Jazz Articles

Our daily articles are carefully curated by the All About Jazz staff. You can find more articles by searching our website, see what's trending on our popular articles page or read articles ahead of their published dates on our Coming Soon page. Read our daily album reviews.

282

Album Review

Splinters: Split the Difference

Read "Split the Difference" reviewed by A. Henkin

by A. Henkin
October 3, 2009

One imagines that there must be literally thousands of sessions like this, live gigs by groups that only a small handful of people got to enjoy. The record industry being what it is, only the smallest percentage of musical interactions are documented and released. Reel Recordings, focusing its efforts on a particularly fruitful period in British jazz and progressive music, is trying to change that. Splinters is an illustrative name for this band. As was more common ...

465

Live From New York

October 2009

by AAJ Staff
October 3, 2009

Gordon GrdinaBar 4Brooklyn, NY September 7, 2009There were other things in the music Gordon Grdina played at Bar 4, bits of McLaughlin, Santana, Sharrock, but for the first few minutes of his trio's Sep. 7th set it was hard to hear anything other than how together they were. From the first moment, it was nearly startling. No meandering opening, no wandering spirits, they were taut as a snare drum. The Vancouver-based guitarist has an ...

298

Album Review

James Moody: 4A

Read "4A" reviewed by Graham L. Flanagan

by Graham L. Flanagan
October 3, 2009

In the late '40s, saxophonist/flutist James Moody staked his claim on the jazz landscape when he gained prominence as one of the key ingredients of Dizzy Gillespie's orchestra. Nearly six decades later, at the age of 84, Moody shows no signs of slowing down. He's in excellent form on his latest release 4A. On 4A, Moody stretches out on eight standards, getting solid support from Kenny Barron (piano), Todd Coolman (bass) and Lewis Nash (drums). “Secret Love" ...

409

Live Review

2009 Detroit Jazz Festival

by Wilbur MacKenzie
October 3, 2009

Detroit Jazz FestivalDetroit, MISeptember 4-7, 2009A short distance from Hitsville USA, where Berry Gordy created the Motown sound, shaping the history of American music and culture, and the Diego Rivera Court, where the artist's murals pay tribute to the workers whose hands made the auto industry a reality, sits Hart Plaza, Detroit's waterfront public space, where for 30 years, Detroiters and jazz enthusiasts from around the world have convened on Labor Day weekend for the Detroit Jazz ...

192

Album Review

Miki Hayama: Wide Angle

Read "Wide Angle" reviewed by Lyn Horton

by Lyn Horton
October 3, 2009

Miki Hayama establishes an identifiable cadence in her piano language in Wide Angle. Her trio behaves as one organism; Hayama offers the fearless heartbeat. Hayama composed eight of the ten pieces on the recording. The rigorous tempos, even when moderate, bond the three instruments. The precision with which Hayama addresses the piano demonstrates her fascination with the minutest detail. Her strength lies in the quality of her treble arpeggiation ("What's Next") through which progressions she plants bass ...

338

Multiple Reviews

Charlie Mariano: Silver Blue, The Door Is Open & The Great Concert

by Fred Bouchard
October 3, 2009

Charlie Mariano with Cholet-Kanzig-Papaux Trio Silver Blue Enja2008 Julian F. Thayer / Charlie Mariano / Klaus Suonsaari The Door Is Open KSJazz2008 Charlie Mariano with Philip Catherine & Jasper van't Hof The Great Concert: Stuttgart Enja2009 On what are likely some of Charlie Mariano's final dates ...

251

Album Review

Nina Sheldon: Harvest

by Andrew Velez
October 3, 2009

Songstress and pianist Nina Sheldon's readings have a savvy, smiling quality. If she has been around the block some, she is nevertheless not going to lay too heavy a trip on us. Precise in her lyric delivery and rhythmically surprising, she gets right into a snappy groove with a Cole Porter evergreen, “You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To," supported by carefully chosen licks from John Menegon's bass. After a first chorus she has an extended, dark and firm ...

300

Multiple Reviews

Three Masters of Clarinet: Evan Christopher, Eddie Daniels & Joe Muranyi

by Ken Dryden
October 3, 2009

Evan Christopher Django a la Creole Fremeaux & Associates 2009 Eddie Daniels & Roger Kellaway A Duet of One IPO 2009 Lew Green & Joe Muranyi Together Arbors 2009 There are relatively few musicians who make a living exclusively on clarinet. Evan Christopher has always focused ...

383

Multiple Reviews

William Parker: Live at the Sunset, In Transition, Live at Dunois, Double Sunrise over Neptune

by Clifford Allen
October 3, 2009

Other Dimensions in Music Live at the Sunset Marge Records 2008 Collective 4tet In Transition Leo Records 2009 Joelle Leandre & William Parker Live at Dunois Leo Records 2009 William Parker Double Sunrise over Neptune Aum Fidelity 2008

409

Multiple Reviews

Bassists/Leaders: Linda Oh, Joe Martin, Ben Allison, Ruslan Khain & Iris Ornig

by Ivana Ng
October 3, 2009

Linda Oh Trio Entry Self-Released 2009 Joe Martin Not By Chance Anzic Records 2009 Ben Allison Think Free Palmetto Records 2009 Ruslan Khain For Medicinal Purposes Only! Smalls Records 2009 Iris Ornig New Ground Self-Released