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Jazz Articles about John Wojciechowski

About John Wojciechowski

Album Review

Wabash is the name of a river in Indiana and Illinois, an avenue in Chicago and, what is most relevant to this recording, the name of the quartet that performs on the avenue, a respectable group led by bassist Clark Sommers. Sommers' WaBaSH ensemble varies from the quartet norm in that two of its members, John Wojciechowski and Geof Bradfield, are saxophonists (who double on flute and bass clarinet, respectively). The group's fourth member is drummer Dana Hall. ...

Album Review

Clark Sommers: WaBaSH

by Troy Dostert
July 30, 2026

An integral component of the Chicago-based jazz community, bassist Clark Sommers has honed his craft as a sideman with everyone from Kurt Elling to Jon Irabagon, with a multifaceted fluency that extends from mainstream jazz to more adventurous projects. And from time to time he also gets to flex as a leader, starting with his debut effort in 2013, Ba(SH) (Origin Records), a recording which documented his long-standing trio with fellow Chicago stalwarts Geof Bradfield on saxophone and Dana Hall ...

Album Review

Paul Marinaro: Mood Ellington

Read "Mood Ellington" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
February 8, 2026

Paul Marinaro's Mood Ellington is an ambitious, carefully crafted double CD that regards Duke Ellington's vocal repertoire not as a fixed monument but as a living collection of work capable of endless renewal. Instead of relying on a single arranging perspective, Marinaro commissioned thirteen renowned composers, allowing Ellington's songs to be explored through multiple aesthetic lenses while remaining anchored in a consistent emotional core. Like his concept for the album's arrangers, Marinaro sought supporting musicians who would express their own ...

Album Review

Scott Burns / John Wojciechowski / Geof Bradfield: Tenor Time

Read "Tenor Time" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
December 31, 2022

Tenor Time unveils the talents of a trio of Chicago-area tenor saxophonists, each of whom--presumably—solos on each of the album's eight numbers. The qualifier is necessary because the solo order is not given and, skillful as they are, the tenors sound much like triplets at the same workbench. That is to say that in terms of tone, technique and improvisation, they more closely resemble Tweedledee and Tweedledum than, say, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims and Hank Mobley. If ...

Album Review

Ryan Cohan: Originations

Read "Originations" reviewed by Paul Rauch

by Paul Rauch
July 16, 2020

There is a risk in creating art that reflects in essence, one's own personal journey. What that journey reveals within the context of one life may not carry the same value to a collective audience. In the case of Chicago based composer/pianist Ryan Cohan, his explorative delve into his own bi-cultural roots as presented on his new release, Originations (Origin, 2020), would not resonate with listeners if the music itself was not thrilling. Music provides unity like no other communicative ...

Album Review

John Wojciechowski: Focus

by Dan Bilawsky
November 5, 2015

Every now and then you encounter a musician who has it together in so many ways, yet has largely managed to avoid national recognition. Saxophonist John Wojciechowski is one such player. While those with strong enough memories might recall that the Michigan-bred Wojciechowski took third place--behind Jon Gordon and Jimmy Greene--at the 1996 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, those same people may come up empty on this figure after that. But that's not because there's nothing ...