Jazz Articles

like 392

FGHR: Going Home

by Jakob Baekgaard
July 26, 2009

When French philosopher Roland Barthes (1915-1980) wrote about photography in his 1971 essay “The Third Meaning," he conceptualized how an image is perceived not only as something that belongs to a recognizable reality but also as something that carries a meaning that lies beyond what can be put into words; what he called “the third meaning."

Looking at the cover photo by Lana Daubermann, and the many beautiful pictures that grace the booklet of FGHR's Going Home, recalla Barthes' writing. ...

like 457

Bobby Selvaggio: Modern Times

by Jim Santella
July 26, 2009

Alto saxophonist Bobby Selvaggio carries an expressive torch when he fronts this ensemble. His fifth CD as leader brings nine original pieces and a cover of “You've Changed" into the improvisation arena for a program of acoustic modern jazz that ranges from quirky and dynamic to bluesy and frank. His fluid tone and easygoing articulation carry the alto and soprano on a journey that respects tradition while pumping new energy into the scene. Selvaggio leaps with high-octane drive on numerous ...

like 241

Take Five With Marcus Goldhaber

by AAJ Staff
July 26, 2009

Meet Marcus Goldhaber: Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, Marcus developed a passion for Jazz alongside a 1928 Ivers & Pond upright piano, on which his mother casually played countless standards. Inspired by his upbringing, along with a clear inheritance of the musical gene, Marcus graduated later with a BFA in Musical Theatre from SUNY Fredonia. He then moved to New York City and worked as an Actor, but eventually decided to record the wonderful songs of Harold ...

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Joe Locke / David Hazeltine: Mutual Admiration Society 2

by David A. Orthmann
July 25, 2009

In the last year of the twentieth century, Sharp Nine Records released Mutual Admiration Society, a quartet date co-led by vibraphonist Joe Locke and pianist David Hazeltine, which also included bassist Essiet Essiet and drummer Billy Drummond. A brainchild of Sharp Nine honcho Marc Edelman, the collaboration between these two longtime friends was based on a desire to explore each other's strengths. Hazeltine was keen on interacting with the blues-oriented, earthy side of Locke's playing, as well as experiencing the ...

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Sam Newsome: To Play or Not to Play the Soprano

by Sam Newsome
July 25, 2009

When I think about the radical move I made 14 years ago, switching from the tenor to the soprano saxophone, I sometimes ask myself: “What in the hell were you thinking?" Even though in hindsight I look back on my decision with amazement and disbelief, I'm happy to say that it's one I've never regretted. Becoming a soprano saxophonist for me has been a life-changing journey that has restored my curiosity and excitement about music. It has strengthened me as ...

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The Rock Royalty Tour: The Zombies, The Yardbirds & The Spencer Davis Group

by Mike Perciaccante
July 25, 2009

The Zombies, The Yardbirds & The Spencer Davis GroupThe Fillmore At Irving Plaza New York, NY July 10, 2009

“I'm A Man," “Over Under Sideways Down," “Heart Full of Soul," “For Your Love," “The Train Kept A-Rollin'" and “Gimme Some Lovin'" were but a few of the huge hits served up to a very happy and attentive crowd at The Fillmore At Irving Plaza on this warm Friday night in New York City. On ...

like 217

National Health: Of Queues And Cures

by Nic Jones
July 25, 2009

First issued in 1978, the passing of time has rendered this music ageless, as opposed to setting the seal as a product of an era. But for a change of bassist and name (National Health), the brand of complexity underscoring the group's music was of a radically different order to that of an earlier band (Hatfield And The North). Where in Hatfield's case there was no shortage of whimsy of a particularly English order, here it is replaced by a ...

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Mara Rosenbloom Quartet: School of Fish

by Jakob Baekgaard
July 25, 2009

Music, at its best, is about seeing and feeling things that are well-known in a new way, making them pleasing to the intellect and heart. It's about placing familiar things in an unfamiliar context.

Taking the cover to Wisconsin-born pianist Mara Rosenbloom's album as an example, School of Fish is adorned by a fish painted on woodwork with the eye of the fish being a part of the wood's natural texture. Here, an aquatic animal is taken out of its ...

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Oscar Peterson: The Complete Clef/Mercury Studio Sessions of the Oscar Peterson Trio (1951-1953)

by Michael Steinman
July 25, 2009

Oscar Peterson The Complete Clef/Mercury Studio Recordings of The Oscar Peterson Trio (1951-1953) Mosaic Records 2008

The late Oscar Peterson was technically dazzling, harmonically sophisticated and indefatigably rhythmic. His virtuosic command of the piano has never been questioned. Because of Norman Granz' enthusiasm for his work, Peterson recorded prolifically as soloist and sideman as well as the leader of his own trio. Patterned after Nat Cole's trio, this group featured bassist Ray ...

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Daniela Schachter: Purple Butterfly

by Edward Blanco
July 25, 2009

A gifted vocalist who just happens to also play the piano quite well, Daniela Schachter conjures up comparisons to the great Diana Krall on Purple Butterfly, an offering of contemporary jazz vocals covered with a bit of honey and a taste of Italy. This Sicilian-born, New York-based artist possesses distinctive high-pitch voice, which she employs on ten alluring songs, voicing lyrics in English and Italian (sung gracefully on the emotive “E Se Domani"). Schachter even serves up a dash of ...