Jazz Articles

like 234

Garrison Fewell: Variable Density Sound Orchestra

by Lyn Horton
December 10, 2009

For the descriptively-titled Variable Density Sound Orchestra, guitarist Garrison Fewell has assembled a group whose members expertly develop the thematic content central to the pieces on the album. All but one are composed by Fewell, the disc closing with Butch Morris' “Namthini's Shadow." Trumpeter Roy Campbell, Jr. plays with Fewell for the first time here, the rest of the ensemble consisting of second guitarist Eric Hofbauer, reedist Achille Succi, bassist John Voigt, drummer Mike Matsuki and percussionist Alex Fewell, who ...

like 334

Thelonious Monk: Thelonious Monk

by Chris Kompanek
December 10, 2009

The remastered Monk is actually two mini-sets melded into one with the first quintet consisting of the underrated trumpeter Ray Copeland, tenor saxophonist Frank Foster and bassist Curly Russell, with the legendary Art Blakey holding it all together on drums. These first four tracks (including a beautiful rendition of the Jerome Kern classic “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes") are upbeat and decidedly lighter in tone. This half ends with a masterfully syncopated solo by Blakey on the jaunty “Hackensack," named ...

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Disassembler: What Is

by Chris May
December 9, 2009

It's a broad church, but British guitarist Trevor Warren's Disassembler comes out of the same genre mashing movement as bands like Acoustic Ladyland, Polar Bear, Led Bib and trioVD. Each has crafted an individual spin on jazz/rock/dance collision, from Acoustic Ladyland's seminal three-minute punk thrashes, extended by Led Bib and trioVD to include more collective and individual improvisation, through Polar Bear's more nuanced excursions.

Though its sound is entirely its own, Disassembler shares certain qualities with Polar Bear. ...

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Kurt Rosenwinkel Standards Trio: Reflections

by John Kelman
December 9, 2009

After the incendiary The Remedy: Live at the Village Vanguard (ArtistShare, 2008), guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel returns with Reflections, an intimate, ballad-heavy album that couldn't be more different. On the surface, with a set largely composed of standards, and trimmed down to a trio from the quartets and quintets of his past few years, it might appear that Rosenwinkel is returning to the territory of his earliest albums, specifically his live debut as a leader, East Coast Love Affair (Fresh Sound ...

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The Art of the Trio: John Patitucci, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Marcus Strickland

by J Hunter
December 9, 2009

Pianist Brad Mehldau got flak for naming a series of discs “The Art of the Trio." But it really is an art, and no more so than when the lead instrument is not a piano, or any member of the keyboard family. Think about it. Without the myriad capabilities of Mehldau's instrument, a trio's leader must have an adamantine concept for the date, as well as a rhythm section that can do a lot more than just keep time. Otherwise, ...

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An Old World Christmas: Knabenchor Hannover, Die Gruppe fur Alte Musik Munchen and Flautando Koln

by C. Michael Bailey
December 9, 2009

My family is hosting a German Foreign Exchange student this year. Among the many questions he has been asked by his American peers is, “How do you celebrate Christmas in Germany?" Innocent enough, but considering that German culture is millenia old compared to that of the US, Germany might be expected to celebrate Christmas much like Americans do since both traditions derive from Western European ancestors, many of them German.

Consider the music of the season. The melody for “Hark, ...

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Darius Jones: Man'ish Boy (A Raw & Beautiful Thing)

by John Sharpe
December 9, 2009

Matthew Shipp once opined that Darius Jones arrived on the scene fully formed, and that is not far from the truth. His first appearance of note was at the 2008 Vision Festival, as part of trumpeter Lewis Barnes' Hampton Roads, confirming that Virginia native Jones was indeed the real McCoy. This debut recording with his own trio, which was a high point of the 2009 Vision Festival, backs that up with one of the strongest offerings of the year.

An ...

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Steely Dan Plays Aja in Akron, OH

by C. Andrew Hovan
December 9, 2009

Steely Dan E.J. Thomas Hall Akron, Ohio November 16, 2009

Since coming back on the scene in 2000, hit makers Donald Fagen and Walter Becker have made it a habit to regularly hit the road each summer tour season, a practice that in their earlier years was looked upon with trepidation. In fact, after some live gigs to support their first album, they stopped touring altogether and weren't to be seen in ...

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Roger Kellaway: Roger Kellaway Live at the Jazz Standard

by Andrew Velez
December 9, 2009

Pianist Roger Kellaway can swing hard and has played with everyone from Sonny Rollins to Joni Mitchell. His knowledge of music is encyclopedic and his pianism is instantly recognizable for its airy, sparkling quality, flowing from a singular skill he has to incorporate stride, swing, boogie and more into something totally modern. Long an in-demand sideman, Kellaway has too rarely recorded fronting his own group. Which brings us to the happy occasion of this live 2006 Jazz Standard set with ...

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Dave Douglas: A Single Sky

by Martin Longley
December 9, 2009

Here is yet another facet of Dave Douglas, an artist who is constantly seeking fresh discoveries. This album benefits from the full forces of the Frankfurt Radio Big Band (FRB), brashly realizing the composer's large lyricism. Douglas now turns his auteur skills to writing inflated-scale compositions, although his own soloing role is not diminished. His features are frequently the kernel of the operation. The FRB are conducted and arranged by Jim McNeely and the most familiar player ...