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Jazz Articles about John Stowell
John Stowell / Dan Dean: Rain Painting
by Dan McClenaghan
Guitarist John Stowell has spent two decades recording for Seattle's Origin records, collaborating with artists such as saxophonists Dave Liebman and Michael Zilber, drummer John Bishop, bassist Jeff Johnson and guitarist Ulf Bandgren. His work with the band Scenes—with Bishop and Johnson, and (twice) saxophonist Rick Mandyck—is particularly noteworthy. Bassist Dan Dean—with a sparser discography than Stowell's—has made more of a name for himself as a producer and audio and recording engineer for the label; but his status as a ...
Continue ReadingTrio Linguae: Signals
by Jack Bowers
Signals introduces the snug and simpatico Trio Linguae ("lin-gwee") from western Canada whose unusual makeup (trumpet, guitar, piano) doesn't hinder it from painting a series of shapely and pleasing portraits in sound. Trumpeter Kevin Woods had been performing with his compatriots—pianist Miles Black, guitarist John Stowell—for more than a decade but never before on the same stage. Aligning them together, which was not Woods' original plan, proved to be a master stroke, as they entwine in unison like the proverbial ...
Continue ReadingScenes: Trapeze
by Paul Rauch
The storyline for the Pacific Northwest-based band Scenes began in 1983, when drummer John Bishop and guitarist John Stowell began playing together in Portland and Seattle. When bassist Jeff Johnson arrived in Seattle in 1989, he began playing a weekly trio gig with Bishop and tenor saxophonist Rick Mandyck. Stowell, already frequently traveling abroad to play and teach, would drop by every so often to play.The quartet wouldn't get around to record until 2001, releasing Scenes on the ...
Continue ReadingGiordano Criscenzo - John Stowell: Lament
by AAJ Italy Staff
Quello degli standards è un territorio insidioso; da una parte l'avventurarsi in repertori ampiamente collaudati fornisce tranquillità e sicurezza a chi suona, dall'altra il doversi necessariamente confrontare con tutti quelli che si sono già cimentati nella stessa impresa espone al rischio di confondersi nella massa, a meno di fornire un'interpretazione originale o quanto meno personale capace di esprimere passione o slancio emotivo. Lament, disco realizzato dalla coppia di chitarristi formata dall'americano John Stowell e l'italiano Giordano Criscenzo, pecca appunto di ...
Continue ReadingJohn Stowell: Solitary Tales
by John Barron
An entire disc of solo, improvised guitar music could easily run the risk of sounding like one continuous tune. Fortunately, Portand, Oregon-based guitarist John Stowell applies enough depth and open-minded searching to his nylon-string guitar to keep things interesting throughout Solitary Tales. The eleven-track disc was recorded live at the home of master guitar luthier Mike Doolin, who builds guitars for Stowell. Relying heavily on single-note lines, the guitarist seems to pull arching motifs out of thin air, eschewing clichés ...
Continue ReadingJohn Stowell: Resonance
by C. Michael Bailey
Resonance, as manifested in the new recording of the same title by guitarist John Stowell, takes two guises. First, as a talented guitarist with an impressive résumé, Stowell can be counted on, nee, expected to provide interesting and compelling performances of both his original and the jazz standard repertoire. This is certainly evident in his choice of recital items. Second, Stowell teams up with the modern guitar Stradivari, Mike Doolin, who provides him with the instruments upon which to weave ...
Continue ReadingJohn Bishop/Jeff Johnson/Rick Mandyck/John Stowell: Scenes
by Dave Nathan
With this Origin label release, the fruitful Northwest music scene continues to manifest high caliber jazz music sessions. This time it's the 8 year-old trio of John Bishop, Jeff Johnson and Rick Mandyck enhanced by guitarist John Stowell, for more than an hour of modern and progressive jazz. The play list is certainly an attractive one combining three originals with standard and jazz classics. Stowell. who worked with David Friesen for seven years, plays a clean lined guitar avoiding smears, ...
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