Jazz Articles

like 1,297

Chris Potter: Way Above Ground with Underground

by R.J. DeLuke
June 29, 2009

Saxophonist Chris Potter, at age 38, has long been fast-tracked to the head of his class to become regarded as one of the strongest players on the scene. It doesn't seem that long ago that he was first making waves on recordings, and then became part of the superb Dave Holland quintet, where his strengths were put on display all over the globe.Fact is, Potter has earned his stripes every step of the way. He's made his bones ...

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Guilherme Monteiro Quartet at Jazz Gallery

by David Miller
June 28, 2009

Guilherme Monteiro QuartetThe Jazz GalleryNew York, New YorkJune 20, 2009

Guilherme Monteiro took the stage at the Jazz Gallery with his quartet on a subdued Saturday night in June as part of the Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records (BJUR) festival. Monteiro was playing in support of his debut album, Air, recently released on BJUR. By show time, it had been raining off and on for the better part of three straight days, and walking the streets ...

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Andy Milne and Benoit Delbecq: Where is Pannonica?

by Matt Marshall
June 28, 2009

At times while listening to pianists Andy Milne and Benoit Delbecq's Where is Pannonica? you may find yourself asking, “where is the piano?" Which isn't to say that traditional piano tones are ever completely silenced on the record, but that they are rarely the only tones. On three tunes, Delbecq is cited as using Dlooper, an audio application that, according to the pianist, is “a multi-track looper that can superimpose eight stereo channels, and output them on eight different channels." ...

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Reinventing Myself: My Journey Back to Music

by Steven Tjernagel
June 28, 2009

As a child I imagined myself playing guitar. I didn't actually have a guitar, but a tennis racket sort of looked like one and that was enough.When I did finally get my hands on a guitar for the first time, I figured out that, using only the open strings (luckily it was tuned), I could play most of “Taps." So, with a slight tuning adjustment from someone older and wiser, I gave my first concert to a group ...

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Gerry Hemingway Quintet: Demon Chaser

by Troy Collins
June 28, 2009

Demon Chaser, which documents a live concert recorded at Ottenbrucher Bahnhof in Wuppertal-Elberfeld, Germany on March 2nd, 1993, stands tall in drummer Gerry Hemingway's discography as one of the finest achievements of his celebrated transatlantic quintet. This is its second printing.

Synchronous with the dissolution of the classic Anthony Braxton quartet of the late eighties/early nineties, Hemingway embarked on a different path, eschewing Braxton's oblique methodology in favor of an open-minded neo-traditional approach. Comprised of artists from America ...

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Tom Abbs & Frequency Response: Lost + Found

by Glenn Astarita
June 28, 2009

Frequency Response's third outing is a study in diversity via a stylistic group sound that touches upon many genres. Cellist/tubaist Tom Abbs is the director of operations throughout a program that integrates chamber jazz, free jazz, and noise-shaping activities amid many other shades of Western song forms.

The group abides by a structured approach to the core compositional underpinnings, but partake in mini, cosmic meltdowns and bustling rhythmic metrics. It's a turbulent journey at times, where the majority ...

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Myra Melford: Under The Water (Piano Solo and Duo), Continuation & My Fingers Will Be Your Tears

by Kurt Gottschalk
June 28, 2009

Satoko Fujii / Myra Melford Under the Water Libra 2009 Alex Cline Continuation Cryptogramophone 2009 Andrew Drury My Fingers Will Be Your Tears Cadence Jazz Records 2009 As Myra Melford continues to challenge herself with new ensembles and approaches to composing, the opportunities to hear her ...

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Hans Olding Quartet: No Space

by Matthew Warnock
June 28, 2009

No Space is an energetic modern jazz album from Swedish guitarist, Hans Olding and his quartet consisting of saxophonist Linus Lindblom, bassist Par-Ola Landin and drummer Sebastian Voegler, with special guest trumpeter Nils Janson. The album has a modern vibe that melds together compositional elements from the likes of Kurt Rosenwinkel and Adam Rogers with the tonal and improvisational qualities of a John Scofield record, without sounding like an imitation of either. Olding's playing and writing is solid ...

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Paul Motian: Zen Brushstrokes

by Tom Greenland
June 28, 2009

Larry Gelb America Is Free ImaginMusic 2008 George Garzone Among Friends Stunt Records 2009 Michael Adkins Quartet Rotator Hat Hut 2008 Ed Schuller & the Reunion Trio Serendipity: Live at A-Trane, Berlin Tutu Records 2009

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Steven Wilson: Insurgentes

by John Kelman
June 28, 2009

As the primary force behind British rock group Porcupine Tree--in its earliest days, the only force, starting as a solo project in 1991 and becoming a true group in 1993 to record/support its early classic The Sky Moves Sideways (C&S, 1995)--it would be easy to question why multi-instrumentalist/writer/singer Steven Wilson has chosen to release an album under his own name. The stunningly broad-scoped yet undeniably focused Insurgentes is the answer. While fitting comfortably within Porcupine Tree's larger discography, its main ...