Jazz Articles

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Robben Ford: Soul on Ten

by John Kelman
September 14, 2009

While he's largely lived in the blues world for much of his career, guitarist Robben Ford has always been defined by a jazz sensibility. Sure, there's the grease and grit of overdriven, wah-wah'd electric guitar and a strong, rock-hard backbeat; but Ford's language since Robben Ford and the Blue Line (Stretch, 1992) has been a compelling combination of visceral blues bends and more evolved harmony. It's no surprise that he's been the go-to guitarist for everyone from Miles Davis and ...

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Sonny Rollins: Saxophone Colossus

by Eric J. Iannelli
September 14, 2009

Bass drum. High hat. A primal, hollow beat in triple succession. The sequence repeats, increasingly accentuated with quick rim shot bursts and precision hits to the tom.

Then, stage set, the sax leaps in. A bright Caribbean calypso melody, its refrain only twelve notes long. Its vibrancy and simplicity give it an instantaneous appeal--fitting, given the song's roots in a nursery rhyme native to the Virgin Islands.

This, of course, is the familiar beginning of the Saxophone Colossus recording of ...

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Poncho Sanchez at Denver Botanic Gardens, Colorado

by Geoff Anderson
September 14, 2009

Poncho Sanchez Denver Botanic Gardens Denver, Colorado August 24, 2009

Poncho Sanchez is the state of the art in Latin Jazz these days. Since the passing of Tito Puente in 2000, Sanchez has ascended to the top of the list of active players in terms of popularity, exuberance and the undeniable authority of his Latin rhythms. By the end of Sanchez' second set Monday night at the Botanic Gardens, the only ones not dancing ...

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Phoenix Ensemble / Mark Lieb: Clarinet Quintets: Morton Feldman, Milton Babbitt

by Troy Collins
September 14, 2009

The pairing of works by classical composers whose aesthetics are diametrically opposed to one another can sometimes reveal surprising, unforeseen similarities. Other times, the end result can be a schizophrenic listening experience. The Kronos Quartet has (for the most part) successfully navigated such waters for years. The Phoenix Ensemble, a mixed chamber ensemble from New York, manages the same feat on Clarinet Quintets: Morton Feldman, Milton Babbitt.

Though the combination of Feldman and Babbitt may seem incongruous at ...

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Ron Horton/Tim Horner Little Big Band Plays the Music of Andrew Hill in Teaneck, N. J.

by Ralph A. Miriello
September 14, 2009

The Ron Horton/Tim Horner Little Big BandPlay the Music of Andrew HillThe Puffin Cultural ForumTeaneck, New JerseyAugust 29, 2009

It was a warm, overcast evening, within a few short miles of the George Washington Bridge, in suburban Teaneck, that offered the rare opportunity to make the trek to the Puffin Cultural Forum to listen to some innovative jazz from a newly-formed group. Trumpter/arranger Ron Horton and drummer Tim Horner's Little Big Band was scheduled to ...

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Alan Baylock Jazz Orchestra: Eastern Standard Time

by Edward Blanco
September 13, 2009

A master in the art of arranging and composing jazz music, Alan Baylock, who holds the position of Chief Arranger for the premier jazz ensemble of the United States Air Force, unveils another masterpiece with Eastern Standard Time, the follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut, Two Seconds to Midnight (Sea Breeze Records, 2003). On this second outing, Baylock offers sparkling new arrangements of nine well- known jazz standards and calls upon legendary saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi as the project's featured soloist.

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Fillmore: The Last Days

by Doug Collette
September 13, 2009

Various Artists Fillmore:The Last Days Rhino 2009

The growing wave of reminiscence around the 40th anniversary of the 1969 Woodstock festival may be just the beginning of a nostalgia tide for this golden era of rock. Fillmore: The Last Days chronicles not just the music but also the burgeoning rock business of the time, a period of growth that nonetheless saw the closing of the famed venue in 1971.

And venue singular it is, ...

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Please Call Home: The Big House Years

by Doug Collette
September 13, 2009

The Allman Brothers Band Please Call Home: The Big House Years Bright Blue Sky Productions 2009 The DVD Please Call Home: The Big House Years tells the romanticized story of an early phase in the career of The Allman Brothers Band. Group archivist Kirk West makes no attempt to present an objective picture of this period in the group's evolution, but instead chooses to emphasize the factors that nurtured the bonding of ...

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The Joshua Breakstone Trio: No One New

by Jerry D'Souza
September 13, 2009

No One New is a reference to guitarist Joshua Breakstone's long career. Over the last 30 years he has etched an impressive record as a leader with 19 recordings to his credit. It is easy to see why he has been around for so long; his music rises above the mundane with a compact sense for the lyrical that draws out the aura of a composition. His writing is facile and melodic, and opens the door to his technique. He ...

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Phish at The Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, New York

by Doug Collette
September 13, 2009

Phish Saratoga Performing Arts Center Saratoga Springs, New York August 16, 2009

It's a long way from Fenway Park to Saratoga Springs New York, not so much in geographical terms, but in the progress Phish has made in recapturing their group chemistry since beginning their 2009 summer tour. Whereas the group was somewhat hesitant in much of their interplay in Boston on May 31, the foursome sounded and looked fully in command ...