Jazz Articles about John Yao

About John Yao

Album Review

John Yao and His 17-Piece Instrument: Flip-Flop

Read "Flip-Flop" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
June 17, 2015

Music aside, you have to love the name of this band: John Yao and His 17-Piece Instrument. Now there's confidence with a capital C! Yao, a New York City-based trombonist who arrived there from his native Chicago more than a decade ago, has more recently turned his hand to composing and arranging. Yao writes with the group dynamic in mind, one result of which is Flip-Flop, an adventurous big-band debut on which Yao's all-star “Instrument" performs his elaborate charts with ...

Album Review

John Yao: Flip-Flop

Read "Flip-Flop" reviewed by Franz A. Matzner

by Franz A. Matzner
June 11, 2015

The trombone is one of jazz's secret weapons. Not as ubiquitous as the saxophone or as iconic as the trumpet in the popular imagination, it nonetheless holds a powerful position as one of jazz's defining instruments. It's also the case that the trombone appears to be currently experiencing a renaissance--one which trombonist, composer, and bandleader John Yao's sophomore effort Flip-Flop is clearly a part. Comprised of ten compositions for his 17-piece big band, Yao demonstrates how when properly ...

Album Review

John Yao: In The Now

Read "In The Now" reviewed by Franz A. Matzner

by Franz A. Matzner
October 25, 2012

Trombonist John Yao's debut as a leader In the Now successfully fuses contemporary flavors and more traditional jazz idioms to produce a solid, hip collection of tunes bounding with vitality and fun.A protégé of Luis Bonilla, Yao reflects that trombonist's thoughtful compositional style, crafting an album of intelligently constructed pieces that give his powerful quintet plenty of room to display its skills. While the majority of tunes strike an astute balance between traditional structures and modern styles, occasionally ...

Album Review

John Yao Quintet: In The Now

Read "In The Now" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
September 27, 2012

Freedom and streamlined focus don't often get along on jazz recordings, but when they do, it can make for an inspired outing. Trombonist John Yao managed to merge these divergent pathways into a single direction on his debut album, creating a flavorful feast for the senses. Yao's music is teeming with danger and uncertainty, yet it all seems to go down much smoother than a lot of material made with a similar recipe. This is due, in large part, to ...

Album Review

John Yao: In the Now

Read "In the Now" reviewed by AAJ Italy Staff

by AAJ Italy Staff
July 9, 2012

In the Now, album di debutto del trombonista/compositore/arrangiatore di origine asiatica John Yao fa tornare in mente le incisioni che nel lustro centrale degli anni sessanta portarono la Blue Note Records ad essere un'etichetta di riferimento per comprendere alcune delle direzioni possibili del jazz a venire. Ossia, grande attenzione alla qualità dell'aspetto compositivo, la ricerca all'interno del canone di nuove forme di coniugazione tra scrittura e improvvisazione, apertura verso generi e stili non sempre previsti dall'ortodossia jazzistica, una resa sonora ...