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Sam Yahel Trio: New York, NY, July 17, 2011
by Dan Bilawsky
Sam Yahel Trio The Village Vanguard New York, NY July 17, 2011 The world has changed in numerous and startling ways since pianist Bill Evans recorded Sunday At The Village Vanguard (Riverside, 1961) a half century ago, but two things remain as consistent as the rising and setting of the sun: The Village Vanguard still presents the best that jazz has to offer, and boundary-pushing piano trios are still an important part of the mix that ...
Continue Reading...Sam Yahel: Hometown
by J Hunter
Sam Yahel has made the grade. His signature Hammond B3 sound--appearing on both his own work and on recordings by Joshua Redman, Bill Frisell, and Norah Jones--has identified him as one of the players that will take Jimmy Smith's favorite instrument deep into the 21st century. So what does Yahel do on Hometown, his fifth disc as a leader? He puts the organ in the closet and does a piano-trio record, which believe it or not, is a good move. ...
Continue Reading...Sam Yahel Trio: Truth and Beauty
by Celeste Sunderland
Sam Yahel's Hammond B3 organ has been paired with stars like Norah Jones, Madeleine Peyroux, Maceo Parker and Bill Frisell, but with his fourth album as a leader, the organist reveals his own voice. It's confident, clever and gleefully vibrant. With saxophonist Joshua Redman and drummer Brian Blade, two stars in their own right, Yahel has formed an album that hovers in the most supple, downy realm of jazz. The trio embarked on a musical expedition together several ...
Continue Reading...Sam Yahel Trio: Truth and Beauty
by John Kelman
Much as organist Larry Goldings, guitarist Peter Bernstein and drummer Bill Stewart have worked together for many years--specific direction resting with the name heading the marquis--so, too, have keyboardist Sam Yahel, saxophonist Joshua Redman and drummer Brian Blade been working together under a variety of monikers over the past five years. Whether it's the cooperative Yaya3, Redman's Elastic Band or the Sam Yahel Trio, what differentiates each group is who chooses/contributes the material and, in the case of Redman's Elastic ...
Continue Reading...Norah Jones: Come Away With Me
by C. Michael Bailey
Few artists have generated as much press in recent memory as Ms. Norah Jones. No fewer than five thoughtful reviews have been published in this magazine alone . A unifying theme found in all criticism is the question of whether the music Jones plays is jazz. This might be similar to the question of whether the music Josh Groban or Andrea Bocchelli is classical.
In keeping with the ecumenical spirit of this magazine, I submit that it makes little, or ...
Continue Reading...Norah Jones: Come Away With Me
by Roger Crane
Okay--first things first. Yes, in my opinion, the strikingly beautiful, vaguely exotic Norah Jones is worthy of the buzz and publicity that she is receiving. But is she a jazz singer? Probably not but I don't know why anyone should care. Her singing is certainly jazz influenced. Jones does not use her lovely voice as a horn at the expense of lyrics. Jones is a natural storyteller and the stories that she chose to tell on her impressive debut, Come ...
Continue Reading...Norah Jones: Come Away With Me
by Bobby Dodd
One can't help being curious about the contents of Norah Jones' music collection after listening to her debut, Come Away With Me". They would probably not be far off in assuming she grew up singing into various makeshift microphones around her household alongside the vocals of Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Joni Mitchell, and Sarah Mclachlan. Despite the album's various jazz standards, one should not be so naïve to classify Norah Jones as a jazz singer. Hardcore jazz ...
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