Jazz Articles

like 188

Greg Diamond: Dancando Com Ale

by Raul d'Gama Rose
August 27, 2009

The intended program that an artist brings to a recording date is usually a good measure of his or her maturity and confidence. For instance, to begin a record with a song that is complex, harmonically and rhythmically bodes well for what is to follow. Guitarist Greg Diamond thought it fitting to begin Dancando Com Ale with his foxy, polyrhythmic “Paradigma." By the time the saxophones leap out of the flames of the ensemble, a forest fire is burning. Now ...

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Geri Allen: Journey to the Light

by Greg Thomas
August 27, 2009

Geri Allen's playing and compositional efforts manifest a stylistic flexibility grounded in her absorption of the lessons of the masters of the jazz idiom, and her desire to innovate upon that legacy. As an apprentice during high school and college, and then as a journeywoman, Allen has kept company with musical legends. She just returned from a very successful European tour with “Timeline," a jazz quartet which integrates tap dance into its core arrangements; ...

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Gent Jazz Festival 2009: Days 6-9

by Martin Longley
August 27, 2009

The Gent Jazz Festival 2009BijlokeGent, BelgiumJuly 8-12, 16-19, 2009

Days 6-9 (July 16-19) The second extended weekend of the Gent Jazz Festival is traditionally concerned with what might be called jazz peripherals, meaning music that might be electronic, poppy, rocky or countrified, but generally still possessing sympathetic elements that might entice the previous phase's crowd. The bonus is that the audience widens out into folks who might not usually attend a hardcore jazz sequence. ...

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Ben Perowsky Quartet: Esopus Opus

by Troy Collins
August 27, 2009

A ubiquitous presence in the Downtown New York scene, drummer Ben Perowsky founded and co-led the proto-fusion band Lost Tribe, served in Elysian Fields, Joan as Policewoman, and the Lounge Lizards, while continuing to perform sideman duties for Steven Bernstein, Uri Caine, Dave Douglas, and John Zorn, among others.

An artist with eclectic interests, the debut of Perowsky's new quartet, Esopus Opus, features myriad genres--from classic rock covers and Brazilian favorites to his own mercurial originals. Interestingly, Perowsky's ...

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This Ain't No Ukelele: Jazz Guitarists Anthony Wilson, Daniel Santiago and John Pondel

by Martin Gladu
August 27, 2009

For better or worse, the electric guitar has generally projected an image of masculinity, a certain macho quality even. Perfect examples of this are the scenes involving Steve Vai's Jack Butler character in Walter Hill's Crossroads (Columbia Pictures, 1986). Cruelly demanding, the instrument has bruised many male egos and crushed their dreams of stardom and fame.It has also been reported that the guitar gives its owner the power of attraction over the opposite sex. Well, with each new ...

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Chris Pasin: Detour Ahead

by Warren Allen
August 27, 2009

Trumpeter Chris Pasin tried to move on from jazz, but now he's back. He's a graduate of New England Conservatory's prestigious jazz program and played with many of the greats, before leaving jazz for several years. To celebrate his return, and perhaps give a glimpse of more good things to come he's brought out a never before released gem from 1987 titled Detour Ahead, featuring him alongside a band of Dannie Richmond, Rufus Reid, Benny Green, and Steve Slagle. The ...

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Take Five With Don Diego

by AAJ Staff
August 27, 2009

Meet Don Bables:Don Diego is a contemporary jazz fusion saxophonist, vocalist and keyboard player who mixes instrumental covers of modern and classic R&B with rap and pop vocals. His music is divinely focused and undoubtedly appeals to the tastes of smooth jazz lovers. However, the urban flavor of Don Diego's music is unmistakable. While the Kenny G and David Sanborn will be obvious, one will discover the underlying influences of modern gospel and classic Detroit soul.Instrument(s):

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Jack Wilkins: Until It's Time

by Jim Santella
August 27, 2009

A guitarist with the kind of dexterity that Jack Wilkins shares is bound to find success in many fields, especially when based in New York, where he's surrounded by great musicians all the time. As Until It's Time features piano, bass and drums in support of Wilkins' sensual fret board articulation, much of the album relies on familiar songs and a conservative love affair with melody.Wilkins works in unison with piano, stretches out frequently, and turns his musical ...

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Stefon Harris & Blackout: Urbanus

by John Kelman
August 26, 2009

Since emerging in the late 1990s as the vibraphonist of his generation, Stefon Harris has been unfairly tagged as an overly cerebral player for Blue Note projects like the elaborate Grand Unification Theory (2003) and African Tarantella: Dances for Duke (2006). Evolution (Blue Note, 2004), Harris' first with his groove-happy Blackout band, went a long way to demonstrating a capacity for making accessible music with plenty going on under the hood. Following a few years of touring--including outstanding 2006 performances ...

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Yaron Herman: An Urgent Need to Play

by Jean-Marc Gelin
August 26, 2009

Pianist Yaron Herman, an Israeli now living in Paris, is one of the most talented artists of the Parisian jazz musical scene. He was a promising basketball player on the Israeli national junior team when he was cut short by a knee injury. He then decided to take up playing the piano at age 16. His teacher, the renowned Opher Brayer--famous for his methods based on philosophy and mathematics--taught him the craving for self-knowledge and discovery.

At 19, Yaron left ...