Jazz Articles

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Marvin Stamm: Delaware River Suite/The Nearness of Two

by Ken Dryden
June 28, 2009

Bill Mays, Marvin Stamm & Alicia Horn: Inventions Trio Delaware River Suite No Blooze Music 2008 Dena De Rose & Marvin Stamm The Nearness of Two GoFour 2007

Trumpeter/flugelhornist Marvin Stamm is an alum of several orchestras, including those led by Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, plus Thad Jones and Mel Lewis. In recent ...

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Nels Cline: Acoustic Guitar Trio & Gauci/Cline/Filiano/Pride

by Clifford Allen
June 28, 2009

Acoustic Guitar Trio Vignes Long Song Records 2009 Stephen Gauci/Nels Cline/Ken Filiano/Mike Pride Red Feast Cadence Jazz Records 2009 Guitarist Nels Cline is so recognized as a force in contemporary music because he's not really a “force". In other words, his considerable technique, taste and penchant for cross-genre blurs don't always take the spotlight. ...

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Accordion/Bandoneon Threefer: Emilio Solla, Adrian Iaies & Damian Nisenson

by Marcia Hillman
June 28, 2009

Emilio SollaConversas (Al Lado Del Agua)Fresh Sound World Jazz2009 Adrian Iaies Trio + Michael ZismanVals De La 81st & Columbus Sunnyside2008 Damian Nisenson+3 In Concert Malasartes Musique2008 The bandoneon and accordion have begun to show up lately in more jazz-oriented company. Even though they have ...

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Relentless Groove: The Life of Jymie Merritt

by Christopher Slone
June 27, 2009

Over the past fifty years there have been many stalwarts who've directed the course of jazz, but none is more deserving of tribute than Jymie Merritt. Although he has been unjustly under-recognized, his muscular bass playing has anchored many of this music's most prestigious ensembles, and in the process, he has helped to shape the genre as it has evolved.Born in Philadelphia in 1926, Jymie began his musical journey playing the tenor saxophone while a teenager. However, this ...

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Barbara Dennerlein Quartet at Ronnie Scott's

by Peter Forst
June 27, 2009

Barbara Dennerlein QuartetRonnie Scott'sLondon, EnglandJune 6, 2009

The sold-out space in Ronnie Scott's Club was illuminated by candle light when Barbara Dennerlein and her band took the stage. The Ronnie Scott All-Stars had already finished the opening set with some familiar tunes featuring piano and flugelhorn as the lead voices, backed by bass and drums. This short program established an appropriate contrast to what was to come. The traditional, wooden Hammond B3 ...

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Aaron Koppel Quartet: Falling Together Falling Apart

by Matthew Warnock
June 27, 2009

Falling Together Falling Apart is an emotionally charged excursion through the realm of modern jazz by Chicago based guitarist and band leader Aaron Koppel. The ensemble that Koppel has assembled for this recording reflects the best and brightest of the highly creative Chicago modern jazz scene. Pianist Matt Nelson, bassist Graham Czach and drummer Robert Tucker hold down the fort as solidly as any rhythm section on the scene today. Apart from the strong support given by these three, saxophonists ...

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Andrew Green: Narrow Margin

by J Hunter
June 27, 2009

Film noir used to be what the Internet is nowadays: something to blame for why the world is going south in a sidecar. Noir films were black and white, but the story lines weren't. The good guys weren't all good, the bad guys weren't always that bad, and the girls with hearts of gold only had them because that's where they kept their cash. And the music was dark... dark like the shadows where most of the action happened. Andrew ...

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John Zorn: Radio Interview

by Chris Comer
June 27, 2009

Listen

This rare interview with one of the most innovative of American composers, John Zorn, is from 1999. Right off the bat the pair discussed the Masada jazz quartet and book of compositions, then the conversation led to other performers Zorn has collaborated and performed with, including Derek Bailey. Comer & Zorn engage in a detailed conversation about Zorn's chamber music compositions, focusing on his string quartet Momento Mori. Zorn doesn't give many interviews, and this one is ...

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Take Five With Tor E Bekken

by AAJ Staff
June 27, 2009

Meet Tor E Bekken:Born 1964 in Norway. Played piano since childhood. Professional musician since the late 1980s. Works with blues-based material, as well as free form solo piano improvisation and Norwegian folk music. Played with New Orleans artists such as Marva Wright, Benny Turner, Big Al Carson and the late Eddie Bo. Lives in Trondheim, Norway. Has released seven CDs; the latest, Songs from a Forest, is a duet with harmonica player Richard Gjems.

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Jon Balke: Siwan

by John Kelman
June 27, 2009

A banner year for ECM in many respects, 2009 has seen two specific releases that, in their intrepid conceptual cross-pollination, stand poised as contemporary masterpieces. One is composer/sound sculptor Ambrose Field's exploration of 15th Century composer Guillame Dufay's music with tenor John Potter on the forward-thinking Being Dufay (ECM, 2009); the other is Norwegian keyboardist/composer Jon Balke's Siwan. Being Dufay turned music from a European classical environs ultra-modernistic, even for this 21st Century. Balke takes music from Middle ...