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Jazz Articles about Kenny Wheeler
Tassos Spiliotopoulos: Archipelagos
by Ian Patterson
Since moving to London in 2000 to study music, Greek guitarist Tassos Spiliotopoulos has built a solid reputation as a technically gifted musician, building an impressive résumé of collaborations in a relatively short time, working with drummer/keyboardist Gary Husband, saxophonist Tim Garland, singer/multi-instrumentalist Eileen Hunter and guitarists John Parricelli, Mike Outram and John Etheridge. His debut as leader, Wait for Dusk (Konnex Records, 2006), featuring bassist Yaron Stavi, drummer Asaf Sirkis, and tenor saxophonist Robin Fincker, garnered positive reviews for ...
Continue ReadingKen Wheeler & The John Dankworth Orchestra: Windmill Tilter
by Jack Kenny
"Lost" has been a favored word in the last few years. Miles Davis' late sixties group was called lost because it did not record officially. Trumpeter/composer Kenny Wheeler's Windmill Tilter truly has been lost--until now. Recorded in 1968, the Windmill Tilter suite has only previously been available on increasingly rare and expensive LP. Rumor had it that the original tapes had been destroyed and, while a release was promised a few years back, it never materialized. Now, ...
Continue ReadingKen Wheeler & The John Dankworth Orchestra: Windmill Tilter
by Nic Jones
It's easy to forget how long Canadian-born Kenny Wheeler has been making music. This, the first of his infrequent large ensemble recordings, was originally released back in 1969, and some thirteen years prior to that he was working in the quintet of baritone saxophonist Buddy Featherstonhaugh. Windmill Tilter offers the best of both worlds: not only is there Wheeler's highly distinctive writing for large ensemble, but there are a couple of quintet tracks, featuring Wheeler in the ...
Continue ReadingKen Wheeler & The John Dankworth Orchestra: Windmill Tilter
by John Kelman
Long considered a holy grail of British jazz, trumpet legend/iconic composer Kenny Wheeler's classic 1969 Fontana leader debut, Windmill Tilter, has remained curiously out of print--never, in fact, appearing legitimately on CD.Until now. Thanks to Andy Gray and BGO Records--a label responsible for a wealth of 1960s and '70s British jazz reissues--Windmill Tilter is finally available on CD and it's been worth the wait. Not only does it find Wheeler--listed here as “Ken," a Canadian expat who, emigrating ...
Continue ReadingKenny Wheeler / Colours Jazz Orchestra: Nineteen Plus One
by John Kelman
Following Kenny Wheeler's career can be a knotty proposition. Born in Canada, the trumpeter/composer relocated to Britain in the 1950s, becoming an integral part of its jazz scene. He recorded for Germany's ECM Records for over two decades, including the classic Gnu High (1976) in addition to his Azimuth collaborations with pianist John Taylor and singer Norma Winstone. More recently shifting his affiliation to Italian labels including EGEA and CAM Jazz, he's focused largely on small groups, though he's made ...
Continue ReadingKenny Wheeler & Colours Jazz Orchestra: Nineteen Plus One
by AAJ Italy Staff
La carriera artistica di Kenny Wheeler si è sviluppata in gran parte sotto il segno della big band, sia da leader che da sideman, fin dai suoi esordi. La serie si allunga ora con questo suo ultimo lavoro, realizzato in Italia a fianco della nostrana Colours Jazz Orchestra con la vocalist Diana Torto e il direttore/trombonista Massimo Morganti, frutto di una collaborazione iniziata nel 2003 per una serie di concerti e sfociata nel 2007 in questa registrazione. Il repertorio è ...
Continue ReadingGlobe Unity Orchestra: Globe Unity - 40 Years
by AAJ Italy Staff
Giù il cappello signori! La Globe Unity torna a incidere, non succedeva dal 2002, e il risultato ancora una volta è straordinario. E per festeggiare le quaranta candeline, Schlippenbach e soci hanno fatto le cose in grande. Innanzitutto largo alle nuove leve, con l’innesto di giovani virgulti pescati al di qua e al di là dell’oceano: i trombettisti Jean-Luc Cappozzo e Axel Dörner, il clarinettista Rudi Mahall e il fenomenale trombonista Jeb Bishop, ex Vandermark 5. E poi, a differenza ...
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