Jazz Articles about Carmen Staaf

About Carmen Staaf

Album Review

Owen Broder: Hodges: Front and Center: Vol. Two

Read "Hodges: Front and Center: Vol. Two" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
April 14, 2024

Owen Broder's Hodges : Front and Center Vol.Two is a respectful yet refreshing tribute to Johnny Hodges, a saxophonist with an iconic sound while injecting a contemporary vitality into the mix. Hodges' influence looms large throughout the album, guiding Broder's approach to the music. In this quintet's musical journey, Broder, on both alto and baritone saxophone, is accompanied by trumpeter Riley Mulherkar, pianist Carmen Staaf, bassist Barry Stephenson and drummer Bryan Carter. In both his playing and composing, Hodges showed ...

Album Review

Owen Broder: Hodges: Front and Center: Vol. Two

Read "Hodges: Front and Center: Vol. Two" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
April 10, 2024

At times, while listening to random classics in the collection, one can have the idea that everything in jazz evolved from the late '40s to early '50s bebop. But before bop was swing. Duke Ellington stayed with swing through bop, funk, and fusion. And so did alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges (1906-1970), who played in Ellington's band from its early days, the late-1920s. A much-admired player with a distinctive tone and a beautiful way with a melody, Hodges also ...

Album Review

Erica Seguine: The New Day Bends Light

Read "The New Day Bends Light" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
March 11, 2024

Impegnandosi nel ruolo di produttore, Darcy James Argue dà particolare considerazione al debutto discografico di quest'ensemble, fondato nel 2011 a New York dalle compositrici Erica Seguine e Shon Baker. La prima è anche arrangiatrice e guida dell'orchestra, la seconda entra nel cast come sassofonista. Dopo varie esibizioni in locali chiave della Big Apple, le due leader hanno selezionato sette composizioni originali dal loro repertorio, incidendole con un ampio organico comprendente talentuosi solisti della metropoli. Alcuni di essi ...

Album Review

Erica Seguine/Shon Baker Orchestra: The New Day Bends Light

Read "The New Day Bends Light" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
June 2, 2023

The New Day Bends Light, the debut recording by the twelve-year-old Erica Seguine/Shon Baker Orchestra, is interesting on a number of levels, not the least of which is emotional. The leaders and their twenty-one piece ensemble are clearly committed to the music and do their best to breathe life into each of the album's seven numbers, three of which were written by Seguine, three by Baker and the other ("Ose Shalom") by Nurit Hirsh. Aside from that, there is the ...

Album Review

Allison Miller, Carmen Staaf: Nearness

Read "Nearness" reviewed by Stefano Merighi

by Stefano Merighi
December 1, 2022

Una leggerezza inquieta attraversa le tracce di questo bel disco realizzato in coppia da Allison Miller (batteria e percussoni) e Carmen Staaf (pianoforte). La strumentazione è particolarmente adatta alla formula del duo, basti pensare a quanti esempi possono tornare alla mente nella storia del jazz moderno. In questo caso, invece di stupire con le rispettive qualità di virtuosismo—che comunque non mancano -, Miller e Staaf si affidano alla naturalezza della conversazione, senza porsi chissà quale obiettivo, tranne quello ...

Album Review

Allegra Levy: Lose My Number

Read "Lose My Number" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
August 19, 2022

Dopo aver esplorato nell'ultimo Looking at the Moon tredici song ispirati alla luna (dai classici standard “Blue Moon" e “Moon River" ai più recenti “Harvest Moon" di Neil Young e “Pink Moon" di Nick Drake) la cantante Allegra Levy sviluppa nel quarto disco un percorso più impegnativo. Ha scritto delle liriche per nove composizioni di John McNeil, che è stato suo insegnante e mentore al New England Conservatory e l'ha supportata anche in altre incisioni. Il trombettista californiano è ...

Album Review

Pat Donaher: Occasionally

Read "Occasionally" reviewed by Jerome Wilson

by Jerome Wilson
July 4, 2021

Occasionally sees saxophonist Pat Donaher reflecting on a few milestones in his life to date. He does this by writing and performing compositions which are all dedicated to occasions and people that have been special to him. Donaher's varied set of tunes is played here by an excellent group with Jason Palmer on trumpet, Tim Watson on guitar, Carmen Staaf on piano, Tony Scherr on bass and Allison Miller on drums. Two selections celebrate family weddings. “Wedding Day," ...