Jazz Articles

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Bradley Parker-Sparrow: The New World

by Mark Corroto
November 13, 2009

It's possible that this improvised session was months in the making, as emails and telephone calls were made and returned to discuss the theme of pianist Bradley Parker-Sparrow's The New World. But, then again with improvisers of this quality this concept album might just as remarkably been laid down with a with a few nods, winks, and hand gestures.

The first nine of eleven tracks coalesce into the theme inspired by Antonín Dvořák's 1893 “New World Symphony," inspired by the ...

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Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins: Celebrating Prestige's 60th Anniversary

by Chris May
November 13, 2009

In fall 2009, the Prestige label is celebrating its 60th Anniversary with a series of compilations and remasters. In October, the Side Steps box set was released, chronicling saxophonist John Coltrane's sideman legacy with the label. In November, there's a compilation of sessions recorded by trumpeter Miles Davis with saxophonist Sonny Rollins, The Classic Prestige Sessions 1951-1956, and two reissues remastered by their original recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder, pianist Red Garland's Dig It! (1957-58), featuring Coltrane, and Rollins' Moving ...

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Chad McCullough: Dark Wood, Dark Water

by Dan McClenaghan
November 13, 2009

Seattle-based trumpeter Chad McCullough has assembled a North-West all-star line-up for his debut release, Dark Wood, Dark Water, mixing it up with Origin Records regulars on an inspired, modern-leaning post-bop outing.On “Three Pillar," a silky three-horn harmony blows in like a brisk wind in the embrace of the top-tier rhythm team of bassist Jeff Johnson, pianist Bill Anschell and drummer John Bishop. McCullough and his frontline-mates--saxophonists Mark Taylor and Chicagoan Geof Bradfield--blend their sounds in Ellingtonian fashion until ...

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Different Shades of Hess: Nikolaj Hess & Spacelab

by Jakob Baekgaard
November 13, 2009

The exploration of sound is a natural part of Danish pianist Nikolaj Hess' music. Since graduating from the Rhythmic Conservatory in Copenhagen, he has worked in a wide range of contexts and played with artists as varied as trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and singer Sissel Vera Pettersen. With Pettersen he made an enchanting duo album, By This River (Music For Dreams, 2006).

Hess is also part of a musical dynasty, which includes his brothers, the saxophonist Emil Hess and the drummer ...

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Brad Mehldau and Marcus Miller at the Barcelona Jazz Festival (IV)

by Roan Clay
November 13, 2009

Brad Mehldau Trio 41st Voll-Damm Barcelona International Jazz Festival Palau de la Música November 10, 2009

There is great debate among jazz fans these days, particularly among those who favor jazz trios, whether Brad Mehldau and his trio of Larry Grenadier and Jeff Ballard, have fallen into a rut and are happy to stay there or whether they have simply found their groove and are deepening and enriching a narrow niche. Mehldau is ...

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Down to the Bone: Future Boogie

by Jeff Winbush
November 13, 2009

The problem with Down to the Bone's Future Boogie is this: what the band is doing in the present, they've done better in the past.Two years ago, Down to the Bone (DTTB) celebrated their first decade of bringing the funk with a terrific studio album, Supercharged (Narada/2007), and a well-assembled compilation, The Best of Down to the Bone (Narada/2007). The two releases provided an excellent introduction to where this British band had been and a road map to ...

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Lee Konitz In The 1980s

by Robert Iannapollo
November 13, 2009

Saxophonist Lee Konitz turned 82 in October 2009 and he's still going as strong and as steady as ever. He recently played a birthday duet concert with pianist Harold Danko. While the set included the usual standards there were also a couple of surprises such as the Konitz original “Kary's Trance." Konitz and Danko have a long history, although they hadn't played together in 15 years. Yet they still seemed to surprise each other. While Konitz has settled into an ...

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Creator vs. Interpretor

by AAJ Staff
November 13, 2009

By Randy Sandke We've all heard the saying that “Jazz is America's classical music." Implicit in this notion is the belief that jazz is equally worthy of respect, admiration and support as any 'serious' music. Over the past few decades, jazz has indeed found a greater degree of prestige, academic interest and corporate sponsorship than at any time before. But there's a downside to this parallel between jazz and classical music. Jazz seems headed towards the ...

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Wayne Wallace: ¡Bien Bien!

by Bridget A. Arnwine
November 13, 2009

Trombonist Wayne Wallace and his Latin Jazz Quintet have come together on ¡Bien Bien!, representing the gamut of Latin music, from Latin jazz to cha cha cha, cu-bop, bolero, and bamba. Surrounded by the talents percussionist Michael Spiro, bassist David Belove, pianist Murray Low, and drummer Paul van Wageningen, Wallace manages to make the trombone sound as though it were made just for this music. ¡Bien Bien! is a mix of Wallace's own original compositions (which include the ...

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William Hooker: The Symbol of the Unconquered

by Ivana Ng
November 13, 2009

William Hooker The Symbol of the Unconquered Media Sanctuary 2009

It must be challenging to play the drums solo, but it must be even more so to improvise an hour-long soundtrack to a silent movie. Percussionist William Hooker took on this daunting task with the 1920 silent film, The Symbol of the Unconquered. Presented by the Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy, NY, this film screening and live performance was one of ...