Jazz Articles about Billy Childs

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Billy Childs at the Douglas Beach House

by Bill Leikam
June 4, 2010

Billy Childs Jazz Chamber EnsembleDouglas Beach HouseHalf Moon Bay, CAMay 2, 2010 The packed Douglas Beach House was a testament to the Billy Childs Jazz Chamber Ensemble's reputation, and moreover the performance confirmed that he and the band were well within the groove despite the group's not playing together for the preceding eight months. Childs brought with him what proprietor Pete Douglas called a band with a scary depth of talent. This afternoon on ...

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Billy Childs: Lyric

by John Dworkin
November 7, 2005

Billy Childs' new recording Lyric: Jazz-Chamber Music Vol. 1 may seem a radical new direction from his previously recorded output as a jazz pianist/leader. But, somewhat under the public's marketing radar, for the last six years or so Childs has been spending much of his energy on larger scale composition, arranging, and orchestrations. While still a great pianist, his writing and conception of style/genre is possibly in the forefront of his modus operandi, and has seemingly come to a head ...

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Billy Childs Ensemble: Lyric: Jazz-Chamber Music Vol. 1

by Renato Wardle
October 11, 2005

Since its birth, the world of jazz has been at odds with the realm of classical music. Owing to the presupposition that these two musical worlds are possessed of an incongruent aesthetic, a fusion between them may seem impossible. However, Lyric shows that music is music. With the first installment of his new Jazz-Chamber Music series, pianist Billy Childs fuses elements of jazz and classical music into a convincing, seamless whole.

The merging of jazz and classical music ...

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Mike Clark: Summertime

by Riel Lazarus
May 5, 2003

It's safe to say that drummer Mike Clark is most commonly associated with funk. Since his days as a member of Herbie Hancock's legendary Headhunters, Clark has been considered one of the foremost trapsmen of the genre. But funk is only a small part of what this veteran artist is capable of, and Summertime may finally spell the end to this unfortunate pigeonholing. As evidenced by his appearance last month at the Blue Note, Clark is every ...

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Mike Clark: Summertime

by Jim Santella
March 3, 2003

Pianist Billy Childs and drummer Mike Clark make a great rhythm team. Their modern mainstream journey through new originals and familiar favorites swings with a surging intensity that’s stirred gently – not shaken. It’s your daddy’s music in a new picture frame.

”Summertime,” a personal favorite, is treated to a harmonic makeover. Using darkness and mystery, a quintet with Clark, Childs, Chris Potter, Jack Walrath and James Genus presents this gem as it’s never been shown before. ...

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Billy Childs: Bedtime Stories: A Tribute To Herbie Hancock

by AAJ Staff
January 1, 2001

With Todd Barkan now at the helm of 32 Jazz, West Coast jazz musicians are receiving more attention, what with the label releasing new CD’s by under-recorded and vastly talented pianists Denny Zeitlin and Billy Childs, among other musicians with a West Coast presence. With the jazz press concentrated in New York and to a lesser extent in Chicago, Childs’ lack of visibility and his diligence in orchestrating projects like Dianne Reeves’ new album, The Calling: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan, have ...

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Billy Childs Trio: Bedtime Stories

by Glenn Astarita
January 1, 2001

These days, piano trio-based recordings are sprouting faster than weeds growing out of concrete; however, the highly respected pianist Billy Childs breathes renewed life into a set dedicated to pianist/composer Herbie Hancock, titled Bedtime Stories – A Tribute to Herbie Hancock. And along with the ace rhythm section of bassist George Mraz and drummer Billy Hart, the leader supplements this impassioned date with a soul-funk version of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine”, along with stylish renditions of Sting’s “Fragile”, Wayne ...