Jazz Articles about Mike Karn

About Mike Karn

Album Review

John Pizzarelli: Dear Mr. Bennett

Read "Dear Mr. Bennett" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
March 28, 2026

John Pizzarelli has long been one of the most refined interpreters of The Great American Songbook, a musician who understands that this repertoire thrives not only on reverence but also on personality, swing, and storytelling. With Dear Mr. Bennett, Pizzarelli offers a heartfelt tribute to the incomparable Tony Bennett, whose phrasing, warmth, and commitment to timeless songs have influenced generations of singers. Joined by bassist Mike Karn and pianist Isaiah J. Thompson, Pizzarelli revisits material connected with Bennett, ...

Album Review

Gary Smulyan: Boss Baritones

Read "Boss Baritones" reviewed by David A. Orthmann

by David A. Orthmann
September 16, 2024

The once-popular pairings of such incisive hard-blowing saxophonists as Johnny Griffin with Eddie Lockjaw" Davis and Gene Ammons with Sonny Stitt constitute some of the inspiration behind the making of Boss Baritones. Incorporating material penned by Griffin, Davis, Illinois Jacquet, Don Byas and J.R. Monterose indicates a healthy respect for giants who may no longer be in vogue. We can dwell on the significance of these ties to the past if we like. However, they have little to do with ...

Album Review

Robert Edwards: Up Swing

Read "Up Swing" reviewed by Edward Blanco

by Edward Blanco
November 8, 2023

Veteran trombonist, educator and bandleader Robert Edwards is a fixture of New York City jazz scene, performing in many of the jazz venues in the city and, as of this writing, becoming the newest member of the famed Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Edwards fronts a marvelous quintet that has been performing regularly at Smalls Jazz Club for many years now. Up Swing celebrates the post-bop sounds the group is known for and covers many of the ensemble's “greatest hits from over ...

Album Review

Nick Green: Green On The Scene

Read "Green On The Scene" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
September 6, 2023

Nick Green's latest release, Green On The Scene, is a captivating musical journey which combines masterful instrumentation, intricate compositions and a profound sense of improvisational exploration. Accompanied by trumpeter Joe Magnarelli, pianist Jeb Patton, bassist Mike Karn and the inestimable drummer Kenny Washington, the band embarks on a set list of compositions which are at the intersection of tradition and modernity. The session opens with Charlie Parker's “Red Cross," a contrafact written over the lines of ...

Album Review

The Harry Allen Orchestra: With Roses

Read "With Roses" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
July 5, 2023

Harry Allen is a tenor saxophonist's tenor saxophonist with an elegant tone and swinging style in the manner of Scott Hamilton, Lester Young or Ben Webster. He has a well-rounded discography of over 70 releases as a leader and many others as a sideman. Over the course of his prolific career, Allen has appeared with the likes of Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett, James Taylor and guitarists Bucky Pizzarelli and John Pizzarelli. In this release, With Roses, Allen applies his considerable ...

Album Review

John Pizzarelli: Stage & Screen

Read "Stage & Screen" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
May 19, 2023

Guitarist/vocalist John Pizzarelli's Stage & Screen salutes songs from Broadway and Hollywood. However, there is also a subtext in five songs on the track list in which “time" is featured either prominently or covertly, as it deals with love lost, found, unrequited or déjà vu. In this recital, Pizzarelli is joined by bassist Mike Karn and pianist Isaiah J. Thompson as they work smoothly together to trace the harmonic seams and essence of each tune. The ...

Album Review

John Pizzarelli: Stage & Screen

Read "Stage & Screen" reviewed by Steve Monroe

by Steve Monroe
April 24, 2023

Evoking heartfelt memories of love and longing, sunshine, laughter and more, vocalist/guitarist John Pizzarelli's Stage & Screen delivers vibrant interpretations of classic songs from Broadway and Hollywood. The album provides not only nostalgia and hopeful vibes, but what amounts to orchestral artistry by Pizzarelli, pianist Isaiah J. Thompson and bassist Mike Karn as a bonus. Pizzarelli, a Grammy award winner and long an internationally acclaimed performer and entertainer, has been credited as being a prime interpreter of the Great American ...