Jazz Articles
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Alex Hitchcock: Dream Band Live In London
by Chris May
Viewed in retrospect, the abiding memory of 2023 is that it produced too many jazz albums prioritizing technical facility over emotional engagement. In London, New York and elsewhere (but not, so it seemed, in Chicago), musicians appeared to focus on virtuosity rather than feeling. Dullsville. For the record, some of those albums that did put soul on, at the least, an equal footing with cerebralism, are to be found in the Best Albums of 2023 round-up which can be read ...
Continue ReadingAdam Schroeder & Mark Masters celebrate Clark Terry: CT!
by Pierre Giroux
In jazz, where the past intertwines with the present and the future, few figures were as influential as the legendary trumpeter Clark Terry. During his playing career, he developed a creative, bouncy style with an irrepressible rhythmic verve that was entirely his own. The album CT! with baritone saxophonist Adam Schroeder and arranger Mark Masters serves as a heartfelt homage to this jazz icon, presenting fresh and invigorating arrangements of 13 Clark Terry originals skillfully performed by a 12-piece ensemble. ...
Continue ReadingFinding The Fire Within With Rich Halley And More
by Bob Osborne
On this show we feature recent and new releases from Rich Halley, Pat Thomas's Ism, Angel Bat Dawid, John Herberman, Pernille Bévort 3, Joe Santa Maria, Rajna Swaminathan, Rebecca Nash, Ancient Infinity Orchestra, Isaiah Collier, Christoph Gallio Dominic Lash & Mark Sanders, and Blue Moods featuring Art Hirahara, Diego Rivera, Boris Kozlov and Vinnie Sperrazza.Playlist Show Intro 00:00 Rich Halley “Following The Stream" from Fire Within (Pine Eagle Records) 00:56 Ism “Niloo's Dream" from Maua (577 Records) 17:22 ...
Continue ReadingRaul De Souza: Colors
by Arnaldo DeSouteiro
Raul De Souza's life can be seen as a one-of-a-kind story. Indeed, it would make a perfect novel or film script. It may not be as big a tragedy as 'Round Midnight or Bird, but it has drama, love, adventure, and great music. Picture this: a poor child grows up in Brazil working as a weaver and practicing trombone in conversations with a buffalo in the jungle, dreaming of someday becoming an internationally famous jazzman. Suddenly, this dream ...
Continue ReadingBill Evans: The Legendary Trio At Birdland 1960 Revisited
by Chris May
Thank you, Boris Rose. The obsessive New York jazz maverick set out to record every musician of note who performed in the city's clubs from the mid 1940s through the mid 1970s. He must have come close to succeeding. His vast accumulated horde of tapes--today presumed more or less safe, stacked floor to ceiling in a sizeable Bronx basement under the guardianship of his daughter Elaine--is a treasure beyond mere monetary value. Annotated but uncatalogued, there are many hundreds, perhaps ...
Continue ReadingCory Weeds: Home Cookin'
by Jack Bowers
On Home Cookin', his second recording with an eleven-piece “little big band," tenor saxophonist Cory Weeds is doing the best he can. Really. As Weeds writes in the liner notes, the plan was to rehearse the band for two nights at Frankie's Jazz Club in Vancouver, Canada, home to Weeds and most of the band's personnel, then to convene at the Warehouse Studio on Sunday to record. Arriving at the club on Friday evening, Weeds found to his dismay that ...
Continue ReadingMats Gustafsson: Hidros 9 Mirrors
by Mark Corroto
For saxophonist, composer, conductor Mats Gustafsson, the motto “go big, or go home" has always applied to his music. Whether it is blowing his baritone saxophone in the avant garage band The Thing or battling the Japanese noise artist Merzbow, Gustafsson is constantly expanding concepts of composed and improvised music. Through various ensembles such as Gush, Fire! Orchestra, Swedish azz, Fake The Facts, AALY Trio, Sonore, and his duos with everyone from Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, to Steve Swell, Christian ...
Continue ReadingFrom Tony Bennett to Mehmet Ali Sanlikol
by Jerome Wilson
This show is a mixture of vocals, flutes, Middle Eastern jazz, and much more. Artists heard on the show include Mehmet Ali Sanlikol, Tony Bennett, Myra Melford, Lew Tabackin, and Cal Tjader. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) 00:00 Stan Getz “Invitation" from My Foolish Heart: Live at the Left Bank (Label M) 00:56 Cory Weeds “Blossoms In May" from ...
Continue ReadingNegative Press Project: The Victorious Sessions
by Glenn Astarita
This Northern California-based ensemble has taken a bold step in its musical journey. The compositions are intricate, weaving together complex rhythms and melodies as each piece tells its own story, with the musicians' styles shining through, yet harmoniously blending to create a unified band persona. The band's standout feature is its ability to balance improvisation with structured composition amid jazz fusion, Afro-Cuban, West-African, classic West Coast “cool" and nods to the big-band era. The jazz influence is evident ...
Continue ReadingBill Frisell: Jimmy Carter Pts 1 & 2
by Mike Jacobs
Bill Frisell's career arc has been extraordinary. From edgy, effect-laden, avant-jazz poster guitarist to sublime jazz interpreter of folk and Americana (and lots in between), it's been quite a ride for those who have paid attention. “Jimmy Carter Pts 1 & 2" from This Land (Nonesuch, 1994) occupies a special period in Frisell's stylistic journey where the early Frisellian attributes are still in plain sight while his seeming quest to embody the quintessential American musical amalgam is at its most ...
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