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Jazz Articles about Bill Payne
John Lee Hooker: The Best of Friends
by Doug Collette
In contrast to his often (always?) irascible peer Chester Burnett, aka Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker has long been amenable to collaborations, reciprocal and otherwise. Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos, Charlie Musselwhite and Carlos Santana, among others, appeared on The Healer (Chameleon,1989) and all those artists also populate the credits for The Best of Friends. (Santana, the Mexican-born guitar hero, appears with two different iterations of his band). Fittingly titled, this anthology is a suitable companion piece to Whiskey ...
Continue ReadingFeats Don't Fail Me Now (Deluxe Edition) (3CD)
by Doug Collette
Inside the twenty-page booklet enclosed within the Feats Don't Fail Me Now (Deluxe Edition), an erudite essay by esteemed author/biographer Dennis McNally gives due recognition to artist Neon Park's outlandish front cover image for Little Feat's fourth longplayer. As with the other imagery of this artist that adorns the group's various longplayers, it is a thought-provoking yet unsettling combination of humor and cultural commentary that deserves the insightful notation, so, like the period photos of the musicians adorning the triple-fold ...
Continue ReadingBill Payne/Eva Lindal/Carol Liebowitz: Payne Lindal Liebowitz
by Hrayr Attarian
Clarinetist Bill Payne is a bold but sensitive improviser from the pianist Lennie Tristano's school of musical thought. Violinist Eva Lindal has a solid footing in the Avant-Garde western classical tradition. Carol Liebowitz is an urbane and dramatic pianist who creates unique blends of jazz and free improvisation. All three have long associations with pianist Connie Crothers, herself a Tirstano disciple. On their eponymous release Payne/Lindal/Liebowitz they let loose a host of provocative and intriguing ideas with transforming ...
Continue ReadingPayne Lindal Liebowitz: Payne Lindal Liebowitz
by John Eyles
On paper, the instrumentation of the trio of clarinetist Bill Payne, violinist Eva Lindal and pianist Carol Liebowitz looks perfectly suited to some form of chamber music, if not classical compositions then something equally polite. But, the music produced by the threesome totally belies such expectations as it is totally improvised, with nothing preconceived. Of course, given that instrumentation, the music does still sound polite, but without the structure and formality of chamber music. So, “chamber improv" is a fitting ...
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