Jazz Articles about Steve Swallow

Steve Swallow with Robert Creeley: So There

by Jeff Dayton-Johnson
November 28, 2006

Steve Swallow with Robert CreeleySo ThereXtraWatt/ECM2006 Bassist Steve Swallow has been meditating on the poetry of the late Robert Creeley (1926-2005) for a long time. In 1980, Swallow and pianist Steve Kuhn released an album of song settings of Creeley's poems with vocalist Sheila Jordan (Home, ECM). After a quarter century, Swallow feels prepared to take up the collaboration again.For So There, Creeley recorded a selection of ...

Steve Swallow with Robert Creeley: So There

by Budd Kopman
November 20, 2006

So There is a mixture of Robert Creeley reading short poems and fragments of longer ones, surrounded and accompanied by Steve Kuhn's light, dazzling, free piano and Steve Swallow's feathery bass (and guitar-like solos in the upper register)--plus occasionally the Cikada String Quartet, both alone and with Swallow and Kuhn. Creeley's poems have an understated pulse, but his readings emphasize it even more, especially as he many times breaks down words into separate syllables. Swallow has long ...

Steve Swallow with Robert Creeley: So There

by John Kelman
November 8, 2006

Things don't always work out according to plan. Robert Creeley, who passed away last year at the age of 78, has been a source of inspiration for bassist Steve Swallow for nearly half a century. So much so that one of Swallow's most memorable albums, Home (ECM, 1980), adapted the Guggenheim Fellowship recipient's poetry, sung by Sheila Jordan, to a small-ensemble jazz setting.

So There, a by necessity if not by design posthumous collaboration between Creeley and Swallow, is an ...

Steve Swallow/Ohad Talmor Sextet: L'Histoire du Clochard (The Bum's Tale)

by Jim Santella
October 13, 2004

Using Igor Stravinsky's “Soldier's Tale" as its model, L'Histoire du Clochard (The Bum's Tale) combines the depth of Ohad Talmor's symphonic orchestration with the lyricism of Steve Swallow's writing. Composed by Swallow and arranged by Talmor, the seven pieces tell a story. Their innovative sextet takes its audience on a journey through natural landscapes. Dark, ancient forests, looming mountains, and relaxed marketplaces come and go as the ensemble moves seamlessly through a panorama of sounds. The result is a swinging ...

Steve Swallow/Ohad Talmor: L'Histoire du Clochard (The Bum's Tale)

by John Kelman
August 16, 2004

When, after first meeting him in '95, tenor saxophonist Ohad Talmor first suggested to bassist Steve Swallow an album interpreting of some of Swallow's material, stating that he “didn't propose to treat [his] material nicely," he was told to “have his way." The result, L'Histoire du Clochard (The Bum's Tale) places some of Swallow's most popular compositions, and a few more obscure ones, under a microscope, the result being something quite different than one might expect. More chamber music than ...

Steve Swallow: Damaged In Transit

by Mark F. Turner
October 24, 2003

Damaged In Transit presents the jazz power trio of bassist Steve Swallow, saxophonist Chris Potter, and drummer Adam Nussbaum. These musicians have played together for a few years but are all seasoned and in demand artists in their own right. Swallow's prolific session work and recordings testify to his versatility. Potter is a dynamic saxophonist whose recent stints on his own and with Dave Holland or Steely Dan have proven his ability. Nussbaum, a long time drum master, has recorded ...

Steve Swallow: Always Pack Your Uniform On Top

by Glenn Astarita
August 1, 2000

Always Pack Your Uniform On Top is the latest solo outing by the estimable bassist/composer Steve Swallow and perhaps represents his finest effort as a leader in recent years. On the surface it would be hard to envision anything less than admirable especially when taking into account the lineup consisting of guitarist Mick Goodrick, saxophonist Chris Potter, drummer Adam Nussbaum and trumpeter Barry Ries. And as we might surmise, the overall results prove to be mighty impressive.

Recorded in 1999 ...