Jazz Articles

like 365

Petter Wettre's A Music Supreme

by Mark Corroto
September 16, 2009

Can Norwegian tenor saxophonist Petter Wettre be called “the Branford Marsalis of Scandinavia?" Both saxophonists favor a big sound, steeped in tradition but not beholden to convention. Wettre was educated at Boston's Berklee College of Music before returning to his home and eventually founding Household Records, the primary vehicle for his output. His tastes run from post-bop to funk to free jazz. What is special about Wettre is his command of not only his saxophone, but each situation in which ...

like 233

Take Five With Benny Reid

by AAJ Staff
September 16, 2009

Instrument(s):Alto saxophone.Teachers and/or influences?Starting with my alto sax teacher in high school, Andy Fusco of Buddy Rich Band fame, and throughout college at Indiana University I studied with Tom Walsh, who is a great jazz and classical player that really knows how to bring out the individualism in each student. I also mentored under tenor great Eric Alexander and pianist Mike LeDonne and took lessons with Chris Potter, Dick Oatts and several others over ...

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Jan Garbarek Group: Dresden

by John Kelman
September 16, 2009

Though less active on the recording front in recent years--In Praise of Dreams (ECM, 2004) was his first since Mnemosyne (ECM, 1999), following up his immensely popular pairing with the Hilliard Ensemble, Officium (ECM, 1994)-- Jan Garbarek has toured virtually every year, playing dates in Europe and further abroad. His 2008 Mai Jazz performance, in Stavanger, Norway, proved that, despite unfounded accusations of leaving jazz behind, the iconic Norwegian saxophonist is still capable of turning up the heat and blowing ...

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Ted Sirota's Rebel Souls: Seize The Time

by Mark Corroto
September 15, 2009

To call this Rebel Souls disc ambitious is not an overstatement, and to label drummer Ted Sirota and company bold, does not unnecessarily over-dramatize their mission. Seize The Time is the band's fifth disc, of which three prior releases were also on UK's NAIM--Rebel Roots (1996), Propaganda (1999) and Vs. The Forces Of Evil (2000)--preceding the US-released Breeding Resistance (Delmark, 2004).

Not one to hold his tongue, Sirota, like all great agitators, lets his voice be heard through his art. ...

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Bill Dixon: In Medias Res

by Clifford Allen
September 15, 2009

Trumpeter and composer Bill Dixon is one of those rare figures in creative music who was both there as it took its initial steps and currently remains at the forefront of contemporary improvisation. In the last two years, he has directed or co-led orchestral configurations and recorded and performed with hand-picked small groups of international renown. The modern brass language and its expansion of vocal sounds into areas hitherto rarely occupied by any instrument certainly are reflected in Dixon's years ...

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Jazz Legacy Productions: Sprucing up the Old School

by J Hunter
September 15, 2009

At a time when most entrepreneurs blanche at even a mention of the economy, bassist John Lee has damned the torpedoes and gone full speed ahead with his new label, Jazz Legacy Productions. Structured as an artists-for-artists'-sake venture, JLP gives established, non-"flavor of the month" players a place to be heard again. What's more, for every three JLP records by veterans, the label will give one rookie a chance to make a mark on the genre. JLP's first releases have ...

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Brandi Disterheft: Second Side

by Raul d'Gama Rose
September 15, 2009

The leap forward from Debut (Superfran Records, 2007) to Second Side is, quite literally, a significant one for Canadian-born bassist, Brandi Disterheft. Now enjoying herself immensely, the bassist appears to greet her emerging music with infinite self-assurance and unabashed style. Claiming spiritual (and therefore musical) ancestry from Charles Mingus, Disterheft plays with a rare muscularity, thrusting her bass into the spotlight and leading from the front. As a composer, she explores a myriad of metaphors and idioms as she documents ...

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The Russ Spiegel Jazz Orchestra: Transplants

by Edward Blanco
September 15, 2009

Veteran jazz guitarist Russ Spiegel has always had an affinity for big band music, from his days of performing with the European-based Landes Jugend Jazz Orchester Hessen, The Bill Warfield Big Band, and his own Russ Spiegel Big Band, comprised of top German and international musicians. He continues his love affair of progressive ensemble music on the debut recording by The Russ Spiegel Jazz Orchestra, Transplants, with big band arrangements of six originals and three covers, and featuring some of ...

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David Ashkenazy: Out With It

by Martin Gladu
September 15, 2009

David Ashkenazy Out With It Posi-Tone 2009

The jazz drumming tradition abounds in models for emulation and study, and two such models stand out in importance. For its sheer power, Elvin Jones' work with saxophonist John Coltrane imposes itself on any serious student of the drum set. The other would be Paul Motian whose oblique, deconstructivist approach appears liberated of such notions as how many beats there are to the bar or ...

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Robben Ford: From the Soul

by Matthew Warnock
September 14, 2009

Few guitarists on the scene today can boast a longer, more diverse and accomplished career than that of perennial blues-jazz great Robben Ford. Having toured and recorded as a sideman with such legendary performers as Joni Mitchell, George Harrison, Bonnie Raitt and Miles Davis, Ford has also made a name for himself as a bandleader, instrumental composer and songwriter. With the release of his 2009 album Soul on Ten, his fourth for the Concord label, the five-time Grammy nominee is ...