Jazz Articles

like 998

The Definitive Monk Bio: So, Was He Crazy, or What?

by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
November 2, 2009

Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original, by Robin D. G. Kelley, was published in the fall of 2009. It arrived surrounded by buzz that, since the author had unprecedented access to the Monk family, he could finally answer those lingering questions about his “mental illness"--as in, was Thelonious schizophrenic, bipolar, obsessive-compulsive, or something else? The book is dense, with 588 pages of meticulous detail. After a few chapters I decided to scan ...

like 248

Anson Wright & Tim Gilson: Ukiah's Lullaby

by Raul d'Gama Rose
November 1, 2009

The two men, guitarist, Anson Wright and bassist, Tim Gilson enjoy a special relationship. Most duos are close-knit units. In a few very special instances, the two musicians thrive on something uncannily telepathetic. For instance, they will complete each other's phrases without missing a beat or a phrase. Whether they enter behind or on the beat they know where the “idea" is going. Even their shadows follow one another's and intersect as though it was predestined. The duos of Glenn ...

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Michael Janisch: Purpose Built

by Chris May
November 1, 2009

Since moving to Britain from the US in 2005, bassist Michael Janisch has put much of his energy into collaborative projects involving musicians from the two countries. It's hardly a radical idea, but it's as good a shtick as any with which to carve a profile, and along with his prodigious instrumental talents, Janisch is an unusually media and marketing savvy artist, with an all singing, all dancing website and now, with Whirlwind Recordings, his own record label.

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Stanley Clarke Trio: Live at Catalina's

by Carl L. Hager
November 1, 2009

Stanley Clarke TrioCatalina Bar and GrillHollywood, CAOctober 7, 2009

When bassist Stanley Clarke gathered drummer Lenny White and piano phenom Hiromi together last December to do his first-ever trio album, Jazz In The Garden (Telarc, 2009), no one knew quite what to expect.

Hiromi was clearly a new kid on the block, at least in this straight-ahead context. Clarke and White were both veterans who had been playing these notes since ...

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Taking The Chill Out Of Autumn: Arturo O'Farrill, Mario Adnet and Somi

by Martin Gladu
November 1, 2009

Northerners are like squirrels. Come winter, northerners transform into creatures akin to the squirrel. Stocking up on the last ray of sunlight, natural warmth and high-protein goodies while the increasingly cold winds strip the trees of their multicoloured coats. Northerners adopt the fluffy-tailed creature's autumnal regimen in preparation for the harsh months ahead.For those who finds no solace in the local hockey team's victories nor in the practice of winter sports, music becomes a mandatory element in the ...

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Jon Crowley Quintet: Connections

by Nicholas F. Mondello
November 1, 2009

In what might be the most perfectly titled CD of recent memory, Connections is a fine effort by talented trumpeter/ composer Jon Crowley and his exciting group. While Crowley might not be a household name just yet, this release announces, anoints and validates him as a fine jazz performer, writer and leader. What Crowley writes and plays connects solidly throughout with ten selections that seem to resonate with each other somewhat texturally, if not intellectually. There's a ...

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Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet: Bien Bien!

by Jeff Dayton-Johnson
November 1, 2009

With ¡Bien Bien!, as with previous releases, trombonist Wayne Wallace and his group display a very subtle kind of mastery. The elements of the combo's excellence are impressive enough. First, Wallace plays his instrument as beautifully as the trombone all-stars in Manny Oquendo's classic Conjunto Libre--or indeed the great Julian Priester, who sits in on a couple of numbers on ¡Bien Bien!. Second, the group deploys an irresistible laid-back groove, befitting their Bay Area roots; there is room to breathe ...

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Take Five With Curt Sheller

by AAJ Staff
November 1, 2009

Meet Curt Sheller: Curt has been a performing guitarist/recording artist for the past 30 years and a private music instructor for the last 20 years. As an educator and author, Curt has published over 20 books on music, guitar and ukulele. Here is what Nick Matty said about Curt's books. “I have purchased many books over the past 15 years I have been playing and none of them come even close to having the detailed and easy to understand information ...

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Enjoy Jazz Festival: Days 7-10, October 26-29, 2009

by John Kelman
November 1, 2009

Days 1-2 | Day 3-6 | Days 7-10 | Days 11-12 The main purpose of visiting the Heidelberg/Mannheim/Ludwigshafen region may be for the music, but during the day there's plenty to see and do. Wandering around the old part of Heidelberg, it's difficult not to be moved by the profound sense of age, especially coming from the much younger North America. Heidelberg has, to be sure, a more modern section, but Old Heidelberg manages to successfully maintain a quaint ...

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The State of Piano Playin' Jazz Singers 2009: Brenda Earle and John Proulx

by C. Michael Bailey
October 31, 2009

There exists in jazz vocals a sub-specialty, those artists who regularly double on an instrument, most often the piano. There are many notable pianist/singers recording, including Patricia Barber, Dena DeRose, Patti Wicks, Harry Connick Jr., Peter Cincotti and Tony DeSare. That is a heady bunch, to be sure. Brenda Earle and John Proulx can now be added to this rich mix of talent.

Brenda EarleSongs for a New DaySelf Produced2009

Canadian musician Brenda Earle ...