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Jazz Articles about John Wiitala
Gaea Schell: In Your Own Sweet Way
by Pierre Giroux
Gaea Schell's In Your Own Sweet Way is a captivating journey through the realm of jazz that delivers a fresh perspective on a variety of compositional forms, including Latin-tinged originals to innovative interpretations of songs from the Great American Songbook. Although Schell originally grew up in Alberta, Canada and received her formal education in the piano-jazz studies program from McGill University, in Montreal, Quebec, she presently resides in San Francisco. She is joined on the project by some top Northern ...
read moreThe Pacific Jazz Group: Pacific Jazz Group
by Jack Bowers
West Coast jazz from the mid-twentieth century makes a comeback on this earnest album by the Pacific Jazz Group, whose music owes its genesis to the Pacific Jazz label, which recorded many of the Coast's best and brightest stars during that historic and bounteous era. The idea was set in motion by pianist Dred Scott, one of the music's and the label's ardent fans, who assembled a group built to some extent along the lines of the legendary Gerry Mulligan/Chet ...
read moreRandy Porter Trio: Porter Plays Frishberg: Unsung
by Paul Rauch
Pianist/composer/lyricist Dave Frishberg may not be a household name in the world of jazz, but those in the know, musicians and listeners alike, appreciate the often whimsical artist. His works are associated with an “A" list of vocalists, including Blossom Dearie, Rosemary Clooney, Anita O'Day, Shirley Horn and Diana Krall. The 87-year old Frishberg now resides near Portland, Oregon after years in New York, Los Angeles and on the road. Frishberg's presence in the Rose City is the ...
read moreErik Jekabson Sextet III: One Note At A Time
by Dan Bilawsky
By the time One Note At A Time's first two songs have finished, it's been made abundantly clear that trumpeter Erik Jekabson appreciates a groove as much as he values space. The opener—"Days of Haze"—provides an introductory shot of adrenaline in the form of a tight, funk-framed blues, and “Dusk," in contrast, looks to open vistas, with longer lines and a less-is-more attitude reflecting the liminal spirit in its name. Foreshadowing what's to come, those early offerings prove complementary through ...
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