Jazz Articles

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Joe Lovano: Folk Art

by Jeff Stockton
September 2, 2009

Some jazz artists enter a period in their careers where they've said all they have to say yet carry on, eking out a living, resting on laurels and simply playing out the string. Not saxophonist Joe Lovano. Folk Art is his 22nd recording for Blue Note alone, a run that has been marked by artistic consistency and tasteful excellence. This collection, however, is arguably the freshest and richest inside/out session he's delivered in his admirable career, certainly since Trio Fascination ...

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Diane Hubka: I Like It Here/Live in Tokyo

by Ken Dryden
September 2, 2009

Cool-toned vocalist Diane Hubka first caught the attention of jazz journalists with her 1999 debut CD Haven't We Met?(Challenge-A) and she has continued to prove herself as an inventive, gifted interpreter of a wide range of material on her subsequent releases. Since leaving New York City for Southern California in 2004, she has played and recorded with a variety of top West Coast musicians. Hubka faced two challenges for I Like It Here/Live in Tokyo. After being ...

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Crystal Silence: The ECM Recordings 1972-79

by John Kelman
September 2, 2009

It's a story that's been told before, but it's worth repeating. Pianist Chick Corea and vibraphonist Gary Burton were performing individually at a 1972 Munich festival, and ended up as the only two artists at a late night jam session. While the two had attempted working together in the 1960s, it was in a quartet context that never seemed to work--in no small part due to the challenge of combining two chordal instruments without getting in each other's way.

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Gary Smulyan: Low Man Aims High

by Edward Bride
September 1, 2009

A baritone saxophonist who plays like Bird? And harvests more than a half-dozen Grammy awards in the process? That seeming contradiction characterizes the great successes of Gary Smulyan, one of today's most in-demand jazz performers, educators, and recording artists.

To be fair, Smulyan has his own voice, but he cites Charlie Parker as one of his earliest, most important, and enduring influences. And in these later years, Phil Woods also falls into that category. That one ...

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Derek Nash: Snapshot

by Chris May
September 1, 2009

Despite releasing seven albums with his jazz/funk/fusion bands Sax Appeal and Protect The Beat, and a previous solo album, Setting New Standards (Jazzizit, 2000), British saxophonist Derek Nash remains something of an unsung hero. He has, perhaps, been engaged in such a diversity of projects--playing with pianist Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, running his Clowns Pocket Studio, and helping manage the Jazzizit label with singer Trudy Kerr--that he doesn't have the time or single-minded focus to work on his ...

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Bill Frisell: Solos and Films of Buster Keaton

by John Kelman
September 1, 2009

In a career which is in 2009 entering its fourth decade in the public eye, guitarist Bill Frisell has fashioned a trajectory like no other. As comfortable playing Hank Williams country tunes as he is a Ron Carter blues, the guitarist has created such a distinctive sound that, even when he's playing a plain old G chord, it's immediately recognizable. Idiosyncratic and able to take even the most conventional idea on its side, Frisell has gradually built a ...

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September 2009

by Michael Ricci
September 1, 2009

Dear fellow AAJ contributor,

I hope you're all enjoying what's left of the summer. We've been steadily improving AAJ over the last couple of months and I wanted to bring you up to speed on the latest news. Please read on... Your Byline Pops Up! Tip: Sizing Embedded Videos Two Editors Wanted: Live Reviews and Artist Profiles Six Figure Days Place an AAJ Widget on your Website, Blog or Facebook page Interviewers Wanted: For Ben Neill ...

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Saint Dirt Elementary School: Ice Cream Man Dreams

by Mark Corroto
September 1, 2009

Somewhere, Tom Waits is smiling. His vision of the amalgamation of the cabaret, circus and hipster is fully realized in the small big band known as Saint Dirt Elementary School on Ice Cream Man Dreams. The title track rolls in as a squeaky child's song of twisted sentiments and wonky melody. Its circus mayhem is subterfuge for some top-shelf music making.

The nine-piece ensemble realizes composer/guitarist Myk Freedman's writing with ease. Like a Raymond Scott title, the seemingly ...

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Take Five With The Music Upstairs Project

by AAJ Staff
September 1, 2009

Meet The Music Upstairs Project:Feast your eyes on that Spin Doctor's mixtape.

The Music Upstairs Project is the brainchild of 4 MILES Records founder and recording artist Cameron Turner. A well-traveled, self-produced multi-instrumentalist, Turner combines his knowledge of modern recording software and groove-based programs with his 60's and '70s-era psychedelic fusion influences. Following the release of his self-titled debut EP, Turner released “A Cry for the Dying," a song that raises money for cancer research with each download. ...

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TriBeCaStan: Strange Cousin

by Chris M. Slawecki
September 1, 2009

The musical state of mind known as TriBeCaStan was co-founded by multi-instrumentalist John Kruth (whose more colorful credits include “banshee mandolin" for rock bands the Meat Puppets and Violent Femmes) and ethnomusicologist Jeff Green. Their forces were joined, in their march toward musical independence, by bassist Dave Dreiwitz (from the band Ween), and multi-reed man Matt Darriau (The Klezmatics).

Strange Cousin builds relationships between unfamiliar international musical relatives. Even while charting new musical territory, Kruth recognizes that TriBeCaStan ...