Home » Jazz Articles » Dana Hall
Jazz Articles about Dana Hall
Andy Baker: From Here, From There
by Scott Lichtman
Andy Baker has crafted an uplifting recording featuring his trombone plus trumpet, upright bass and drums--no chordal instruments. From Here, From There is a fresh take on swing/bop ballads that melds top-notch instrumentalists--Baker, Russ Johnson on trumpet, Clark Sommers on bass and Dana Hall on drums--with beautiful compositions and cover arrangements. Baker luxuriates in “the incredible freedom you get, without explicit chords, to stretch the color of the solo and negotiate anything from there." The sparse 4-piece orchestration ...
Continue ReadingRalph Bowen: Five
by C. Andrew Hovan
Although he's better known in educational circles due to his solid commitment to jazz pedagogy as a member of the faculty at Rutgers University, Ralph Bowen has been a vital member of the jazz community since debuting with the group Out of the Blue back in the mid '80s. His adaptability to a diversity of musical situations has made him a valuable sideman over the years, although the opportunities for Bowen to call the shots as a leader have not ...
Continue ReadingGeof Bradfield: Colossal Abundance
by Dan Bilawsky
In the summer of 2023, saxophonist Geof Bradfield and trumpeter Chad McCullough launched Calligram Records--a label focusing on the Chicago creative music scene and its branches. The first batch of albums was strong, with showcases for each of the label heads' respective combo projects, trumpeter Russ Johnson's chordless quartet, and newcomer tenorist Arman Sangalang. A wide variety of offerings followed--the global stew of Atlantic Road Trip's first flight, a kicking trio date from guitarist Scott Hesse, a broad-minded gathering with ...
Continue ReadingEthan Philion: Gnosis
by Angelo Leonardi
L'impronta di Charles Mingus torna a caratterizzare il secondo album di Ethan Philion, il contrabbassista di Chicago che ha felicemente debuttato due anni fa con Meditations on Mingus (Sunnyside). Rispetto a quel progetto dedicato alle composizioni politiche del contrabbassista ci sono differenze formali e sostanziali che rendono la nuova opera diversa e ancor più coinvolgente: le composizioni sono tutte di Philion (eccetto la mingusiana “What Love," già riscrittura di uno standard di Cole Porter); il tentet di allora è sostituito ...
Continue ReadingEthan Philion: Meditations On Mingus
by Angelo Leonardi
Questa rilettura del songbook mingusiano, conferma la potenza evocativa e l'attualità di quelle composizioni. La scelta da Ethan Philion ha privilegiato brani che testimoniamo l'impegno civile e politico del contrabbassista di Nogales e sono particolarmente d'attualità oggi. Il disco di apre con un brano dal titolo emblematico, “Once Upon A Time There Was A Holding Corporation Called Old America," che Charles Mingus non registrò mai in studio ma è presente nella registrazione live (a lungo introvabile) di At ...
Continue ReadingScott Hesse Trio: Intention
by Troy Dostert
Guitarist Scott Hesse self-released his debut album, Intuition, in 1998, but he has been criminally under-recorded since then. At least, that is the conclusion many will draw after listening to his superb trio disc, Intention, recorded live in Chicago in 2023. His most recent date as a leader since 2015's The Stillness of Motion (Origin Records), here he is partnered with bassist Clark Sommers and drummer Dana Hall, with an opportunity to showcase his formidable talents in a way sure ...
Continue ReadingEthan Philion: Gnosis
by John Chacona
When it comes to making memorable entrances, Ethan Philion is on a par with Seinfeld's Kramer. The Chicago bassist burst into the scene with Meditations on Mingus (Sunnyside Records, 2022), an audacious debut recording on which he arranged familiar selections and deep cuts from the towering jazz bassist Charles Mingus. On Gnosis, the forces are smaller and perhaps so is the ambition of Philion's concept. Yet from the very first notes of “The Boot," which begins with a shriek from ...
Continue Reading
