Jazz Articles

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Empty Cage Quartet: Gravity

by Troy Collins
December 20, 2009

Widely admired for its intricate mathematical construction, the Mayan calendar is far more than just a lightning rod for misguided prophets predicting the end of the world; it is also the source of inspiration for Gravity, the fourth studio recording from the young West Coast-based Empty Cage Quartet.

The album consists of two extended compositions, which are broken into sections and alternated throughout the session. “Gravity" and “Tzolkien" rely on combinations of pitch palindromes and symmetrical harmonic and rhythmic sequences ...

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Bebel Gilberto at The Hiro Ballroom, NYC

by Ernest Barteldes
December 20, 2009

Bebel Gilberto Hiro Ballroom New York, New York November 25, 2009

Playing in celebration of her latest release before a large crowd of dedicated fans, Bebel Gilberto took the stage at Downtown Manhattan's Hiro Ballroom backed by a tight four-piece band, kicking off the set with “Aganju," a Carlinhos Brown-penned tune from her 2004 self-titled album (Six Degrees). The song was played in a much slower tempo than the original studio ...

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Nick La Riviere: Too Much To Do

by Raul d'Gama Rose
December 20, 2009

The warmth of the trombone as a brass instrument is astounding. Masters of the instrument such as Roswell Rudd, Slide Hampton, Steve Turre, Ray Anderson and Papo Vazquez give this wondrous instrument a near-human voice using smears and growls, groans and sighs. Canada is suddenly becoming a breeding ground for fine young instrumentalists who are adding to the instrument's language and literature: Torontonian Christian Overton, who leads the Composers' Collective Big Band; Montreal's Jean Nicholas Trottier, who fronts an amazing, ...

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Pirai Vaca At Americas Society, NYC

by Ernest Barteldes
December 20, 2009

Pirai Vaca Americas Society New York, New York December 2, 2009

Playing in an intimate setting before a crowded room in New York's Upper East Side, Bolivian-born Pirai Vaca took the stage for his solo acoustic guitar performance with no more than a studio microphone before him as he kicked off his first set with the Paraguayan dance “Chopi," a tune mostly played on the instrument's bass strings.

From the onset, ...

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Mike Keneally: Scambot 1

by John Kelman
December 20, 2009

If there's anyone carrying on Frank Zappa's legacy today, it's Mike Keneally. A monster guitarist, capable of shredding with the best of them, for many that would be enough. Keneally may have played in Zappa's last touring group before the legendary satirist/composer/guitarist died, too young, in 1993--sharing an equally eclectic, unfettered and label-less view of what music can and should be--but it would be unfair to suggest he sounds anything like the man who was an early mentor. In the ...

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Alec Haavik Friction Guzheng: Fusion With A Chinese Flair

by Jenn Chan Lyman
December 20, 2009

Alec HaavikJZ ClubShanghaiDecember, 3rd, 2009In an interview a few months ago, local Shanghai sax machine Alec Haavik mentioned his desire to include more Chinese elements into his band, Friction Seven, which plays regularly at JZ Club on Thursday nights. On Thursday, December 3rd, JZ was abuzz with tons of people anticipating Alec Haavik Friction Guzheng, a union of Chinese traditional guzheng with Haavik-style jazz fusion. The set list included songs that Haavik has written for ...

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Umbrella Music Festival 2009

by A. Henkin
December 20, 2009

Umbrella Music FestivalChicago, ILNovember 5-8, 2009 If jazz is to survive in a modern world without the support of major labels or corporate funding, it will be through the efforts of organizations like Umbrella Music, “a group of Chicago-based musicians and presenters working together to provide concert opportunities for creative and improvising musicians." Residents of the Windy City are treated to three weekly series at venues Elastic, the Hideout, and the Hungry Brain featuring local and visiting ...

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Arturo O'Farrill: Risa Negra

by Woodrow Wilkins
December 20, 2009

It's been said that music is universal. Pianist Arturo O'Farrill takes the concept a step further, bringing an ensemble representative of the universe known as Earth. O'Farrill won the 2009 Grammy in the Latin Jazz category for Song for Chico (Zoho, 2008), which also earned him the Best Latin Jazz Album award from Jazz Journalists Association. For Risa Negra, he brings in a diverse ensemble of musicians, representing the Caribbean, Midwestern United States, Latin America, Russia and India. ...

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Seamus Blake: Bellwether

by Robert Dugan
December 19, 2009

This is a great period for tenor players, with some of the best in our midst: Chris Potter, Jimmy Greene, Donny McCaslin, Marcus Strickland, and Seamus Blake, among others. Surfacing in the Mingus Big Band during the nineties, Blake's aggressive edginess was impressive in a group which took no prisoners. The tenor saxophonist more than held his own. Recently, he seems to be refining and elaborating his improvisational style while further developing his compositional skills.

With Bellwether, Blake brings a ...

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Duane Eubanks at The Turning Point Cafe

by David A. Orthmann
December 19, 2009

Duane Eubanks The Turning Point Café Piermont, NY November 7, 2009

In the middle of Duane Eubanks's trumpet solo on “Recorda Me," the set's second selection, the music suddenly moved beyond an aggregation of interesting individual performances. It was the first of many transcendent moments in which the band jelled and everything felt just right. This transformation originated in the rhythm section. Electric pianist Spike Wilner, bassist Chris Haney, and drummer Eliot Zigmund began ...