Jazz Articles about Erica von Kleist

About Erica von Kleist

Album Review

Russ Anixter's Hippie Big Band: What Next?

Read "What Next?" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
September 4, 2026

A big band by any other name... Arranger and orchestrator Russ Anixter has chosen to call his 11-piece ensemble the Hippie Big Band. Which is fine, Russ. Whatever works for you. Alas, much of the music on What Next? sounds as though it could have been imported from the mid- 20th century. Yes, this is unquestionably jazz even though it does lean rather heavily on rock, funk and even some free improvisation as its bedrock; and ...

Radio & Podcasts

Senri Oe, Dave Glenn, Erica von Kleist, Ryan Barry & Early Times

by Joe Dimino
August 16, 2026

From the prolific musician and longtime radio broadcaster Early Times, we kick off the 971st Episode of Neon Jazz with music from his compelling new 2026 recording, Border Crossings. From there, we take a winding journey through an hour of remarkable jazz, uncovering fresh sounds and familiar brilliance along the way. We dig into recordings from jazz heavyweights Senri Oe, Russ Anixter, and Adrian Younge, while also featuring Dave Glenn's moving “Blues for Buck O'Neil," a perfect soundtrack to a ...

Album Review

Duchess: A Marvelous Party

Read "A Marvelous Party" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
July 13, 2026

A great party is never just an event. It is a sequence of emotions, encounters, expectations, surprises, fleeting romances, moments of reflection, and, ultimately, gratitude. On A Marvelous Party, Duchess (Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner, Melissa Stylianou) transforms that universal experience into an irresistible jazz journey. More than a collection of standards and popular songs, this is a carefully conceived concept album that traces the cycle of a memorable gathering from invitation to farewell. Throughout the program, arranger Oded ...

Album Review

Erica von Kleist: Picc Pocket

Read "Picc Pocket" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
April 22, 2026

Those who favor puns and clever wordplay should get their kicks from the song titles alone on Picc Pocket, a splendid new recording by piccolo guru Erica von Kleist 's hand-picced--and fun-loving-- quartet and its spicc-tacular guest artists, trombonist Jennifer Krupa and tenor saxophonist John Ellis. The piccolo (a close cousin of the flute) isn't often heard in a jazz context, which makes the enterprise even more picc-taking and picc-turesque. Von Kleist is a master of the instrument ...

Album Review

Diva Jazz Orchestra: "30": Live at Dizzy's Club

Read ""30": Live at Dizzy's Club" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
October 19, 2023

The “30" in the title of the superlative all-woman Diva Jazz Orchestra's latest album stands for 30 years, which, believe it or not, is how long the orchestra and its remarkable drummer and leader, Sherrie Maricle, have been up and running and making beautiful music at home and abroad. Among U.S.-based big bands, it would seem that only Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Woody Herman have had longer runs than that. Fast company indeed. So is Diva ready for comparisons? ...

Album Review

John La Barbera Big Band: Grooveyard

Read "Grooveyard" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
September 27, 2023

Composer/arranger John La Barbera has been at the top of his game for more than half a century, and Grooveyard is simply another example of his undiminished artistry. Besides arranging everything--superbly, as always--La Barbera wrote six of the session's ten charming songs, escorting other treasures by Carl Perkins, Dave Brubeck, Curtis Fuller and Elvin Jones. As he writes his handsome and colorful big-band charts, La Barbera is always careful to observe Rule No. 1: they have to ...

Album Review

The John La Barbera Big Band: Grooveyard

Read "Grooveyard" reviewed by Nicholas F. Mondello

by Nicholas F. Mondello
August 20, 2023

The geometry, if you will, of a terrific big band recording is such that the three major elements--the players, the arrangements, and the performance--balance in every regard. Grooveyard from the John La Barbera Big Band is such an offering. The album features ten masterfully selected, arranged, and performed selections, each containing outstanding section, solo, and ensemble playing. Wes Montgomery's “Grooveyard" launches a hip, swinging first course in which tenor man Pat La Barbera and guitarist Brandon Coleman ...