Jazz Articles about Dayna Stephens

About Dayna Stephens

Album Review

Da un decennio Dayna Stephens s'è imposto tra i migliori sassofonisti della sua generazione ma pochi lo conoscono come contrabbassista, ruolo che ha assunto saltuariamente con Roy Hargrove, Billy Hart, Joshua Redman e altri. La scelta dello strumento a corde in questo suo progetto dedicato alla musica di Monk nasce dalla volontà di esplorare le caratteristiche ritmiche e metriche nelle composizioni del pianista di Rocky Mount, lasciando ad un altro collega (in questo caso Stephen Riley) il compito ...

Album Review

Johannes Wallmann: Not Tired

Read "Not Tired" reviewed by Troy Dostert

by Troy Dostert
February 12, 2026

As the capstone to a terrific year which saw him first release Holding Space (Shifting Paradigm, 2025), a splendid duo disc with tenor saxophonist Dennis Mitcheltree, pianist Johannes Wallmann impresses once again with Not Tired, a delightful quintet outing which highlights the keyboardist's penchant for strong melodies as well as his superb bandleading skills. Wallmann has a fine set of colleagues here, with Ingrid Jensen's sparkling trumpet and Dayna Stephens' brawny tenor creating a scintillating two-horn tandem. Bassist ...

Album Review

Rafael Enciso: Crossfade

Read "Crossfade" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
January 2, 2026

On Crossfade, his debut recording as leader, bassist Rafael Enciso wrests as much rhythmic and harmonic mileage as possible from what is basically a quartet date, using tenor saxphonist Dayna Stephens to add color and depth to one of his ten original compositions, organist Jahari Stampley to amplify two others. Elsewhere, Enciso and his companions paint with broad musical strokes, breathing life into his impressions of a “Waterfall," “Solstice," “Skipping Stones" and “Whirlpool," the last showcasing Enciso's resonant ...

Album Review

Noah Garabedian: Quartets and Solos

Read "Quartets and Solos" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
December 27, 2025

If ever an album were in need of liner notes--or at least some further clarification--it is this one, Quartets and Solos, by New York-based bassist Noah Garabedian's quartet; or quintet, if one includes album producer Samuel Adams' special effects and programming. The playlist consists of 13 songs. According to a press release, they alternate “between eight conceptually stand-alone quartet compositions...and sharply focused solo features written specifically for each musician (including Adams)." There are two such showcases for every ...

Radio & Podcasts

Dayna Stephens, Emiliano D'Auria, Charles Lloyd, Jérémie Lucchese, James Newton

by Ludovico Granvassu
December 27, 2025

Here's a playlist featuring musicians paying tribute to where they come from, geographically or artistically.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Emiliano D'Auria “Chasing the Flicker" The Baggage Room Vol.2--Meanwhile (Via Veneto Jazz) 0:16 Host talks 6:52 Dayna Stephens “Just You and Me Smoking the Evidence" Monk'D (Contagious) 8:37 Host talks 15:01 Charles Lloyd “Black Butterfly" Figure in Blue (Blue Note) 16:11 Jérémie Lucchese “Virga" Essais pour l'imaginaire--Vol. II ...

Album Review

Emiliano D'Auria: The Baggage Room Vol.2 – Meanwhile

Read "The Baggage Room Vol.2 – Meanwhile" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
December 15, 2025

Meanwhile è il secondo capitolo del progetto The Baggage Room, la svolta espressiva del pianista marchigiano, che fonde la vivacità ritmica e timbrica del jazz contemporaneo statunitense con l'impronta melodica già espressa nello Jano Quartet. Registrato a Monaco di Baviera nel novembre 2024, l'album conferma la presenza del trombettista Philip Dizack e del sassofonista Dayna Stephens ma introduce una nuova sezione ritmica, nelle figure di Jacopo Ferrazza al contrabbasso e Kush Abadey alla batteria. L'ispirazione iniziale ...

Album Review

Dayna Stephens: Monk'D

Read "Monk'D" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
November 1, 2025

A jazz artist stepping into the studio to record some Thelonious Monk can approach the task from different angles. They can go all in and make a statement with solely Monk tunes. Pianist Ran Blake's Epistrophy (Soul Note, 1991) is one example of this approach. Or the artist can pick one of their favorite Monk classics (or two or three) and present them alongside a batch of originals and/or tunes by other artists to create a set list. Almost everybody ...