York-based trombonist David Gibson shows why he has become such a vital player and musical force, providing A Little Somethin' to think about. This Thelonious Monk Award-winning trombonist also brings his skills as a composer and arranger to bear, delivering five creative originals among the nine-piece repertoire that features a wealth of musical styles, ranging from straight-ahead and funky to modern and a taste of classical.

Gibson shares the front line with alto ...

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Gwilym Simcock: It's All Just Music

by Ian Patterson
January 4, 2010

Pianist/composer Gwilym Simcock has achieved a lot in a short time. His debut album as leader, Perception (Basho, 2007) was roundly praised as heralding the arrival of a significant new talent. Prior to that Simcock had captured attention for lighting up Bill Bruford's Earthworks, Tim Garland's Lighthouse Trio and Malcolm Creese's Acoustic Triangle. Awards and commissions began to roll in accompanied by a certain amount of hype; Chick Corea labeled him a “creative ...

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Evan Parker: House Full Of Floors

by Mark Corroto
January 3, 2010

For three stalwarts of the British improvising scene, saxophonist Evan Parker, guitarist John Russell, and bassist John Edwards, getting together for an improvised recording was as natural as three old friends meeting for a round of golf, or possibly a hike in the countryside.

Their approach to music making and improvisation is openly conversant and comfortably natural and their lack of pretension is an admirable characteristic of this recording. Sonically rich, the session was recorded at St. Peter's ...

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Medeski, Martin & Wood: Radiolarians - The Evolutionary Set

by Doug Collette
January 3, 2010

Medeski Martin & WoodRadiolarians: The Evolutionary SetIndirecto Records2009 Medeski, Martin & Wood is always going a little further, whether it's in the course of a live performance, a studio recording or the aesthetics of its music. Accordingly, Radiolarians: The Evolutionary Set is both metaphor for the group's restless ambition and a tangible product of it. This box set of five CDs, a double set of vinyl LPs and a ...