Jazz Articles about David Wong

About David Wong

Album Review

Ben Markley Big Band: Tuesday Morning Feeling

Read "Tuesday Morning Feeling" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
May 24, 2026

When a bandleader says he plans to rely less on arranging the music of others to focus more on his own compositions and charts, the usual response is a prolonged sigh or indifferent shrug of the shoulders --which makes it all the more remarkable that when pianist and composer Ben Markley did exactly that on Tuesday Morning Blues, the third recording by the Colorado-based Ben Markley Big Band, the finished product demands not a sigh or shrug but a straight-from-the-heart ...

Album Review

Joan Fort: Hangin' In

Read "Hangin' In" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
May 13, 2026

Hangin' In is the second recording under his name by Spanish-born, Netherlands-based guitarist Joan Fort who shows on every one of the album's nine radiant and alluring themes--six of which he wrote--why his star is rapidly rising in the jazz world at large. Fort, who was not yet thirty years old when the album was recorded, already boasts an impressive resume that includes co-leadership of the Amsterdam-based collective Dam Jawn. Even more notable are Fort's remarkable command of ...

Extended Analysis

The Summer Knows (Un été 42)

by Artur Moral
August 30, 2025

Not so young, but still foolish: arduous is the path chosen by pianist, composer and singer Franck Amsallem, a lesser-known figure--outside his immediate performance circle--even among some of the jazz world's most avid and encyclopedic enthusiasts. Nevertheless, this musician's name should appear in that roster of outstanding French baby boomer keyboardists mentioned in Pierre de Bethmann: Sharing a Musical Breakfast in Lyon. There are several reasons for this unintentional and unfair ignorance: his current thematic approach, formalized in ...

Album Review

Anaïs Reno: Lady of the Lavender Mist

Read "Lady of the Lavender Mist" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
July 22, 2025

Anaïs Reno continues to strengthen her reputation among the top young interpreters of the Great American Songbook with her album Lady of the Lavender Mist. Four years after her debut, Reno returns with greater vocal maturity, deeper interpretive insights, and support from a seasoned rhythm section featuring guitarist Peter Bernstein, bassist David Wong and drummer Joe Farnsworth. This ensemble grounds the project in classic jazz values while allowing her plenty of space to shine as she performs a set of ...

Album Review

Aaron Diehl & The Knights: Zodiac Suite

Read "Zodiac Suite" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
December 21, 2023

Composta da Mary Lou Williams nella prima metà degli anni quaranta e registrata per la prima volta in trio nel 1945, la “Zodiac Suite" è stata eseguita dalla stessa pianista in versioni orchestrali sfortunate (alla Town Hall con Ben Webster, alla Carnegie Hall) e ripresa nel 2006 da Geri Allen e di recente dalla New York Philharmonic. Questa versione di Aaron Diehl con l'ensemble classico The Knights, è un'attenta rielaborazione di quell'opera, ambizioso incontro tra jazz e musica sinfonica che ...

Album Review

Samara Joy: A Joyful Holiday

Read "A Joyful Holiday" reviewed by Dave Linn

by Dave Linn
October 27, 2023

It's been a whirlwind 15 months for Samara Joy. After announcing she signed with Verve, her debut for the label, Linger Awhile (2022) was released to great acclaim. She was then nominated (and won) two Grammys for Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocal. The success of that record was followed up with Linger Awhile Deluxe Edition (Verve, 2023) containing another album's worth of material. Joy has also put out a single, “Tight," where she pays tribute to Betty Carter ...

Album Review

Samara Joy: Linger Awhile [Deluxe Edition]

Read "Linger Awhile [Deluxe Edition]" reviewed by Dave Linn

by Dave Linn
October 15, 2023

Samara Joy's meteoric rise since graduating from High School has been well documented. As a college junior, she filmed herself singing Ella Fitzgerald's “Take Love Easy" accompanied by one of her professors, pianist Pete Malinverni. The video went viral, garnering over one million views. She then put up a GoFundMe page, quickly reaching the $8,000 goal to record her debut album Samara Joy (Whirlwind, 2021). A year later, Verve Records announced her signing and the release of her label debut ...