Jazz Articles about Dennis Chambers

About Dennis Chambers

SoCal Jazz

Dennis Chambers: Heartbeats and Backbeats

by Jim Worsley
March 2, 2022

We all know that Dennis Chambers is among the world's greatest drummers. In a spontaneous conversation, the gentleman proved to be as kind and generous as he is with his backbeats and grooves. He spoke candidly about the life threatening battles he has faced. Spanning from intense to humorous, Chambers opened up on his medical ordeals, the road back to health, and getting back behind his kit. And oh yes, we talked about music. Led Zeppelin might seem ...

Album Review

Oz Noy: Snapdragon

Read "Snapdragon" reviewed by Mike Jacobs

by Mike Jacobs
November 17, 2020

It's an old sentiment but it still holds that great instrumental chops, enthralling as they may be, are fairly meaningless on their own. And quite frankly, they are pretty ubiquitous these days with the internet exposure machine going full tilt. Given all that, it's quite easy for the listener to become inured with technical prowess-- especially wizardry of the fretboard. So to say Oz Noy is a fantastic guitarist just isn't enough anymore. It's fortunate then that what ...

Album Review

Teymur Phell: Master Volume

Read "Master Volume" reviewed by Geno Thackara

by Geno Thackara
March 8, 2020

This crackling debut from Teymur Phell is a hearty, eclectic and loud funk-fusion party. He sets the tone right away with “Zero to Sixty"--a title that's actually a bit misleading since it kicks off already at sixty mph—and shows that he knows his way around a bass, and also has plenty of use for one with six strings, thank you very much. This jaunt as leader follows years of live and session work; he has clearly taken a lot away ...

Album Review

Steve Khan: Patchwork

Read "Patchwork" reviewed by John Kelman

by John Kelman
September 16, 2019

Amongst the many myths out there about music-making—especially in jazz, where the improvisation quotient is often so high—is that composing may, indeed, be work, but doesn't require the kind of relentless attention to detail that far more truthfully defines how many artists write and arrange their music. These days, one need only look to music by artists including Pat Metheny, Antonio Sanchez and Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah to find music conceived with intimate and painstaking detail while, at the same ...

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Album Review

Steve Khan: Parting Shot

Read "Parting Shot" reviewed by Mark F. Turner

by Mark F. Turner
June 1, 2011

It's tough for artists to remain viable in a fast-paced environment in which hype is focused on the latest flavor of the week or whatever technology and media is creating a buzz. As usual, jazz gets caught in the flux, but guitarist Steve Khan continues to demonstrate that it's not just about the technology or complexity, but the music and who's playing it. Off the heels of the superb live recording The Suitcase (Tone Center, 2008), Khan continues his love ...

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Album Review

Steve Khan: Parting Shot

Read "Parting Shot" reviewed by John Kelman

by John Kelman
April 24, 2011

Evolution is one of those things where an artist either gradually shifts direction, or makes sudden quantum leaps. Guitarist Steve Khan has done both in a career dating back four decades, and the first of three hot fusion records for Columbia as a leader, Tightrope (1977), that fit firmly in The Brecker Brothers camp, but, with an in-your-face guitar presence that ran the occasional risk of over-dominance. Khan had a clear epiphany with Evidence (Arista, 1980), an overlooked gem interpreting ...

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Album Review

Chambers / Berlin / Fiuczynski / Lavitz: Boston T Party

Read "Boston T Party" reviewed by Woodrow Wilkins

by Woodrow Wilkins
March 26, 2006

If quirky titles and wacky cover art were award categories, the foursome of Dennis Chambers, Jeff Berlin, Dave Fiuczynski and T Lavitz would score major honors with their new release, Boston T Party. However, those are just attention getters. The real prize is the music--quirky, wild, and most of all, fun. Some of the more interesting titles are “(Great) Ball of Issues, a humorous spin on Jerry Lee Lewis' “Great Balls of Fire, and a pair that put a creative ...