Jazz Articles about Dan Loomis

The Wee Trio: Capitol Diner Vol. 2: Animal Style

by Mark F. Turner
March 18, 2010

Based loosely in New York, The Wee Trio's origins form a cross-section of the United States, with drummer Jared Schonig from Los Angeles, vibraphonist James Westfall living in New Orleans and bassist Dan Loomis hailing from St. Louis. Notwithstanding that there isn't an abundance of vibraphone-centered recordings such as Joe Locke's For the Love of You (E1 Music, 2010) and Stefon Harris' Urbanus (Concord Music Group, 2009), The Wee Trio holds high the mallet-based banner in good form, showing itself ...

Benny Reid: Escaping Shadows

by Woodrow Wilkins
October 18, 2009

To listen to Benny Reid's music is to hear a strong Pat Metheny influence. That's not a bad thing, but it is something the 28-year-old aims to move away from with Escaping Shadows, his second release as a leader. Reid graduated from the music program at Indiana University. In addition to Metheny, his influences include Phil Woods, Sonny Rollins and Michael Jackson. Accompanying Reid on this outing are guitarist Richard Padron, keyboardist Pablo Vergara keyboards, bassist Daniel Loomis ...

Spoke: Spoke

by J Hunter
May 21, 2009

In his liner notes to Spoke's self-titled debut disc, Matthew Lima wrote that this Brooklyn-based quartet is “constantly refining the art of the compromise... not into a concession or lowering of standards, but an intermediate between different things." He's half right: There are no concessions whatsoever on Spoke; however, the differences are what it's all about.

The thought that went into the set's twelve pieces is literally mind-bending. Classical music isn't just one of the musical sub-cultures Spoke visits on ...

The Wee Trio: Capitol Diner Vol. 1

by Troy Collins
October 17, 2008

Jazz has a long history of up and coming musicians attempting to incorporate the popular music of their time into the standard repertoire. Some acts have made such ideology their calling card. For example, both the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey and Sex Mob regularly include contemporary pop songs in their set lists. As such, the cover of Nirvana's early underground hit “About a Girl" (complete with hyper speed “Rhapsody in Blue" interjections) that opens the Wee Trio's debut album Capitol ...

The Wee Trio: Capitol Diner Vol. 1

by J Hunter
September 1, 2008

"Lightning in a bottle" is an excellent metaphor for The Wee Trio's Capitol Diner Vol. 1, given how the music crackles like high-tension wires in a rainstorm. But it's the level of electricity that is the surprise. On its face, TWT's instrumental makeup--vibes with a rhythm section--doesn't seem to lend itself to any kind of aggressive musical behavior. That's an assumption and, like most assumptions, it's dead wrong.

James Westfall's disquieting opening to Kurt Cobain's “About a Girl" is the ...

Dan Loomis Quartet: I Love Paris

by J Hunter
June 30, 2007

It's the quiet ones you have to watch for. Not the furtive loner, living behind drawn shades at the end of your cul-de-sac; but the music that crawls into your ear on little cat feet and whispers, “This is not what you're used to. This... is something else. I Love Paris sends that message loud and clear, using the Cole Porter standard as a bridge to a perspective that is as beautiful as it is harsh.

Saxophonists Brian ...