Jazz Articles about Jon Gauer

About Jon Gauer

Album Review

Ben Markley Big Band: Tuesday Morning Feeling

Read "Tuesday Morning Feeling" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
May 24, 2026

When a bandleader says he plans to rely less on arranging the music of others to focus more on his own compositions and charts, the usual response is a prolonged sigh or indifferent shrug of the shoulders --which makes it all the more remarkable that when pianist and composer Ben Markley did exactly that on Tuesday Morning Blues, the third recording by the Colorado-based Ben Markley Big Band, the finished product demands not a sigh or shrug but a straight-from-the-heart ...

Album Review

Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra: Golden Lady: CJRO featuring Tatiana LadyMay Mayfield

Read "Golden Lady: CJRO featuring Tatiana LadyMay Mayfield" reviewed by La-Faithia White

by La-Faithia White
November 23, 2025

Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra is one of the premier jazz ensembles in the region featuring top-tier musicians dedicated to honoring and expanding the jazz tradition. Golden Lady is a vibrant fusion of jazz, R&B, and gospel. The project also features original compositions, including LadyMay Mayfield's “Metamorphosis," “Hold Tight" by Bob Reynolds (a member of Snarky Puppy), and Jared Cathey's “Red Cedar Road." The project bursts open with “Hold Tight," an up-tempo, big band celebration radiating with energy. Driven ...

Album Review

Ben Markley: Ari's Funhouse

Read "Ari's Funhouse" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
February 6, 2024

Accade spesso nel jazz che dagli incontri estemporanei nascano le cose migliori. Il bandleader e arrangiatore Ben Markley e il batterista Ari Hoenig si sono conosciuti nel 2019 in un jazz festival del Texas. Da quell'incontro è nato questo progetto discografico, che ha visto Markley orchestrare le composizioni di Hoenig per la big band che guida a Denver. Il batterista è ospite dell'ensemble e dà il suo contributo con un vivace e articolato sostegno ritmico. L'album è stato registrato nel ...

Album Review

Ben Markley Big Band: Ari's Funhouse

Read "Ari's Funhouse" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
May 15, 2022

Ari's Funhouse, recorded in July 2021, sprang from a chance encounter at a Texas jazz festival in 2019 between New York-based drummer & composer Ari Hoenig and Denver-based pianist & arranger Ben Markley. After performing with Hoenig in a small group, Markley asked if he might score some of Hoenig's songs for a big band. Hoenig readily agreed, and after a lengthy Covid-induced pause, he and Markley's band finally met face-to-face in Denver to record the album. Two things are ...