Jazz Articles about David Hazeltine

One For All: Live at Smoke, Volume 1

by David A. Orthmann
February 1, 2002

As anyone who frequents jazz clubs will attest, there are nights that live on in memory for years after the last note fades. Aside from basic details easily recalled (personnel, tunes, arrangements, etc.), what really matters is the way the music made us feel. On these rare occasions, the sounds were so potent that, for a time, nothing else mattered and all worldly concerns yielded to the happenings on stage. In search of another incredible experience, we keep coming back ...

One For All: Live at Smoke- Volume 1

by C. Andrew Hovan
January 1, 2002

Growing out of a weekly jam session that drummer Joe Farnsworth used to lead at a New York club called Augie’s, the hard bop ensemble One For All now encompasses a pool of leaders who still manage to get together and cultivate the kind of musical empathy that they’ve developed over the years. After two initial albums for the Sharp Nine label, the group jumped ship to Criss Cross Jazz where the majority of the guys cut records of their ...

David Hazeltine: Good-Hearted People

by C. Andrew Hovan
October 1, 2001

Although he was into his forties before the critical notices and accolades started to come; pianist David Hazeltine hasn’t wasted any time since then in actively putting forth his creative muse. As a member of One For All, Hazeltine has held a prominent place in the fashionable ensemble due to his charismatic writing. Furthermore, his catalogs for Sharp Nine, Criss Cross, and Venus have swelled recently with some of the finest contemporary fare of current vintage.

Good-Hearted People is Hazeltine’s ...

David Hazeltine: Milwaukee's Best Becomes One of New York's Finest

by C. Andrew Hovan
April 1, 2001

“Writing is not an easy thing for me. I spend a lot of time getting it exactly how I want it."New York is a tough town. To be seen and heard among the scores of would-be jazz musicians you have to possess talent that is beyond the everyday and a voice that sets you apart from the crowd. Since settling permanently in the Big Apple in 1992, pianist David Hazeltine has done just that. He's consistently in demand ...

David Hazeltine: The Classic Trio- Volume 2

by C. Andrew Hovan
April 1, 2001

It used to be that if you wanted to hear some very classy piano jazz you pretty much had only a few choices. Those in New York could chose to stroll down to the now defunct Bradley’s, while the rest of us could be content in picking up a Tommy Flanagan or Kenny Barron album. About five years ago a new piano star began to change all that. While still a fledgling label, the Sharp Nine imprint released The Classic ...

David Hazeltine: The Classic Trio, Volume II

by David Adler
April 1, 2001

This follow-up to 1997’s The Classic Trio features the same lineup: David Hazeltine on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums. Like its predecessor, Volume II includes a mix of standards and originals. Hazeltine is at his best on the standards, exhibiting a command that allows him to quote “52nd Street Theme" in the midst of “Bewitched," and “Bemsha Swing" during the set closer, a go-for-broke “What a Difference a Day Makes." He displays harmonic ingenuity throughout ...

David Hazeltine: Blues Quarters, Volume 1

by David A. Orthmann
April 1, 2001

In the same elite class as his recent releases on Sharp Nine and Venus, David Hazeltine’sBlues Quarters, Volume I(Criss Cross), conveys the full range of his considerable talent. For this recording Hazeltine utilizes a quartet consisting of his piano, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, bassist Dwayne Burno, and drummer Joe Farnsworth. All three sideman are frequently part of his creative orbit, and their familiarity engenders an acute rapport even as each member pursues a distinct voice within the music. As always, ...