Jazz Articles

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Deborah Brown Sings a Tribute to Duke Ellington Vocalist Ivie Anderson, Amsterdam

by Guy Zinger
January 1, 2010

Bimhuis Amsterdam, Netherlands December 17th, 2009

Remembering her father's trombone, Deborah Brown used her dark and somewhat husky voice as a perfect musical instrument with brass-like gestures to paint a beautiful picture. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Brown has made a name for herself with appearances around the world and many albums. This concert was full of admiration and respect for the incomparable bluesy voice of Ivie Anderson who, though forgotten by many, is ...

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John Medeski: Mad Science

by Graham L. Flanagan
January 1, 2010

The sight of John Medeski performing on stage--his brow furrowed by intense concentration--can be intimidating. Armed with an arsenal of instruments both traditional and unconventional, he concocts sonic combinations most listeners would never have otherwise conceived. It's obvious that he's there to work--not play. Like a mad scientist who's been stuck in his lab for months, Medeski proudly shows off the results of his experiments, making the listener sit up and take notice...perhaps even notes. The doctor is in session.

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AAJ's Top 15 Interviews of 2009

by AAJ Staff
December 31, 2009

With nearly 150 interviews published in 2009, AAJ continues to provide the most extensive jazz coverage on the web. We also expanded our interview coverage to include, for those surrounding new CD releases: associated Daily Download tracks; accompanying CD reviews; contest giveaways; and more.

As always, AAJ provided coverage of well-known artists like Sonny Rollins, Steve Kuhn, Marian McPartland and Jim Hall, as well as artists deserving of broader recognition like Britain's Portico Quartet and Tim ...

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Timucin Sahin: Bafa

by Raul d'Gama Rose
December 31, 2009

It might have been easy to attribute it all to Ornette Coleman. Had he not recorded with quartets that did not include pianos the chances are not many musicians would have had the gumption to structure their quartets likewise. He then went and recorded Song X, one of his most progressive Harmolodic recordings that preceded his Primetime catalogue. The language of saxophone-guitar dialogues has never been the same after Coleman's legendary Harmolodic duels with Pat Metheny. There is a chance ...

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The Jazz Session: Oh, The Places You'll Go!

by Jason Crane
December 31, 2009

It's been quite a year for The Jazz Session, my online jazz interview show: passing 300,000 downloads (and a few thousand away from 400,000 as I write this); forming a partnership with All About Jazz; adding more episodes per week; launching Facebook and Twitter pages; and just generally taking things up a level or two. I can't write a “best episodes of the year" roundup of my own show, at least not without feeling sketchy about it, so I thought ...

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The Four Freshmen: The Four Freshmen and Live Trombones

by Robert J. Robbins
December 31, 2009

Over six decades ago, four undergraduates at Indiana's Butler University first joined their voices in song as The Four Freshmen and, in 1950, the quartet was heard by Stan Kenton, on whose trombone section the “Frosh" had modeled their sound. Kenton immediately demanded that the group be signed by his label, Capitol, and began an association which lasted over fifteen years. During that time, the Four Freshmen blossomed into a vocal group whose influence ranged from the Beach Boys to ...

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Rez Abbasi: Things To Come

by Glenn Astarita
December 31, 2009

With his sixth outing as a leader, Pakistani-American guitar hero Rez Abbasi continues to reinvent himself, both musically and ideologically. He intertwines the quest for growth with a sense of humanity on this compelling release. Interspersed with ceremonious Eastern song-forms, Abbasi helps turn a new leaf on the sometimes staid, progressive-jazz realm. Featuring the highly-regarded and supremely talented frontline of saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa and pianist Vijay Iyer, the program is laid out with a largely oscillating pulse, comprised of soaring, ...

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Preservation Hall Jazz Band Brings Creole Christmas to the University of Pennsylvania

by Wade Luquet
December 31, 2009

Preservation Hall Jazz Band: Creole Christmas Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA December, 12, 2009

For jazz enthusiasts, December often brings opportunities to hear their favorite bands playing Christmas-spirited tunes that bring in the holiday season. This was certainly the case for the 950 devoted listeners who had the pleasure of experiencing the Preservation Hall Jazz Band at the Annenberg Center for the Performing ...

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Ocote Soul Sounds: The Ocote Way

by James Taylor
December 30, 2009

Ocote Soul Sound is the brainchild of two incredibly accomplished musicians, who continue to operate just under the radar;one more project to occupy the diminishingly available time of guitarist Adrian Quesada and flautist Martin Perna. With roots in the otherworldly grooves of label mates and benefactors Thievery Corporation, Ocote Soul Sounds' Coconut Rock (ESL, 2009), builds on the band's “Chicanos in Outer Space" groove by adding a cinematic quality reminiscent of David Axelrod, Weather Report and other fusion era powerhouses.

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Paul Rutherford: Tetralogy (1978-82)

by John Eyles
December 30, 2009

As Joni Mitchell wrote, you don't what you've got till it's gone. So it has proved with legendary trombonist and euphonium player Paul Rutherford. A massive void has been left since his sudden death in August 2007. Sad to think we'll never see his walrus moustache and distinctive red braces again, listen to his ever-sensible views on the state of the world or hear him live as he conjures an affecting solo performance from thin air. That is why this ...