Jazz Articles

like 739

Theo Croker: Ace of Trumps

by Jenn Chan Lyman
September 23, 2009

If you've never seen Theo Croker before, he's a pretty easy one to spot. He's the one with the trumpet by his side at all times. The neat dreadlocks and mischievous glint in his eye are also dead giveaways. Having grown up in the U.S. in a musically oriented family, Croker was introduced to the world of jazz and the blues at a young age. He picked up the trumpet at 11 and has been a virtuoso ever since, recording ...

like 281

Luigi Archetti / Bo Wiget: Low Tide Digitals III

by David McLean
September 23, 2009

Ambiguous and tenebrous, hypnotic and ethereal, the third installment of guitarist Luigi Archetti and violinist Bo Wiget's Low Tide Digital series is a profoundly human synthesis of the electro and acoustic. Each of the fourteen “Stück" pieces is a vital voyage into the melding of natural and digital timbres. The duo fully explores and stretches the possibilities of their chosen instrumentation, mostly beyond any definable recognition, into an otherworldly synthetic sea that bubbles with tension, elegance and, importantly, humanity.

like 658

Chicago Jazz Festival 2009

by Sandy Ingham
September 23, 2009

Chicago Jazz Festival 2009Chicago, IllinoisSeptember 4-6, 2009

Chicago can't lay claim to being the jazz capital of the world, nor was it the birthplace of jazz (though as the place where Louis Armstrong and other seminal New Orleans artists came after New Orleans, and as the birthplace of Benny Goodman 100 years ago, it can be considered the second chapter in the story of the music's evolution).

What Chicago does boast is the biggest free ...

like 541

30th Annual Detroit International Jazz Festival: In Pictures

by C. Andrew Hovan
September 23, 2009

30th Annual Detroit International Jazz Festival Detroit, Michigan September 4-7, 2009With perfect temperatures and wall-to-wall sunshine, Detroit recently celebrated a tradition that has brought jazz to the city every Labor Day weekend for the past 30 years. Billed as the largest free jazz festival in North America, this year's festivities ran September 4-7 and featured hundreds of performances on four main stages. Add to that other smaller shows, guest lecturers, and historical talks and you ...

like 276

The Fonda/Stevens Group: Memphis

by Troy Collins
September 23, 2009

The 11th album of their storied 18 year career, Memphis is only the fourth studio recording of the venerable Fonda/Stevens Group, making this release a delightful surprise. Co-led by bassist Joe Fonda and pianist Michael Jefry Stevens, the veteran quartet is rounded out by trumpeter Herb Robertson and drummer Harvey Sorgen. Boasting a collective resume that includes stints with Tim Berne, Anthony Braxton and Dave Douglas, they draw on a wealth of innovative collaborations for their own idiosyncratic explorations.

like 253

Joel Vanderheyden: Complete Life

by Glenn Astarita
September 23, 2009

Iowa-based saxophonist and educator Joel Vanderheyden assimilates various genres into a distinct group sound, performing with members of the underground jazz group known as Koplant_No on his debut release. Complete with jazz-fusion and jazz-rock overtones, spiced with loops, samples and effects, the program projects a modicum of diversity and jazz-framed exploration. It all makes for a cunning series of polytonal movements and settings.

The ensemble's blustery and at times, hard-hitting work-ethic is devised on popping backbeats, synth driven ...

like 283

The Fonda / Stevens Group: Memphis

by Nic Jones
September 22, 2009

Memphis marks the 25th anniversary of the bassist Joe Fonda and pianist Michael Jefry Stevens' period of collaboration. Their quartet is a fine example of how a long established band can gel without becoming predictable, with many of its moves unforeseeable in advance. This helps to keep the music fresh, but it's the level of collective empathy that often takes it to another level.

This is obvious on “Whale Majesty," which as a model of subtle, veiled interplay that offers ...

like 798

30th Annual Detroit International Jazz Festival

by Matt Marshall
September 22, 2009

Hank Jones / Corea, Clarke & White Sean Jones / Dave Brubeck Quartet / Brian Auger's Oblivion Express Alfredo Rodriguez / Dennis Coffey / Wayne Shorter Quartet Chuchito Valdes / Stefon Harris & Blackout 30th Annual Detroit International Jazz Festival Detroit, Michigan September 4-7, 2009

The Detroit International Jazz Festival celebrated its 30th anniversary over Labor Day Weekend 2009, using the occasion to honor one ...

like 606

Tyshawn Sorey: Koan

by Mark Corroto
September 22, 2009

Who would have thought that it would be a drummer to finally, and successfully bridge the worlds of jazz, minimalism, and improvisation? But, it is indeed Tyshawn Sorey, maybe known best for his work with the almost always frenetic players Vijay Iyer and Steve Lehman in the band Fieldwork, or through gigs with Dave Douglas, Steve Coleman and Wadada Leo Smith. Koan follows the critically acclaimed That/Not (Firehouse 12 Records, 2007), a double-disc set that hinted at ...

like 620

Count Basie Orchestra: Swinging, Singing, Playing

by Robert J. Robbins
September 22, 2009

Count Basie OrchestraSwinging, Singing, PlayingMack Avenue2009 Although over a quarter-century has elapsed since the passing of William “Count" Basie in 1984, the bandleader and pianist's legacy has proved one of the most durable from the big band era, and the Basie band's Swinging, Singing, Playing maintains the Basie tradition and carries it triumphantly into the new millennium. Dennis Wilson (not to be confused with his late Beach Boys namesake), who served in ...