Jazz Articles

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Kirk Knuffke / Federico Ughi / Chris Welcome: Garden Of Gifts

by Mark Corroto
July 13, 2009

There are no signposts to direct towards great free improvisation recordings, because there are no scenic overlooks where it's possible to pull over and take a snapshot or buy a postcard before heading to the next tourist attraction. To take in a recording such as Garden Of Gifts, it's necessary to stand back and take in the whole--the same way the Grand Canyon has to be viewed.

Garden Of Gifts was recorded in May at drummer Federico Ughi's house in ...

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Jennifer Lee: Quiet Joy

by Edward Blanco
July 13, 2009

The field of female jazz vocalists continues to swell with a plethora of new material overflowing the market as productions continue to be released daily. Against this backdrop lies a select number of extraordinarily superb recordings, such as Jennifer Lee's Quiet Joy which, clearly belong in the top echelon of today's jazz vocals. To emphasize the point that Lee is no ordinary vocalist, the San Francisco Bay Area resident not only provides--as Lee Hildenbrand of the San Francisco ...

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Tierney Sutton Band: Desire

by Carl L. Hager
July 12, 2009

Tierney Sutton Band Desire Telarc 2009Singer Tierney Sutton's Desire is the kind of provocative musical work that could change the way a listener hears music. It is an album that is meant to spiritually provoke. It arrests, alarms, it even terrifies.

By the end of “It's Only A Paper Moon," the first track, it is quite plain this isn't the Tin Pan Alley of yesteryear. The much-recorded Harold ...

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Fred Hersch: Plays Jobim

by Glenn Astarita
July 12, 2009

Pianist Fred Hersch's influence and prominence in modern jazz speaks proverbial volumes, whether performing as an ensemble leader or as a solo performer, evidenced here on his renditions of Antonio Carlos Jobim's songbook. As might be anticipated, Hersch approaches the material from a deeply personalized perspective. He refrains from dishing out note-for-note readings by morphing variable rhythmic patterns and gobs of depth amid stately classical structures and other factors.

The pianist's imaginative interpretations yield bountiful fruit throughout these ...

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Enja Records

by Donald Elfman
July 12, 2009

Matthias Winckelmann's favorite recording of the hundreds he's made is the one just finished. Over the years, he's documented music from all over the world and of many different stripes and has always been eloquent and passionate. His label Enja has been in existence for 38 years and a look at the catalogue tells you that the excitement is still there. In 1971, two longtime Munich jazz fans, Winckelmann and Horst Weber, made their first recording together, Black ...

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Andrew Green: Narrow Margin

by Troy Collins
July 12, 2009

Commonly known as the author of a popular series of instruction books, including Jazz Guitar Comping, Jazz Guitar Structures and Jazz Guitar Technique, Andrew Green's lesson plans are revered for their basic approach towards complex concepts. His debut album, Narrow Margin, is a similarly understated, though deceptively intricate affair.

Temporarily sidelined by a sprained wrist in 2006, Green devoted his time to writing the multi-layered charts that make up the bulk of this session. During his convalescence, he ...

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Andy Sheppard: Movements in Colour

by Mark Corroto
July 12, 2009

Booking a flight on Andy Sheppard's airline can be vexing, since the composer/saxophonist has no certain destination and is liable to take off and land anywhere. For the adventuresome musical traveler, this is a good thing.

Sheppard burst on the scene in the 1980s with a series of acclaimed discs (now out-of-print) on the Antilles label, demonstrating strong playing and a John Coltrane-inspired sound. Soon, his restless spirit found him morphing into larger ensemble work, and of late he can ...

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Bob Gluck Trio: Sideways

by Hrayr Attarian
July 12, 2009

Great art and in particular great music does not neatly fit in narrowly defined categories. Such is the case with the Bob Gluck Trio's Sideways. The music is a mix of different jazz styles with an overall strong classical flavor.

The CD contains nine pieces: three long bass-dominated ones, each over 10 minutes; and six shorter piano-driven tunes. Whether playing original compositions or standards the trio, by its improvisational skills and interpretation, make the music extremely personal and unique. To ...

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Andy Milne / Benoit Delbecq: Where is Pannonica?

by George Kanzler
July 12, 2009

Occasioned by a commission from Chamber Music America's French-America Jazz Exchange and realized during a three-week composing/recording residency at the Banff Centre in Canada in 2008, this is a fascinating project, pushing the boundaries of the piano duo format. Using Steinway D grands that were often--mostly in Benoit Delbecq's case--altered with prepared devices (objects on strings) and alternative playing techniques (strumming or hitting strings inside the piano), plus manipulating sounds with five-channel effects, the subtle use of electronics and a ...

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Pat Martino: Martino Unstrung - A Brain Mystery

by George Kanzler
July 12, 2009

Pat Martino Martino Unstrung: A Brain Mystery Sixteen Films 2008 There is active dispute over whether guitarist Pat Martino's playing has the drive and edge it had before his brain surgery in 1980. Tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, one of the many (briefly) talking heads in this documentary, says: “I like his sound better now." The film includes a few astute comments on Martino the musician—the best, surprisingly, coming from Who guitarist Pete Townshend.But ...