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Roy Brooks: The Free Slave
by Pierre Giroux
Roy Brooks's The Free Slave, newly reissued on Time Traveler Recordings as a 180-gram vinyl LP, stands as a passionate tribute to the drummer's remarkable artistry and his often overlooked role as one of the most rhythmic thinkers of the post-bop period. Recorded live by Muse Records on April 26, 1970, at Baltimore's renowned Left Bank Jazz Society, the session features Brooks leading a stellar quintet that includes trumpeter Woody Shaw, tenor saxophonist George Coleman, pianist Hugh Lawson, and bassist ...
Continue ReadingGeorge Coleman: With Strings
by Jack Bowers
Sooner or later (usually later), a jazz saxophonist (or other instrumentalist) will entertain a desire to leave his or her normal comfort zone and record an album with “class." In other words, cue the string section and get ready to score some ballads. Tenor virtuoso George Coleman, who likely needs no introduction to even the more casual jazz fan, is the latest to take the With Strings plunge, diving headlong into a number of sumptuous, string-laden arrangements by Bill Dobbins. ...
Continue ReadingGeorge Coleman, Anne Mette Iverson, Sylvie Courvoisier with Wadada Leo Smith, and Keith Jarrett with Gary Peacock and Paul Motian
by Hobart Taylor
Regeneration... New and old music featuring George Coleman, a newly released historic Keith Jarrett Trio recording, and astounding new music from Anne Mette Iverson as well as Sylvie Courvoisier with Wadada Leo SmithPlaylist Craig Taborn /Marcus Gilmore/Nels Cline “Queen King" from (Trio of Bloom) (Pyro clastic) 00:00 Anne Mette Iversen “TBQE (To Be Questioned Eventually)" from Marbles (Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records) 8:56 Host Speaks 15:44 Johnathan Blake “Last Breath" from My Life Matters (Blue Note) 17:18 Sylvie Courvoisier ...
Continue ReadingGeorge Coleman: George Coleman with Strings
by Jack Kenny
The allure of recording with strings has captivated many jazz icons, from Stan Getz and Dizzy Gillespie to, most famously, Charlie Parker. For some, it is a pursuit of a different kind of respectability, an envying nod to the classical world. For George Coleman, a revered NEA Jazz Master, it was a chance to expand his artistry. As he explained in an interview with Rob Shepherd (2024): “I try not to be close-minded but instead try to expand my interest ...
Continue ReadingGeorge Coleman: George Coleman with Strings
by Dan McClenaghan
Tenor saxophonist George Coleman decided to leave the orbit of trumpeter Miles Davis in 1964. Or he got an elbow to the ribs and a hip check to leave the quintet, to be replaced by Wayne Shorter in the saxophone slot. Three top-notch live albums came out of the group that featured Coleman: In Europe: Live at the Antibes Jazz Festival (1964); My Funny Valentine: In Concert (1965); and “Four and More:" In Concert (1966), all on Columbia Records. Add ...
Continue ReadingDeborah Silver: Deborah Silver with the Count Basie Orchestra: Basie Rocks!
by Jack Bowers
Basie Rocks! A great idea? One best left on the cutting-room floor? Or perhaps a little of both? There are reasonable arguments to be made on all sides of the equation. On the one hand, this is the one and only Count Basie Orchestra, swinging in its own exceptional way. On the other, the orchestra has joined forces on every number with Mississippi-bred pop-rock singer Deborah Silver, the latest in a series of acclaimed guest vocalists that includes Ella Fitzgerald, ...
Continue ReadingDeborah Silver: Deborah Silver with the Count Basie Orchestra: Basie Rocks!
by Kyle Simpler
Jazz musicians frequently cover popular songs, but few do it quite like vocalist Deborah Silver. With Basie Rocks!, Silver teams up with the iconic Count Basie Orchestra for a genre-crossing collection that you truly have to hear to believe. This is a groove-charged big band album that reimagines classic rock and pop classics through the swinging lens of traditional jazz. While that premise might sound gimmicky on paper, the result is total sonic satisfaction. Produced by ...
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