Jazz Articles

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Gent Jazz Festival 2009: Days 1-5

by Martin Longley
August 10, 2009

The Gent Jazz Festival 2009 Bijloke Gent, BelgiumJuly 8: B.B. King/China Moses & Raphael LemonnierMaybe this year's festival, running July 8-19, is going to peak too soon. In 2006, B.B. King (or his management) decided that he wasn't going to tour again outside of North America, thereby filling seats up on a “farewell" European arena datesheet. Now, Mister King has changed his mind (or his management has...), and he's back on the road across the Atlantic, visiting a ...

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Norberto Tamburrino: Reflection(s) On Monk

by Bruce Lindsay
August 10, 2009

Reflection(s) On Monk took over four years to record: five tracks were recorded in Italy between August, 2004 and March, 2008 and four in New York in November, 2008. The result is a well-crafted album, featuring some excellent playing from pianist Norberto Tamburrino and the other musicians. The opening “The Room of Illumination" works its way through a series of musical styles, each clearly differentiated from the other by drummer Bruce Cox's changing patterns. The introductory slow ...

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Take Five With Guitares Cinematiques

by AAJ Staff
August 10, 2009

Meet Guitares Cinématiques: Studied physics, classical guitar, and foreign languages in college. I was always a huge fan of the group Oregon. Instrument(s):Classical guitar.Teachers and/or influences?My early guitar teachers were Gene Watson and Mario Abril. I attended the FSU School of Music and studied with Bruce Holzman. Later, I studied privately with Ralph Towner in Seattle and with Steve Cardenas in San Francisco, CA. Oh, and I had a master ...

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James Falzone / Klang: Tea Music

by Mark Corroto
August 10, 2009

The much-admired 1950s work of clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre is the inspiration for James Falzone's quartet, known as Klang. But like most things emanating from the insular world of Chicago jazz, the signature is never forged.

Falzone, a clarinetist, has explored many musical forms, from classical and chamber music to French folk and jazz. He has played with Jorrit Dijkstra's Flatlands Collective and collaborated with Steve Lacy, Joe Maneri, and Fred Lonberg-Holm. Klang formed in 2006 when Falzone and ...

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Peter Sommer: Crossroads

by Hrayr Attarian
August 10, 2009

It takes self-confidence and talent for a new musician to lock horns with a more experienced practitioner of the same instrument, and tenor saxophonist Peter Sommer has plenty of both. His only other recording was a collaborative effort with pianist Art Lande, and this second recording is his first as a leader. On this record, Sommer's seasoned partner is Rich Perry, a veteran of the legendary Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra and a member of the Maria Schneider ...

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Josep Soto: Groc

by Raul d'Gama Rose
August 9, 2009

Josep Soto is a Barcelona-based composer and guitarist of immense promise. Groc comes not long after Parabolico (PICAP, 2001), which featured reedman Paquito D'Rivera and won European acclaim, getting nominated for a Latin Grammy when it hit the ground in the US two years later. Groc is an unusual record. It is Josep Soto's not-so-secret and masterful way of acknowledging the collision of Spanish music with the music of cultures that Spain, Portugal and other Latin countries ...

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2009 Quebec City Summer Festival

by Bill King
August 9, 2009

Québec City Summer Festival Québec City, Québec, Canada July 9-19, 2009

The 42nd summer edition has been an endurance test of sight, sound and leg work. With three large outdoor venues--the Bell Stage on the Plains of Abraham featuring mainline artists Pink Martini, Sean Paul, Loreena McKennitt, Brian Setzer Orchestra, Styx, French cult group Indochine and The Lost Fingers; the Molson Dry Stage with Jeff Beck, Québec rock group Miriodor, Van Der Graaf Generator, hip hop ...

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Joe Thomas at Central Park Summerstage, NYC

by Ernest Barteldes
August 9, 2009

Joe ThomasCentral Park Summerstage New York, New York July 26, 2009

A repeated loop from the intro of Frank Sinatra's “(Theme from) New York, New York" set the tone for Joe (Thomas)'s extended set in Central Park, where he performed before a large crowd of avid fans that came out in large numbers in spite of the intense heat and humidity.

He came in impeccably dressed in suit and tie but, ...

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Pete McCann: Extra Mile

by Mark Corroto
August 9, 2009

Pete McCann may be a kind of a guitar superman, considering his work with bands led by Patti Austin, Lee Konitz, Kenny Wheeler, Dave Liebman, Kenny Garrett, Peter Erskine, Gary Thomas, Greg Osby, Brian Blade and Maria Schneider.

Since moving to New York in 1989, McCann has lent his skills to these diverse leaders, which shows his chameleon-like approach. He is equally comfortable playing pre- and post-bop jazz, as well as electric fusion, acoustic, Latin and rock--all of ...

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Spunk: Kantarell

by John Kelman
August 9, 2009

As challenging as free improvisation can be, the truth is that while it may appear to be an aimless mixture of sounds found or otherwise, in the right hands it is something that--best absorbed as a whole rather than a collection of individual parts--can be as beautiful as it sometimes is jarring and off-putting. Spunk pushes the limits of acoustic and electronic instrumentation, as well as voice; but with an injection of humorous absurdity that may, perhaps, be best experienced ...