Jazz Articles

like 746

Helsinki Jazz Festival Moves to the Islands

by Anthony Shaw
October 1, 2009

Viapori Jazz Suomenlinna Islands, Helsinki, Finland August 26-29, 2009

In 1855 the British Navy did their very best to obliterate this fortress of seven linked islands just off the entrance to the harbor of Helsinki. The two-day bombardment is said to have sent almost 200 tons of iron raining down to subjugate the Russian naval forces based there. The Baltic Fleet left the area after two days, and despite triumphant claims in the contemporary ...

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Jesse Elder: The Winding Shell

by Chris Mosey
October 1, 2009

A small black and white picture on the sleeve shows 29-year-old New York avant-garde pianist/composer Jesse Elder, unsmilingly clasping a hand to his head. His eyes are shut tight, screwed up as if in pain. Below the picture a note explains that The Winding Shell is part of a series “dedicaded (sic) to Modern jazz, New classical, Avant rock, Experimental beats and Women voices." All the warning signs have been displayed: this is obviously not going to ...

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John Esposito / Jeff "Siege" Siegel / Jeff Marx: Inyo

by Jakob Baekgaard
September 30, 2009

Experiment with form lies at the heart of everything pianist John Esposito plays or composes. Whether he's exploring and redefining the language of the standard with his trio or writing for a large ensemble as on A Book of Five Rings (Sunjump, 2008), he has the ability to immerse himself completely in the form that's explored. This is also the case with Inyo, which is a collaboration with saxophonist Jeff Marx and drummer Jeff Siegel--both of whom played with Esposito ...

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The Fonda/Stevens Group: Memphis

by John Sharpe
September 30, 2009

Eighteen years and eleven albums is not bad going for a band roaming that precarious borderline between the mainstream and the avant-garde. And it has been achieved with the same core line-up of the two principal composers, bassist Joe Fonda and pianist Michael Jefry Stevens, together with drummer Harvey Sorgen and trumpeter Herb Robertson. That this well-recorded studio date--recorded at the end of the band's first ever US tour in March, 2008--speaks volumes about where the music finds itself is ...

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Chris Byars: Studying Unsung Heroes

by Ludwig vanTrikt
September 30, 2009

[Introduction by Teddy Charles]

It's not easy to be Chris Byars. With an incredible array of talents brought to bear on his composition, arrangements, and cooking jazz performances, it's no wonder he's worked his way to the forefront of the myriad of jazz players overwhelming the scene.

For me, our felicitous association led to multiple gigs and recordings. Dances with Bulls (Smalls Records, 2009) updates some of my old concepts, resulting in some daring explorations; a great recording.

Inspired by ...

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Upsilon Acrux: Radian Futura

by Glenn Astarita
September 30, 2009

Radian Futura is this Southern California-based quintet's sixth album, and is steeped within multipart metrics, engineered upon an astonishing range of odd-metered time signatures. The band's explosive gait summons, at times, notions of a hyper-mode spin on the common man's vision of progressive-rock, amid guerrilla tactics and daring, rock-in-opposition type proclivities.

Upsilon Acrux conveys the utmost in discipline and regimentation via these intensely executed compositions. Moreover, the musicians dish out a labyrinth of captivating perspectives with swirling unison ...

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Anouar Brahem: The Astounding Eyes of Rita

by John Kelman
September 30, 2009

In the world of the oud--the fretless, Middle Eastern incarnation of the lute--there are three artists who are moving the instrument--and its centuries-old tradition--forward. Tunisian-born Dhafer Youssef has explored the integration of technology and western classicism on Divine Shadows (Jazzland, 2006), while Lebanese-born Rabih Abou-Khalil has investigated a nexus with horn-driven large ensemble on The Cactus of Knowledge (Enja, 2001). Anouar Brahem, since first emerging on ECM with Barzakh (1991), has explored more nuanced territory, between his longstanding Astrakan Café ...

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How Jazz May Have Influenced The Beatles

by AAJ Staff
September 30, 2009

Introduction A publication from the French general knowledge “Tu Sais..." book series ("You Know..."), entitled “Tu Sais... Jazz," contains a final chapter on rock bands such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. It states that both the Beatles and the Stones “knew and loved old jazz and blues." From Paul McCartney's long familiarization with George Gershwin and other jazz composers to Brian Jones' affection for “trad" jazz--Mick Jagger once described him as “an old Traddy"--jazz in various ways was ...

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Theo Travis: From Prog to Jazz and Back Again

by Bruce Lindsay
September 29, 2009

British musician Theo Travis has one of the most varied performing and recording histories to be found among contemporary jazz musicians. A talented saxophonist, flautist and composer, Travis has performed solo, in duos and quartets, in straight ahead jazz combos and in electronic, improvisational groups.

He has performed live soundtracks in cinemas, duos with guitarist Robert Fripp in English churches, jazz standards in clubs and progressive rock at major European festivals. Travis, in both his playing ...

like 282

Harris Eisenstadt: Canada Day

by Troy Collins
September 29, 2009

A consummate example of the traveling musician, Canadian-born composer/percussionist Harris Eisenstadt's journeys have taken him from a long-term residency on the West Coast (with frequent trips to Chicago) to multiple trips abroad to study drumming in West Africa before relocating to New York. The majority of Eisenstadt's releases have been documents of singular projects; ad-hoc ensembles that, despite their excellence, have never been given the time to properly develop. Canada Day is the self-titled debut album of the quintet he ...