Jazz Articles about Henry Hey

Susan Tobocman: Touch & Go

by Nicholas F. Mondello
August 16, 2020

A glance at the song list presented here--some rather unique choices, for sure--could lead one to assume that this album warrants a listen. What really slams things home, however, are Susan Tobocman's exceptionally slick arrangements of said selections, her excellent vocal skills, and some fine solo playing. With Touch & Go Tobocman—a Detroit native and now a New Yorker--offers five originals which are enveloped by a number of Top 40 re-imagined hits and a trio of standards ...

Susan Tobocman: Touch & Go

by Troy Dostert
August 12, 2020

A triple-threat musician with significant talent as a vocalist, composer and arranger, Susan Tobocman's path to jazz was an unconventional one. Her early interest in poetry led to a scholarship that took her from her hometown, Detroit, to New York, for study at Columbia University. That in turn led to an interest in musical theater, followed by a stint managing the Jimi Hendrix-founded Electric Lady Studios, and then some touring work with the Tom Tom Club. Only afterward, during her ...

Henry Hey: Learning From The Stranger Things

by Mike Jacobs
December 31, 2019

Keyboardist Henry Hey's resume is an interesting read. In addition to a wide range of gigs and stints with some top name players in and around jazz, there's work in theater, TV and soundtracks. There's producing records as well as working in sessions with legendary producers. There's being a musical director for some of the biggest names in the pop and rock world. There's also a thing or two you probably couldn't have dreamed up but as Hey says, it ...

Bill Bruford / Tim Garland: Earthworks Underground Orchestra

by Sean Patrick Fitzell
December 4, 2006

Bill Bruford forged his reputation as a relentless pioneer striving to advance the art of percussion. Using odd times and improvisation in rock or exploring with electronic drums, he sought to challenge both his self-expression and the drummer's role. Since 1986, his primary outlet as a composer and bandleader has been Earthworks. What began as an electro-acoustic quartet has become strictly acoustic, bringing him back to his early love: jazz. To celebrate this twenty-year anniversary, Bruford and ...

Bill Bruford / Tim Garland: Earthworks Underground Orchestra

by John Kelman
January 26, 2006

Although jazz has left behind its America-centricity and become a more international language, a mysterious chasm still exists between the American and UK jazz scenes. For every artist like Kenny Wheeler who has achieved American recognition, a dozen others have not. But with Earthworks Underground Orchestra, drummer Bill Bruford and woodwind multi-instrumentalist Tim Garland narrow the gap, proving that swing is more than a defined rhythm--it's a feel, with an expanding definition.

Bruford's 1980s electro-acoustic Earthworks quartet began a gradual ...

The Henry Hey Trio: Watershed

by Jack Bowers
March 3, 2004

Henry Hey is a fine young pianist, and his trio works together with the precision of a Swiss watch. The problem I have with Watershed lies not with the performance but with the repertoire; all save one of the compositions are Hey’s, and none has enough allure to summon more than a temperate response. Granted, that is a purely subjective conclusion, one that can’t be quantified and has little to do with the trio’s performance, which is unequivocally first-rate.

Henry Hey Trio: Watershed

by Alexander M. Stern
October 9, 2003

Pianist Henry Hey is having a very good year. He’s already appeared on Michael Pope’s excellent The Lay of the Land, as well as Jeff “Tain” Watts’ all-star sophomore effort Bar Talk. Now Hey steps up to the plate with Watershed, his debut recording as a leader. Considering the quality of his sideman appearances, it comes as no surprise when Hey points to the bleachers and quite casually belts one out of the park.

Hey has chosen a ...