Jazz Articles

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Neil Young: Fork in the Road

by Ian Patterson
June 18, 2009

It's been almost forty five years since Neil Young's first solo tour began one of the most remarkable careers in modern music. From a Woodstock-era folk-rock icon and introspective songwriter, to inimitable electric guitarist and godfather of grunge, few artists can match Young's substantial body of work for energy and quality. His live shows, whether with Crazy Horse, or solo, have always been electric, and his 2009 tour to promote Fork in the Road is proving that, at 64, he ...

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Tortoise: Beacons Of Ancestorship

by Troy Collins
June 17, 2009

Beacons Of Ancestorship is the first release in five years from revolutionary post rock innovators Tortoise and the sixth full-length record of their almost two decade existence. A longstanding Chicago institution, Tortoise single-handedly spawned the post rock genre in the early nineties--a post punk fusion of Krautrock, minimalism, dub, electronica, world music, and avant-garde jazz.

In addition to their vast array of influences, virtuosic multi-instrumentalists Dan Bitney, John Herndon, Douglas McCombs, John McEntire, and Jeff Parker have long ...

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Lewis Nash: Professionalism and Respect

by Russ Musto
June 17, 2009

One of the busiest musicians in jazz today, Lewis Nash is the first-call drummer for some of the greatest artists in this music. Since moving to New York in the early '80s, the Phoenix, Arizona native has appeared on more than 400 recordings, from his earliest dates with the late great Betty Carter to his decade as a member of the Tommy Flanagan trio to his recent effort as a member of the Blue Note 7. Nash's work ...

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Downtown Music Gallery A Summer Blockbuster Hit

by Mark Corroto
June 17, 2009

Imagine the opening credits to a summer blockbuster movie that starts out in space looking down at the earth. As the camera moves in you recognize North America, then the east coast comes into frame and finally the island of Manhattan. The camera pans across the skyscrapers, down, down, down to Chinatown between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. Finally, you see 13 Monroe Street at street level. You notice an old building, first you here the chanting, then you see ...

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Stefan Keune / Hans Schneider / Achim Kramer: No Comment

by Nic Jones
June 17, 2009

Improvised music is rife with precedents in these early years of the twenty-first century, both on record and otherwise. The one for the trio of saxophone, bass and drums was set under the leadership of Sonny Rollins over half a century ago and since then the line-up has been amply documented on record. Set against those precedents the music here covers an awful lot of ground, but in so doing perhaps loses a certain depth of identity.

Not that this ...

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High On Classical Gas: Jacques Loussier, Tiempo Libre and James Galway, Burgstaller Martignon

by C. Michael Bailey
June 17, 2009

Jazz and classical musics should be friends. They have much in common. It is conceivable that a synthesis of the two could be achieved as successfully as that existing between jazz and rock. However, most attempts to meld jazz and classical have yielded mediocre results.

Some headway has been made. The recent appearance of pianist Enrico Pieranunzi's Enrico Pieranunzi Plays Domenico Scarlatti (Cam Jazz, 2009) shows a more urbane dissolution of the two genres into one another. There are several ...

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Mike Arroyo: Transition

by Edward Blanco
June 17, 2009

Mike Arroyo, from Vega Baja, Puerto Rico is no ordinary jazz artist. He believes in a higher calling where his devotion to music is secondary to his commitment to his faith. Arroyo is a jazz guitarist who is first and foremost a full-time pastor with an almost religious fervor to spreading the music as well as the Gospel. After his first release, My Jazzy Mood (Self Published, 2006), Arroyo marks his second album as leader celebrating his Transition into the ...

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Joey Pero: Resonance

by Nicholas F. Mondello
June 17, 2009

Citius, Altius, Fortius--faster, higher, stronger. That is the Olympic motto representing the philosophical and performance goals of its participating athletes. Incredible, fascinating, and tremendous are not the only the goals, but the results of phenom trumpeter Joey Pero's Resonance. This is a bravura musical performance of incredible musicianship, “virtu-artistry" and superior production values. Pero, still in his twenties, has meteorically established himself internationally as a trumpeting force. Forged in “Upstate Burn" (a hip accolade for jazzers emanating ...

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Buika: Nina de Fuego

by James Nadal
June 17, 2009

Buika is adding an innovative voice to the ever-evolving music of flamenco, one she describes as a blend of African, American, and Andalucían.

Javier Limón, of Lagrimas Negras (RCA Victor, 2004) fame, first signed and produced Buika for Mi Niña Lola (Warner Music Latina, 2007). It went on to triumph with the song and production of the year in Spanish music three years ago, earning her international recognition and accolades. The title song, now a trademark tune for her, has ...

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Brooklyn Jazz Underground: Revolution on the F Train

by J Hunter
June 16, 2009

Some of 2009's jazz is being made far from Manhattan Island, home to a number of the genre's biggest labels. However, the revolution is also happening on the other side of the East River, where the artist collective Brooklyn Jazz Underground is making its own breaks and its own discs. BJU just released their second brace of CDs, and there's no sophomore slump to be heard anywhere.

Arthur Kell Quartet Victoria (Live in Germany)