Jazz Articles about Joel Frahm

Joel Frahm / Bruce Katz: Project A

by Mark F. Turner
August 29, 2009

Joel Frahm and Bruce Katz's Project A is not a codename for a scientific research program or some covert operation, but, instead, a finger-snapping, toe-tapping tribute to the original Queen of Soul, singer Aretha Franklin. Frahm, a superlative saxophonist who has worked with Maynard Ferguson, Brad Mehldau and Kurt Rosenwinkel, is joined by Bruce Katz, a master Hammond B3 player and pianist, who is well known in R&B, blues and rock circles, having performed with Gregg Allman ...

Irene Atman and Daniela Schachter meet at the Intersection of Joel Frahm

by C. Michael Bailey
May 6, 2009

Nowhere in jazz is the soil so rich as it is in the area of female vocals. Major label, independents, melting pots and old school, there are vocal releases appealing to any persnickety taste. Such a diverse marketplace is to the fortune of the listening public. This fortune is magnified when two dramatically different singers share a common denominator: in the cases of Irene Atman and Daniela Schachter that common denominator is New York tenor saxophonist Joel Frahm on the ...

Joel Frahm: We Used To Dance

by Geoff Mirelowitz
October 25, 2007

Joel Frahm is a big, gentle looking man with a big, warm sound on the tenor saxophone. On We Used To Dance, he reunites with pianist Kenny Barron, with whom Frahm studied at the Rutgers University jazz program. Frahm has also enlisted the services of the rest of the rhythm section that contributed so much to the later recordings of Stan Getz: bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Victor Lewis. The result is a solid disc of outstanding music. ...

Joel Frahm: The Focused Chameleon

by Jason Crane
September 7, 2007

Jason Crane interviews saxophonist Joel Frahm. Frahm is one of the busiest saxophonists on the scene today. You'll find him on recordings with pianist Brad Mehldau, vocalist Jane Monheit, trumpeter Avishai Cohen, drummers Matt Wilson and Pete Zimmer, and the Waverly 7. His fourth record as a leader, We Used To Dance (Anzic Records, 2007), brings together a classic rhythm section that played with Stan Getz on some of his final recordings: pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Rufus ...

Joel Frahm: We Used to Dance

by Jim Santella
May 3, 2007

Working with pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Victor Lewis on a straight-ahead jazz session would be a real treat for anyone. It turns out to be especially fruitful for tenor saxophonist Joel Frahm, who delivers this program of standards and originals with an artist's delicate touch. The proud owner of a rich, luxurious tone, the saxophonist interprets ballads, blues and up-tempo romps with clarity while swinging in a rhythmic groove when the situation permits. He and this ...

Joel Frahm's Musical Reunion

by Ed Trefzger
February 9, 2004

Joel Frahm's Don't Explain is just one of many reunions between the saxophonist and his high school classmate, pianist Brad Mehldau.

The recording was a natural next step after the two reunited for two concerts to raise money for the nationally-known music program at their alma mater, William H. Hall High School, in West Hartford, Conn.

“I asked Brad if he would be interested in doing a charity concert," said Frahm in a recent interview, “and he said, 'Yeah'. The ...

Joel Frahm with Brad Mehldau: Don

by C. Michael Bailey
January 14, 2004

Jazz in small spaces is always provocative: the smaller the band, the greater in intimacy. That is not to say that the solo performance is the most intimate setting for jazz, though. The solo performance is by its very nature dense and narcissistic. While certainly emotional, solitude is not about interaction between musicians, only action and reaction of musician and instrument. This circumstance is very well illustrated in pianist Bill Evans' two solo recordings for Milestone, Solo Sessions, Volume 1 ...