Jazz Articles
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Mareike Wiening: 'Reveal' Offers Jazz Rhythms of Hope
by Lawrence Peryer
Today, the Spotlight shines On Mareike Wiening. Mareike is a drummer and composer who joined us on the occasion of the release of her third record as bandleader, Reveal (Greenleaf Music). Featuring her long-time group: tenor saxophonist Rich Perry, pianist Glenn Zaleski, guitarist Alex Goodman, and bassist Johannes Felscher, the band is joined on three tracks by trumpeter and Greenleaf founder Dave Douglas. After several years in New York City, Mareike is now based in Cologne, ...
Continue ReadingMartin Budde: Back Burner
by Andrew Luthringer
In the ever-evolving crucible of progressive jazz guitar, younger players often face a formidable challenge: forging a distinctive approach amidst the echoes of legends. The roles and methodologies that define modern electric jazz have multiplied exponentially in recent decades, but Martin Budde, a guitarist of floating, effortless fluidity and solid foundational control, navigates this landscape with the confident stride of a searcher who's found something he wants to communicate. On Back Burner, his second solo album, he shares the riches ...
Continue ReadingWhen is a Jazz Festival (Not) a Jazz Festival?
by John Kelman
This article was first published at All About Jazz on May 20, 2011. It's becoming almost pandemic for jazz festivals around the world to be challenged for deciding to broaden their programming into areas either peripherally related to jazz... or, in some cases, away from jazz entirely. Festivals like the near-iconic Montreux Jazz Festival, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and the Ottawa International Jazz Festiva have become easy targets for purists, who are loudly proclaiming “This ...
Continue ReadingIn With The In Crowd: Popular Jazz in 1960s Black America
by Richard J Salvucci
In With The In Crowd Mike Smith232 Pages ISBN: 978-1496851154 University Press of Mississippi/Jackson 2024 There is a legal adage that hard cases make bad law. Extreme circumstances make it difficult to accommodate less fraught or complex situations. Histories of jazz in the United States can be a bit like that. Controversial subjects, players or recordings can obscure the importance of less extreme ones. Lord knows, jazz in America has had more than ...
Continue ReadingGordon Grdina: Everything Old Is New Again
by Doug Collette
Guitarist and oud master Gordon Grdina's imagination is as deep as it is broad. As a result, there are those titles in his rapidly expanding discography that, like this pair on Attaboygirl Records, bear some measure of resemblance to previously released titles. Such an impression is nonetheless deceptive, as is the reappearance of names like the Canadian's band, The Marrow, or his frequent collaborator, percussionist Christian Lillinger: such participation constitutes legitimate extension of previous works. But that observation may also ...
Continue ReadingCecile McLorin Salvant at Slee Hall
by Frank Housh
Cecile McLorin Salvant Slee Hall at University of Buffalo Buffalo, NY February 9, 2024 The word is “trobairitz;" it refers to female troubadours of the Middle Ages who performed some of Western music's first secular songs (and the first composed by women) in the area south of the Loire Valley, what we now call Provence. As Cécile McLorin Salvant prowled the stage and charmed the crowd with stories of her childhood and songs ...
Continue ReadingJohn Surman: Words Unspoken
by Joshua Weiner
Englishman John Surman has been one of jazz's most important reedmen since his debut album on the progressive Deram label in 1969. From the start, on classic albums such as John McLaughlin's Extrapolation, Surman displayed a unique voice on the baritone sax, soprano sax, and bass clarinet, sometimes adding electronics to the mix. Since his first appearance on Manfred Eicher's groundbreaking ECM label in 1976, Surman has forged an idiosyncratic path, releasing solo, duo, and quartet albums, transcultural collaborations (such ...
Continue ReadingAcceleration Due To Gravity: Jonesville
by Pierre Giroux
Bassist, composer and arranger Moppa Elliott's uniquely-titled nonet Acceleration Due To Gravity presents Jonesville a gravity- defying jazz odyssey. It pays a captivating homage to influential bassist Sam Jones by weaving a sonic tapestry which transcends the boundaries of conventional jazz. In this brief seven-track, twenty-one-minute outing, four compositions are by Elliott, with the remainder being Sam Jones' originals. The members of the octet who participated in this unusual musical excursion are trumpeter Bobby Spellman, trombonist Dave Taylor, alto saxophonist ...
Continue ReadingFreedom Suite, Blanche Calloway, Jazz at the Philharmonic
by David Brown
This week we'll celebrate the recording milestone of Sonny Rollins' Freedom Suite, recorded 66 years ago this weekend on February 11, 1958; then a birthday tribute to singer, bandleader Blanche Calloway born this weened in 1902 who was a first woman to lean an all-male jazz band; and we'll tour with Jazz at the Philharmonic for a trumpet battle between Roy Eldridge and Charlie Shavers followed by an all-star Ballad Melody. Along the way, we will showcase some new releases ...
Continue ReadingUlysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y: A New Beat
by Glenn Astarita
A New Beat, crafted by the multi-Grammy award-winning drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. and his Generation Y outfit, materializes as a vivid emblem of jazz's evolving dynamics. This album, an amalgamation of nine tracks, epitomizes the fusion of classic jazz standards with inventive perspectives. Among its highlights, “Bird Lives" notably shines for its technical brilliance and tribute to jazz icons, striking a harmonious balance between honoring the past and embracing the new. This track, alongside the production's repertoire, demonstrates the ensemble's ...
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