Jazz Articles about Joe Sanders

About Joe Sanders

Album Review

Walter Smith III is a deceptive musician. His deep jazz roots and distinctive tenor saxophone tone mask a technique that is both complex and understated. Smith rewards attentive listeners; his mastery lies in refinement rather than display. One of the pleasures of following Smith's career is hearing him change. Though no longer a young newcomer, he continues to evolve. His tone and timbre have matured, his rhythmic command has become more supple, and his avoidance of theatrics has ...

Live Review

Joe Sanders al Teatro Golden di Palermo

by Maurizio Zerbo
May 20, 2025

Joe Sanders Teatro Golden Rassegna “Catania Jazz 2024-2025" Palermo 15 aprile 2025 “Parallels," brano che intitola il recente CD del contrabbassista Joe Sanders, è la chiave di volta per decodificare il concerto inaugurale della sua tournée italiana. Frasi secche, concise ma ricche di contenuto melodico sono il cuore pulsante di un lirico approccio strumentale che fa del contrabbasso un'estensione dell'anima. Sull'esempio del suo mentore Christian McBride, il mainstream praticato da Sanders ha ...

Album Review

Joshua Redman: Where Are We

Read "Where Are We" reviewed by Dave Linn

by Dave Linn
September 24, 2023

After graduating from Berkeley High School in 1986, Joshua Redman (son of jazz legend Dewey Redman) won a full scholarship to Harvard, where he graduated summa cum laude in 1991. He was accepted at Yale Law School to become a lawyer. Instead, he embarked on a musical career which quickly turned luminous. He won the Thelonious Monk Institute's prestigious jazz saxophone competition in 1991, before moving to Brooklyn, becoming part of the thriving scene there. His debut album, Joshua Redman ...

Album Review

Ben Wendel: High Heart

Read "High Heart" reviewed by Mike Jacobs

by Mike Jacobs
October 30, 2020

If Ben Wendel's fifth outing as a leader High Heart shows anything, it's that the saxophonist is ever advancing. While this may seem a fait accompli for a card-carrying member of the shapeshifting collective Kneebody, Wendel's worthy solo efforts have been notably more in a traditionally-sounding vein and thus his innovations were perhaps a bit less readily evident to ears acclimated to that other side of his resume. And yes, by comparison to Kneebody, High Heart still tacks toward a ...