Jazz Articles

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Le Boeuf Brothers: House Without A Door

by Bruce Lindsay
July 21, 2009

Remy and Pascal Le Boeuf, horn player and pianist respectively, are precociously talented identical twins who have already received awards for their composition and playing. House Without A Door is their second album and on this showing there are more awards to come. The New York-based brothers play well-crafted original tunes: all 12 of the pieces are written by either Remy or Pascal although, interestingly, none of them are co-compositions. Their style is mainly modern, straight-ahead jazz. ...

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Jacques Voyemant Septet: Arrival

by J. Robert Bragonier
July 21, 2009

Just when it seems everything the trombone has to offer in a jazz setting has been heard, along comes a talent that demands a fresh hearing on its own merit. Jacques Voyemant is that kind of talent, and the group he has assembled provides a finely-honed voice, not only for his distinctive trombone sound, but for his writing skills as well. His name may be unfamiliar, but Jacques is no newcomer to the Los Angeles scene: he has been around ...

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Jymie Merritt: Dedication Personified

by Victor L. Schermer
July 21, 2009

Jymie Merritt came up in Philadelphia during the evolution of bebop and hard bop, when the town was a hotbed of musical activity. Players like John Coltrane, Benny Golson, and Philly Joe Jones were getting started there, and musicians like Charlie Parker, J.J. Johnson, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis would come to the city to perform and to mentor them.

Merritt soon spread his “on the road" wings with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, including some memorable ...

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Jake Hertzog: Chromatosphere

by Glenn Astarita
July 21, 2009

Jake Hertzog is a guitarist who crosses the threshold into the jazz and jazz-fusion radar with the advent of this impressive 2009 studio set. Hertzog is a Berklee College of Music graduate and, at nineteen years-old, won the 2006 Montreux Jazz Festival's Grand Prize in the Jazz Guitar Competition. He communicates a broad music vernacular here, within a comfort zone provided by the superfine rhythm section that includes pianist Michael Wolff on three pieces.

Among the anticipated methodologies, ...

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Music of the Americas: Live at Americas Society

by Ernest Barteldes
July 21, 2009

Guitar in the Americas Americas Society New York, NY July 7, 2009

The Mannes Guitar Summit kicked off in early July with a presentation of artists of diverse backgrounds and formations, ranging from classical music to tango, with some folk in between at the Upper East Side's Americas Society. The concert was also the beginning of the Mannes College's summer program.

The showcase started with Duo Cantabile, formed by the married couple ...

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The Charles Lloyd Quartet Live at the Highline Ballroom, NYC

by Warren Allen
July 21, 2009

Charles Lloyd Quartet Highline Ballroom New York, New York July 3, 2009

Charles Lloyd hasn't lost a step. He has an instantly recognizable and deeply personal sound on every instrument in his formidable arsenal. His technique gets an audience feeling it. But perhaps his most underrated gift is the ability to be a catalyst for the players around him.

His 1960s quartet with Jack DeJohnette and Keith Jarrett was one of jazz's most popular ...

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Lafayette Gilchrist: Soul Progressin'

by Jay Deshpande
July 21, 2009

On Soul Progressin', Lafayette Gilchrist mixes a funky sensibility with, above all else, a sense of play. The album showcases the young pianist's compositions in a no-holds-barred, gutsy display of honest sound. Throughout, Gilchrist is supported by the strong horn section (two trumpets, three saxophones) that defines his band, the New Volcanoes. Gilchrist presents a range of compositions on the album, but all of them straddle a line between genres while maintaining a genuinely personal, distinct feel. ...

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Xu Fengxia / Lucas Niggli: Black Lotos

by Nic Jones
July 21, 2009

This duo of multi-instrumentalist Xu Fengxia and percussionist Lucas Niggli sometimes produces quietly compelling music with drums and Chinese plucked instruments, but the opportunities for it to really take hold are significantly undermined by Fengxia's vocal interjections. Such is the effect of these that the impact of the duo's subtle interplay is too often lost.

The opening “Bell Smell" is a case in point. An unworldly air prevails that is intriguing, hinting at all sorts of possibilities. The music's accommodation ...

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Take Five With Amaryllis Santiago

by AAJ Staff
July 21, 2009

Meet Amaryllis Santiago: Amaryllis's story is very simple. She loves all types of music. Singing is a big part of who she is--not a lot of hype, just straight music. Many of the pieces she has written are like most singer/songwriters. The songs come from experiences and things that she has either gone through or has witnessed others go through. Throughout her musical journey she has learned to find her voice in Smooth Jazz, R&B, Dance and ...

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Jonathan Bratoeff & Chris Vatalaro: Chapters

by Chris May
July 20, 2009

Unexpectedly, a trend has been developing among musicians associated with London's F-IRE collective to revisit the standards repertoire. It's not an area this experimentally inclined body of players usually inhabits, but the results so far--all recorded by duos--make it an engaging diversion.

Saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and pianist Liam Noble were first off the block with Let's Call This (Babel, 2006). Noble returned to similar territory with percussionist Paul Clarvis on Starry Starry Night (Village Life, 2009). And now ...