Jazz Articles

like 290

The David Arner Trio: Out/In The Open

by Jerry D'Souza
December 1, 2009

David Arner has built a reputation as an innovative pianist and a proponent of spontaneous composition. He filters both skills into his music and adds a healthy dose of surprise through changes in tempo, dynamics and harmony, weaving one into the other with facile dexterity. His ability to shape progression has led to associations with other creative forces like Tomas Ulrich, Dom Minasi, Susie Ibarra and Dominic Duval. He also has collaborated with his compatriots on this record, Michael Bisio ...

like 947

Ian Shaw: From Free Jazz to Noel Coward

by Bruce Lindsay
December 1, 2009

Ian Shaw is a jazz singer. This simple description is accurate--it's how Shaw refers to himself--but it falls well short of doing the man justice. Ian Shaw is one of the most distinctive, original and creative jazz singers on the scene: he is a talented pianist and songwriter with a knack for working with top-quality musicians, an ability to seek out and cover some of the finest songs in contemporary music, and a showmanship that ensures that his live performances ...

like 1,396

Tim Garland: Beyond the Frontier

by Ian Patterson
November 30, 2009

Composer, arranger and multi-reed virtuoso Tim Garland is a treasure the nation of the UK has yet to fully recognize. Having recorded a dozen albums in his own name, and arranged for and played in the groups of Chick Corea and Bill Bruford, Garland's pedigree as one of the leading jazz saxophonist/composers of his generation is unquestionable. In addition, his collaborations with the country's finest musical institutions, including the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, set him apart ...

like 240

Jacam Manricks: Labyrinth

by Eyal Hareuveni
November 30, 2009

It is quite rare to find an up-and-coming composer/musician such as Australian-born, New York-based reedman Jacam Manricks. A PhD-level composer at the Manhattan School of Music, who has already developed strong personal compositional skills on his sophomore release as a leader, his unique and elaborate compositions reveal a deep knowledge of the jazz bop legacy and modern 20th century music. With an exceptional talent for arranging, his compositions are intelligent and sometimes challenging, defying their exquisite clarity and emotional accessibility. ...

like 432

27th Annual San Francisco Jazz Festival

by Frank Consola
November 30, 2009

27th Annual San Francisco Jazz Festival San Francisco, California October 10-November 21, 2009

There is much to enjoy at the San Francisco Jazz Festival. In addition to bringing together high-caliber jazz talent to showcase a wonderful cross-section of diverse sounds, the Festival provides the visitor with one of the world's great cities as its panoramic backdrop. Few places are as unique and charming as the City on the Bay, and the performances are presented in ...

like 345

Fred Frith: Nowhere / Sideshow / Thin Air

by John Kelman
November 30, 2009

His sixth album of music for dance, Nowhere / Sideshow / Thin Air continues multi-instrumentalist/composer Fred Frith's longstanding collaboration with Carla Kihlstedt. The violinist was heard most recently on Frith's previous dance disc, The Happy End Problem (ReR Megacorp, 2006), and in performance as part of his well-received Art Bears Songbook, with Art Bears percussionist/lyricist/co-founder Chris Cutler, and Cosa Brava, a new rock-oriented group with a debut disc due out in 2010. It's clearly a fruitful relationship that has seen ...

like 389

Take Five With Tony Foster

by AAJ Staff
November 30, 2009

Meet Tony Foster: Currently based in Seattle, Washington, Tony Foster was born and raised in North Vancouver, BC, Canada. He received his initial musical training early on, in the form of classical piano lessons privately. In school bands, his main instrument became the trumpet. His studies on the trumpet continued until college, and it was not until this time that his focus changed to piano. Foster graduated from the University of British Columbia with a business degree, but eventually chose ...

like 335

Darren Sigesmund: Strands II

by Jerry D'Souza
November 30, 2009

Trombonist Darren Sigesmund made an impression with his debut recording Strands (Timely Manor) which was released in 2008. The music drew from jazz, Latin, Brazilian, and classical influences. Sigesmund has expanded his group to a septet adding vocalist Eliana Cuevas and percussionist Daniel Stone as special guest Tim Ries (soprano and tenor saxophones and flute) as he continues exploring and merging different streams on Strands II.

Sigesmund's writing is enriched by his ability to immerse himself into several genres. Interlocking ...

like 191

Ike Sturm: JazzMass

by Mark Corroto
November 30, 2009

Because of its transcendent nature, listening to jazz is often considered to be a spiritual experience. Certainly listening to John Coltrane's A Love Supreme (Impulse!, 1964) is a larger-than-life experience. Same can be said of bassist Ike Sturm's JazzMass, a 10-part construction for jazz septet, voices and strings that presents prayer and music as a sacrament.

Sturm, graduate of the Eastman School of Music and protégé of Dave Holland, is the music director for the jazz ministry at Saint Peter's ...

like 432

Wadada Leo Smith: Spiritual Dimensions

by Dan McClenaghan
November 30, 2009

Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith blows in two different directions on this two-CD set, Spiritual Dimensions. The recording is comprised of two live sets, one by Wadada Leo Smith's ongoing Golden Quintet, the second by his new Wadada Leo Smith's Organic. The Golden Quartet, recently expanded to quintet, changes players with time. The line-up that recorded The Year of the Elephant (Pi Recordings, 2002) included drummer Jack DeJohnette, pianist Anthony Davis and bassist Malachi Favors Maghostut. Two of the ...