Jazz Articles about Jack Walrath

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Charles Mingus: @ Bremen 1964 & 1975

by Mike Jurkovic
December 8, 2020

It is 1964 and the big bass emperor rules the old continent as he commanded every stage he set foot on. So @ Bremen 1964 & 1975 just does not sound right. Charles Mingus Swings Bad Ass and Liberates Your Body and Your Mind @ Bremen sounds way more like it. For—as much as anything in his grand, sweeping arc serves to highlight how mercurial and spot-on his real time genius was—this previously unreleased four-disc joy bomb will certainly be ...

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Charles Mingus: @ Bremen 1964 & 1975

by Chris May
November 13, 2020

Four hours of previously unissued, premier-league music by Charles Mingus is something to shout about, and @ Bremen 1964 & 1975 is about as good as the bassist and composer's posthumously released live albums get. Four CDs chronicle two extended, intense performances recorded in Germany by Radio Bremen. Both gigs featured all-star bands and both are typically and gloriously uplifting Mingus melanges of through-composition and in-the-moment improvisation touching on blues and roots, bop, hard bop, New Orleans marching band, swing, ...

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Another Set of Recent Listeners’ Favorites

by Marc Cohn
July 24, 2020

The number of the week is five (as in Show 435)! So, it's time for listener favorites from recent shows (421-430). WHYR, Mixcloud, Pacifica and All About Jazz messages, emails, and one-on-one (masked!) feedback in the grocery store are all considered. That would generate some five to six hours of material. So, we have to exercise a certain degree of editorial judgement. See if your favs made the cut. Want to weigh in for Shows 431-440? Shoot me an email! ...

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Hanksgiving: Jazz Tributes to Hank Williams

by Ludovico Granvassu
November 27, 2018

Do you sympathize with the plight of the turkeys? Do family reunions bring you anxiety? Then forget about Thanksgiving! Mondo Jazz is here to help you switch to Hanksgiving, with two hours of Jazz tributes to the great Hank Williams, the only singer who is more American than pumpkin pie! This week we have concocted a delicious playlist for you which is all stuffing and no tryptophan, two hours to show how jazz musicians can make even Country ...

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Jack Walrath: Ballroom

by Francis Lo Kee
February 16, 2009

Jack Walrath not only displays tremendous trumpet playing, a rich and varied approach to composition and wonderful band, he also puts something into this fantastic CD that's missing from too much new jazz: a sense of fun and humor. That's not to say that it isn't sensitive and touching at times--"An Hour Blessed" is arguably as gorgeous as anything ever recorded. However, what is a listener to make of a version of Elvis Presley's “Heartbreak Hotel"? Just ...

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Jack Walrath: In Montana

by J Hunter
August 15, 2007

Trumpeter Jack Walrath went back to Montana in January of 1980 to accomplish three things: visit his parents, burn down his old high school, and do a recording with a local quartet called--interestingly enough--Montana. Walrath never got around to torching his alma mater, but he did develop a working relationship with four talented musicians who were just as dedicated to stretching the envelope as he was. The result was In Montana, just re-released by Labor Records.

Montana wasn't your average ...

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Mike Clark: Summertime

by Riel Lazarus
May 5, 2003

It's safe to say that drummer Mike Clark is most commonly associated with funk. Since his days as a member of Herbie Hancock's legendary Headhunters, Clark has been considered one of the foremost trapsmen of the genre. But funk is only a small part of what this veteran artist is capable of, and Summertime may finally spell the end to this unfortunate pigeonholing. As evidenced by his appearance last month at the Blue Note, Clark is every ...