Jazz Articles

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August 2009

by AAJ Staff
August 2, 2009

Frank KimbroughBirdlandNew York City July 14, 2009When Frank Kimbrough made his leader debut at Birdland (Jul. 14th), easily one of the best piano showcase rooms in New York, there was no doubt he would meet the lofty standard maintained at the club by such fellow pianists as Steve Kuhn and Marc Copland. Having recently recorded with Paul Motian (Play, 2006), Kimbrough opted to work once again with the iconic drummer (and Birdland regular) in ...

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Ayelet Rose Gottlieb: Upto Here From Here

by Martin Gladu
August 2, 2009

There is an age-old Jewish blessing that goes, “May you be credited with as many rewards as the seeds of the pomegranate." Considering each bud contains exactly 613 arils--and as many reward possibilities--the saying illustrates the atmosphere of generosity and plenitude surrounding Tishrey celebrations.Singer/composer Ayelet Rose Gottlieb not only loves her pomegranates, but her perky musical persona proves to be somehow analogous to the fruit's astringent, bittersweet taste. At times moderately mischievous and wily, at others more philosophical ...

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Joe Locke: Nocturne for Ava & Mutual Admiration Society 2

by George Kanzler
August 2, 2009

Bob Sneider/Joe Locke Film Noir ProjectNocturne for AvaOrigin2009 Joe Locke/David HazeltineMutual Admiration Society 2Sharp Nine2009 The versatility of vibraphonist Joe Locke comes to the fore here, one album moody with intricately arranged, programmatic/impressionistic music, the other a loose quartet date emphasizing solos as much as tunes. There's a mid-20th Century feel ...

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April Hall: Fun Out of Life

by Jim Santella
August 2, 2009

The songs that April Hall has selected for Fun Out of Life contain an emotional pull that combines with memories from nearly a century of heart throbs and goose bumps. These songs send a chill down the spine simply because they're favorites and because each one contains a message that shines through comfortable musical elements.

Hall treats each selection with carefully chosen instrumentation, coloring each with appropriate hues. “You Must Believe in Spring" evokes a Spanish classical setting ...

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Tony Malaby: Paloma Recio & Ancient and Future Airs

by David Adler
August 2, 2009

Tony MalabyPaloma RecioNew World Records2009 Paul DunmallAncient and Future AirsClean Feed2009 Paloma Recio ("loud dove"), the debut of saxophonist Tony Malaby's quartet of the same name, is marked by the ghostly sonorities and harmonic wiles of guitarist Ben Monder, plus the flexible support of bassist Eivind Opsvik and drummer Nasheet Waits. Together, the four ...

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Sean Jones: The Search Within

by Edward Blanco
August 2, 2009

With The Search Within, his fifth recording on Mack Avenue Records, Sean Jones continues the musical journey he first embarked on at the tender age of 24 with his 2004 debut, Eternal Journey. A trumpeter, composer and educator (Professor of Trumpet and Jazz Studies, Duquesne University), Jones is one of the finest young trumpeters in the business, recognized for his “lyrical fluidity and high-tier facility," which he ably demonstrates on this recording with both his trumpet and flugelhorn work.

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Jim Black: One Great Night...Live; Houseplant & Kyrill

by Wilbur MacKenzie
August 2, 2009

Ellery Eskelin/Andrea Parkins/Jim BlackOne Great Night...LivehatOLOGY2009 Jim Black's AlasNoAxisHouseplantWinter & Winter2009 Achim KaufmannKyrillPirouet Records2009 For almost 15 years, drummer Jim Black's approach has augmented a jazz sensibility with occasional (and often jarring) inquiries into the sonic territory of heavier drumming styles that are the signature of ...

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Papo Vazquez and The Mighty Pirates: Marooned/Aislado: Live at the Painted Bride Art Center

by Elliott Simon
August 2, 2009

Few musicians in Latin jazz have more street cred than trombonist Papo Vazquez. A member of the seminal Fort Apache Band, he has been a part of this music's renaissance both in the US and in Puerto Rico for several decades. He has been at the forefront of producing an Afro-Puerto Rican jazz that leans on traditional styles such as bomba, with its infectious resonant percussion, and plena, which relies on the guiro and tambourine-like pandeiros for its sound. As ...

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Oh Canada: Fran

by Kurt Gottschalk
August 2, 2009

François Carrier/Michel Lambert/Jean-Jacques AvenelWithinLeo2008 Gordon Grdina Trio...If Accident WillPlunge2009 NOW OrchestraAnimal Talesself-published2009 It's forever surprising that, while Americans revere the pioneers of European free instrumentation, the work of musicians just to the north seems often to go unnoticed. But pockets of innovation exist and are well-documented ...

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Ella Fitzgerald / Mildred Bailey: Ella Fitzgerald Mildred Bailey Legendary Radio Broadcasts

by Andrew Velez
August 2, 2009

Two vocalists supreme, Ella Fitzgerald and Mildred Bailey, can be heard in some rare sides on Legendary Radio Broadcasts. The former's broadcasts are from January 1940, only months after she had taken over leadership of her mentor Chick Webb's band. The intro is from her early signature novelty hit, “A Tisket A Tasket," and she is introduced in time capsule style as “Ella Fitzgerald and her famous orchestra, broadcasting from the home of happy feet, the Savoy Ballroom up here ...