Jazz Articles about Marty Ehrlich

like 165

Andrew Hill: A Beautiful Day

by Jack Bowers
August 1, 2002

"There is plenty going on," designated cheerleader Stanley Crouch informs the reader, on composer / pianist Andrew Hill's latest album, A Beautiful Day, which showcases Hill's sixteen-piece big band in a concert performance last January at New York's famed Birdland nightclub. “With a vision given to great plasticity," Crouch writes, “[Hill] has found his own ways to reinterpret 4/4 swing, the blues, the romantic or meditative ballad, and the Afro-Hispanic rhythms that have almost invariably connected one generation of Jazz ...

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Andrew Hill: A Beautiful Day

by Jon Wagner
August 1, 2002

Sometimes a live recording captures the dynamism and vibe of a band that's really “on." In ideal situations, the musical energy is obvious right off the bat, continues throughout the set, and winds up on a disc. The listener thinks: “Man, I would love to have been at that gig." Andrew Hill's new release A Beautiful Day is one of those recordings. Hill is a pianist who's been around for a long time and played in many different ...

like 157

Marty Ehrlich: Song

by David Adler
November 1, 2001

Reedsman Marty Ehrlich enlists pianist Uri Caine, bassist Michael Formanek, and drummer Billy Drummond for this lyrical, swinging, accessible set. After opening with Robin Holcomb’s melancholy “Waltz" (a feature for Ehrlich’s brilliant bass clarinet), the quartet embarks on a trilogy of Ehrlich-penned pieces. “The Price of the Ticket," inspired by James Baldwin, begins with a beautifully orchestrated rubato section before breaking into a burning swing tempo, laying a foundation for incisive solos by Ehrlich (on alto), Caine, and Drummond. “Day ...

like 179

Marty Ehrlich: Song

by David Adler
November 1, 2001

Reedsman Marty Ehrlich enlists pianist Uri Caine, bassist Michael Formanek, and drummer Billy Drummond for this lyrical, swinging, accessible set. After opening with Robin Holcomb's melancholy “Waltz" (a feature for Ehrlich's brilliant bass clarinet), the quartet embarks on a trilogy of Ehrlich-penned pieces. “The Price of the Ticket," inspired by James Baldwin, begins with a beautifully orchestrated rubato section before breaking into a burning swing tempo, laying a foundation for incisive solos by Ehrlich (on alto), Caine, and Drummond. “Day ...

like 189

Ehrlich/Dresser/Cyrille: C/D/E

by AAJ Staff
June 1, 2001

At some point in its history, free jazz differentiated into two forms: chamber music-style improvisation and in-your-face adventurism. Some free players prefer to use silence and nuance as tools for measured cadences, while others go for the all-out emotional release as a tool for catharsis. This trio is interesting because it includes elements from both traditions of music. C/D/E brings a revealing '98 set to light, with some regular head-solos-head type pieces, a few Ornette-ish quirks, and scattered chunks of ...

like 135

Marty Ehrlich/Myra Melford: Yet Can Spring

by AAJ Staff
March 1, 2001

From the opening notes of Yet Can Spring, it's clear that Myra Melford and Marty Ehrlich occupy common ground. It's not common in any other sense of the word, though. These two players each have a unique perspective on the intersection of straight-ahead improvisation with its freer forms, and both dwell eagerly at the interface. At times lyrical and introspective, at other times crashing down from the hilltops like a banshee, Melford can be like a wolf in sheep's clothing ...

like 128

Marty Ehrlich's Traveler's Tales: Malinke's Dance

by Glenn Astarita
September 1, 2000

Woodwind specialist/composer Marty Ehrlich is undoubtedly one of the brightest musicians in modern jazz, and with his band “Traveler’s Tales”, the artist along with his counterpart, saxophonist Tony Malaby trade vicious fours while engaging in complex yet thoroughly melodic choruses. And with the equally prominent rhythm section consisting of drummer Bobby Previte and bassist Jerome Harris, Ehrlich’s fabled band gets out of the gate in a flurry, recorded live at the Knitting Factory’s – Old Office venue.

Malinke’s Dance represents ...