Jazz Articles about JoAnne Brackeen

Joanne Brackeen: Popsicle Illusion

by AAJ Staff
August 1, 2000

Joanne Brackeen is an original, that's for sure. And a very talented original, needless to say. Seeming to go her own way in the inspirations for her music, she also goes her own way during a performance. It's as if she sets out with a foundation for a tune, and then anything goes as she builds the structure upon her immovable underpinnings.Take “If I Were A Bell". Legitimized by Miles Davis as a source for jazz improvisation, Brackeen ...

Javon Jackson, et al. / Joanne Brackeen: Thank You, Joe! / Popsicle Illusion

by C. Michael Bailey
July 1, 2000

Several Arkadia discs have made their way to my desk and two releases have finally floated to the top for my attention. Two very fine releases, I might add.

Joe Henderson. Continuing their Grammy(r)-nominated Thank You... series, Arkadia serves up a tribute to the very much alive and recording Joe Henderson. Past Thank You... recordings have highlighted deceased artists and include Thank You, Duke (Duke Ellington, 70003), Thank You, John (John Coltrane, 70002) and Thank You, Gerry (Gerry Mulligan, 71191). ...

Joanne Brackeen: Pink Elephant Magic

by Glenn Astarita
May 1, 1999

One of the great pianist’s and unsung heroes in Modern Jazz returns in incendiary and dynamic fashion. Joanne Brackeen’s Pink Elephant Magic is stunning, articulate and easily one of the premier jazz recordings of 1999.

The title track and opener, “Pink Elephant Magic” is simply an outstanding composition! The complex and seemingly difficult to perform arrangement is multifaceted, cleverly orchestrated and superior in scope and altogether artfully constructed. Brackeen, with the assistance of Nicholas Payton (trumpet), Chris Potter (soprano sax) ...

70's Jazz Pioneers: Live! at The Town Hall New York City

by Glenn Astarita
May 1, 1999

The “Young Lions” of the 1970’s? Now we refer to them as the “70’s Jazz Pioneers”. Perhaps in the year 2010 some will refer to Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, Antonio Hart and Joshua Redman, as the (mainstream) “80’s Jazz Pioneers”? Although, this writer would hardly cite Redman or Hargrove as true pioneers but this is good fodder for ongoing debates et al.

Here, those 70’s’ Pioneers reunite at New York City’s famous “Town Hall” to perform well known compositions by ...

Joanne Brackeen: Pink Elephant Magic

by Jack Bowers
May 1, 1999

This new recording showcases not one but two of Joanne Brackeen’s conspicuous talents, and is uplifted not only by her exemplary keyboard work but her persuasive writing as well. Brackeen, now some 30 years removed from her early service with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, writes with clear images in mind, and the results can be observed in such charming sound portraits as “Pink Elephant Magic,” “Ghost Butter,” “Filene’s,” “Beethoven Meets the Millennium in Spain” and “Cram ’n Exam” (a note–heavy ...

JoAnne Brackeen: Pink Elephant Magic

by Jim Santella
May 1, 1999

From the march tempo and hard bop power of “Pink Elephant Magic" to the drifting ballad waltz time of “Filene’s," JoAnne Brackeen’s latest album covers a lot of territory. The pianist’s seven compositions, coupled with three familiar pieces, provide variety and result in a well-rounded set. Bret Primack’s informative liner notes are available on the ‘net at http://www.arkadiarecords.com . Brackeen has a forceful keyboard style that drives her ensemble with percussive power. Her thirty-year career includes experience with Art Blakey, ...

Joanne Brackeen: Pink Elephant Magic

by Bob Margolis
April 1, 1999

A Master pianist other than a Flanagan, or a Peterson, is faced with the daunting task of recording something that separates them but allows for their brilliance to shine through. The subject of this piece has consistently been able to do this, primarily using vehicles other than the trio or solo format. Putting together perhaps her finest band since the late 1980's quartet featuring Billy Hart, Cecil McBee and Gary Bartz, pianist and composer Joanne Brackeen has just put out ...