Jazz Articles

like 1,287

Montreal Jazz Festival: Days 7-9, July 7-9, 2009

by John Kelman
July 11, 2009

Days 1-3 | Days 4-6 | Days 7-9 Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae Charlie Haden Family and Friends / Bill Frisell QuartetVan Der Graaf Generator / Ornette ColemanFestival International de Jazz de Montreal Montreal, Quebec, Canada July 7-9 2009 Every year the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal (FIJM) hosts a number of free outdoor concerts, Grand Soirés, that go beyond the already outstanding day-to-day programming at ...

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Laurence Hobgood: When The Heart Dances

by C. Michael Bailey
July 11, 2009

Kurt Elling's long-time pianist, Laurence Hobgood, is no stranger to leading a recording session. He has released four previous recordings on Naim Jazz in the last 10 years. He is a durable pianist, a bit of a cross between Red Garland and George Winston, with a smidge of Bill Evans thrown in for seasoning. On When the Heart Dances, Hobgood duets with bassist Charlie Haden and is joined by Elling on three of the eleven selections.

The jazz duet is ...

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James Carney Group: Ways & Means

by Troy Collins
July 11, 2009

Inspired by his work scoring Edward Sloman's 1925 silent film, His People, for the Syracuse International Film Festival in 2006, New York-based keyboardist James Carney continued to explore the narrative potential of cinematic structures. Funded in part by commissions from Chamber Music America and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Carney produced Ways & Means, a “virtual film score" recorded with his regular touring group.

Steadily winding their way through this episodic suite, Carney's ensemble evinces an array of ...

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Simon Jermyn: Trot A Mouse

by Mark F. Turner
July 11, 2009

An unusual but satisfying release, Trot A Mouse debuts the diverse ideas of electric bassist/composer, Simon Jermyn. Equally adept on guitar and bass, the Irish native is classically trained and lives in Dublin, Ireland. Travels have taken him to the Berklee College of Music in Boston on scholarship, The Hague, where he earned a Masters Degree in Jazz Performance, and Reykjavik, Iceland, where he lived for a year before releasing this recording. Jermyn's influences run the gamut--rock ...

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State of the Axe: Guitar Masters in Photographs and Words

by Kurt Gottschalk
July 11, 2009

State of the Axe: Guitar Masters in Photographs and Words Ralph Gibson Paperback; 184 pages ISBN: 0300142110 Yale University Press 2008

Saxists have their mouthpieces and drummers their cymbals, but there's no fetish object quite like the guitar. It's played most often by peacocks, strutting and ruffling plumage in one way or another and it takes an endless variety of forms. Photographer and guitarist Ralph Gibson takes ...

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Benny Goodman: Yale University Archives, Vol. 2 (Big Band 1957-1964) & Celebrates 100 Years of Benny

by Graham L. Flanagan
July 11, 2009

Benny GoodmanYale University Archives, Vol. 2 (Big Band 1957-1964)Nimbus2009 Dave BennettCelebrates 100 Years of BennyRecord Label #2Year On May 30th, the great Benny Goodman would have turned 100. The celebration of this milestone continues with the release of some excellent archival material, as well as a wonderful tribute album from one of the clarinet ...

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Greg Nagy: Walk that Fine Thin Line

by Clifford Allen
July 11, 2009

It's not necessarily obvious to think of Michigan's “thumb" as being a hotbed of blues music. Sure, Detroit has produced a large share of jazz, R&B and Doo-Wop groups, and the state was home to the frantic blues-fueled rock of the Stooges and the MC5, but despite its proximity to Chicago, Michigan's lower third doesn't exude “blues." Don't tell that to Greg Nagy, guitarist in Lansing's Root Doctor who steps out on his own with Walk that Fine Thin Line, ...

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Krzysztof Popek: Estate

by Jerry D'Souza
July 11, 2009

Alto flautist Krzysztof Popek gives his music another vantage point with Estate. From Poland, Popek has long been part of a very fertile and evolving turf that included Michal Urbaniak, Tomasz Stanko and Jaroslaw Smietana. It was in this environment that Popek established himself as the leading flautist of the country. But boundaries dissolve with the craft of this musician, who plays from the depths of his soul.

One constant factor on Popek's recordings has been trumpeter Piotr Wojtasik. He ...

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Louis Hayes: The Time Keeper & Off The Cuff

by Graham L. Flanagan
July 11, 2009

Louis HayesThe Timekeeper18th & Vine2009 Rick GermansonOff the CuffOwl Studios2009 Louis Hayes still ranks among the few hard bop legends that emerged during the '50s and '60s who still contribute to the contemporary jazz scene. Perhaps his most famous association was with Horace Silver but his next major gig arrived as part of Cannonball ...

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Globe Unity - Italy: Gianni Basso/Renato Sellani, Norberto Tamburrino & Giorgio Gaslini

by Fred Bouchard
July 11, 2009

Gianni Basso/Renato SellaniBody and SoulVenus2008 Norberto TamburrinoReflection(s) On Monk Philology2009 Giorgio GasliniFonte Funda Suite--La Notte Black Saint2009 After World War II's wave of adulation and imitation, it's clear that many Italian musicians have branded jazz with individual characteristics. To jazz, they bring a poetic sense of ...