Jazz Articles about Bruce Arnold

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The Great Houdini: Arnett Brewster and Woodrow T. Greenwich

by Howard Mandel
May 23, 2023

Guitarist Arnette Brewster and harmonica man Woodrow Tecumseh Greenwich hang out in the office of the jazz department at New York University, playin' the blues. It's natural to them as drinkin' water. They've been playin' the blues all their lives. Door's open and famous jazz musicians peek in. Some scoff at these bluesmen. Some say “That's really cool." Bunches of jazz students walk past, too, shocked 'cause everything in the jazz program at NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, ...

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Bruce Arnold/Mike Miller: Two Guys From South Dakota

by AAJ Staff
May 10, 2005

Guitar duos are an honorable and deep jazz tradition that reaches back to the music's beginnings. Two Guys From South Dakota is a superior, bop-based addition to that lineage, and it fits right in. Arnold and Miller are in fact from South Dakota, and they keep things swinging throughout. They have stylistic roots in Jim Hall, and to a lesser extent, Pat Metheny, although neither of them are mere imitators. They do favor Hall's lyrical, relaxed swing, however. ...

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Bruce Arnold & Olivier Ker Ourio: Duets

by Jim Santella
March 2, 2005

Moody jazz and blues from the modern mainstream allow this duo to explore currents that emphasize melody and harmony over rhythm. Together, Bruce Arnold and Olivier Ker Ourio weave intricate patterns of sound on Duets that belie a melancholy refrain into which emotions fall loosely and untangled.

Their aim is perfectly clear: to paint languorous pictures where a soul can rest alongside ocean waves of sensuous music. Ker Ourio's harmonica wafts on an easygoing breeze, rising and falling ...

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Bruce Arnold & Mike Miller: Two Guys from South Dakota

by Jim Santella
February 17, 2005

The guitar duo of Bruce Arnold and Mike Miller interprets familiar standards on this pleasant session. Musically interesting and filled with inspiration, they provide the listener with an inside look at each classic piece. Their performance is laid-back and introspective.

As they alternate melodic and rhythm roles, the two guitarists swing lightly and maintain a close-knit groove. Their lyrical caresses reveal a coolness in their passion, as each picks his instrument delicately. Crisp and clear, their interwoven phrases ...

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Bruce Arnold: Give `Em Some

by Dave Nathan
April 18, 2002

Guitarist Bruce Arnold continues his odyssey of using the twelve tone in bringing together elements of jazz, rock and funk. His companions on this serious undertaking are Ratzo B. Harris and Tony Moreno, a duo with whom Arnold has been performing for more than 10 years. This music is not easy to listen to and will never find itself as an example in a “Jazz for Dummies" primer. As soon as the first few measures of the kick off tune ...

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Bruce Arnold: A Few Dozen

by David Adler
April 1, 2000

A Few Dozen finds guitarist Bruce Arnold adapting serialist and twelve-tone concepts to jazz composition and improvisation. Joined by bassist Ratzo Harris and drummer Tony Moreno, Arnold comes up with a heady brew that defies easy categorization. There’s an angular edge to much of the material, especially the title track and the multilayered “Dialog." But the tempos and moods do vary — witness the latin bounce of “Broadway Y2K," the brooding slowness of “Numbers," and the singable beauty of “Reflection." ...

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Bruce Arnold Trio: A Few Dozen

by Mark Corroto
March 1, 2000

Even though the liner notes penned by guitarist Bruce Arnold were written for fellow music scholars and guitar technicians, the music certainly was for us common listeners. Arnold, a Berklee School graduate, releases A Few Dozen, a follow up to his first recording as leader entitled Blue Eleven. He also works in Release The Hounds, a free jazz improv trio and Spooky Actions, an ensemble that reworks modern classical music. What is particularly striking about the music is his ability ...