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Steve Swallow / Ohad Talmor / Adam Nussbaum: Playing in Traffic
by Lyn Horton
Recorded at the 2008 Xopana Festival in Madeira, Portugal, Playing in Traffic begins with its title tune and a rhythmic walking line from electric bassist Steve Swallow's nimble fingers. Drummer Adam Nussbaum follows with rapid stick and brushwork and tenor saxophonist Ohad Talmor folds into the rhythm with precise staccato phrases. This bouncy cut introduces a body of music that becomes nostalgically tuneful, simultaneously demonstrating focus and integrity. Talmor is a master at making melody his subject ...
Continue ReadingBohuslan Big Band with Steve Swallow: Swallow Songs
by Edward Blanco
In 2007, veteran bassist Steve Swallow accepted an invitation to record his music from Goran Levin, Manager of the Bohuslan Big Band, one of the finest jazz orchestras in Sweden. Swallow Songs, with Steve Swallow and The Bohuslan Big Band, is the result of that auspicious invitation, spurred from a prior professional encounter with mutual friend, trumpeter Lew Soloff. Swallow, who is not only recognized as premier bassist but also as a composer and arranger, leads the sixteen-piece BBB through ...
Continue ReadingSteve Swallow: Swallow Songs & Dedicated to Steve
by Fred Bouchard
Mellow, majestic, mischievous--smooth mnemonics come to mind when listening (or even thinking) about bassist Steve Swallow's music. The estimable (nay, venerable) progenitor of jazz electric bass (or is it Monk Montgomery?) has more basslines up his sleeve than Svengali had pigeons, and his sinuous sleight-of-hand with chord progressions dazzles with its deceptive "ease" of execution and a major-league modicum of merry expressiveness. These two European sessions find Swallow in divergent modes of inspiration: as guest soloist and arranger ...
Continue ReadingSteve Swallow: Embracing Music and Greater Awareness
by Matthew Miller
For 50 years, Steve Swallow has represented the pinnacle of jazz bass playing. First on acoustic, then exclusively on electric bass, the versatile Swallow approaches every musical situation with grace and understated virtuosity. His discography reads like a Who's Who of the important improvisers of the 20th and early 21st Century. Swallow continues to tour extensively around the world and record with Carla Bley, Gary Burton, John Scofield and many others. AAJ contributor Matthew Miller spoke with Swallow at his ...
Continue ReadingSteve Swallow with Robert Creeley: So There
by Nenad Georgievski
Steve Swallow goes for a varied approach on So There, combining string quartets, piano and bass, all of this inspired by the poetry of Robert Creeley, one of the most important American poets. This is his second release inspired by Creeley's poetry; in 1980 Swallow and Kuhn (and vocalist Sheila Jordan) released Home on ECM. So There is mostly a quiet and thoughtful affair, and the performances feature close interplay between Swallow and pianist Joachim Kuhn, with ...
Continue ReadingSteve Swallow: The Poetry Of Music
by Jason Crane
Bassist Steve Swallow and poet Robert Creeley were friends for 30 years. Swallow first read Creeley's work in the 1950s, and instantly fell in love with what Creeley had to say and the way he said it. Twenty years later, a chance meeting with Creeley led to a personal and professional relationship. Creeley's work inspired two of Swallow's albums--Home (ECM, 1980) and his most recent recording, So There (XtraWATT/ECM, 2006).AAJ contributor Jason Crane talked with Swallow about So ...
Continue ReadingSteve Swallow with Robert Creeley: So There
by AAJ Italy Staff
Ci si deve abbandonare completamente e lasciarsi trasportare da suoni e parole per gustare appieno la magia di So There. Steve Swallow aveva già omaggiato l’arte poetica di Robert Creeley con Home, album del 1980 registrato insieme a Sheila Jordan e Steve Kuhn. Ma senza nulla togliere alla splendida cantante di Detroit, sentire i versi declamati dalla voce profonda di Creeley in persona fa correre un brivido di emozione lungo la schiena. So There è un magnifico gioco di intarsi, ...
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