Jazz Articles about Steve Swell

About Steve Swell

Interview

Steve Swell: Appreciating the Avant Garde Today

by Victor L. Schermer
July 10, 2017

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 [This is the third of an All About Jazz series of interviews and articles on “The Many Faces of Jazz Today: Critical Dialogues" in which we explore the current state of jazz around the world with musicians, journalists, and entrepreneurs who give us their own unique perspectives. In the first interview of the series, saxophonist Bobby Zankel spoke about his efforts to maintain his creativity and independence in an increasingly ...

Album Review

Steve Swell: Kanreki: Reflection & Renewal

Read "Kanreki: Reflection & Renewal" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
January 10, 2016

To mark his sixtieth birthday (December 6, 2014), trombonist Steve Swell, long the pre-eminent trombonist on the NYC free jazz scene, invokes the Japanese custom of Kanreki. Although it is said to signal both a rebirth and a handing on of responsibilities, Swell shows no signs of allowing the occasion to inhibit his ambition. Over the course of two discs, Not Two proffers a broad survey of recent outlets for his expression, encompassing seven distinct line ups recorded between 2011 ...

Interview

Steve Swell: Unlimited Musical Possibilities

by Victor L. Schermer
July 28, 2014

"Free Jazz" and “Avant-Garde Jazz" are catch phrases often associated with musical pioneers such as Ornette Coleman and Cecil Taylor but more broadly refer to music that goes outside of the mainstream of melody, harmony, rhythm, and structure. When that happens, opinions and emotions abound. Reactions vary from disgust to excitement and enthusiasm, and it is rare to find a balanced view on the subject. The question arises, why does the same music so strongly attract and repel? To seek ...

Album Review

Sabir Mateen – Frode Gjerstad: Sound Gathering

by AAJ Italy Staff
November 5, 2010

Inciso a Brooklyn nel settembre 2007, questo bell'album vede coagire due storici (per quanto appartati) alfieri della free music quali il norvegese Gierstad, classe 1948, e il neroamericano Mateen (Philadelphia, 1951), ospite l'almeno altrettanto glorioso trombonista Steve Swell, musicisti sui cui palmares incontriamo i nomi di William Parker, Cecil Taylor, Sunny Murray, Lol Coxhill, Peter Brötzmann, Evan Parker, Derek Bailey, Han Bennink, Bill Dixon, Anthony Braxton e innumerevoli altri numi tutelari dell'avanguardia jazzistica. Tanta generosità di collaborazioni trova puntuale riscontro ...

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Album Review

Steve Swell: Steve Swell's Slammin' The Infinite

Read "Steve Swell's Slammin' The Infinite" reviewed by Raul d'Gama Rose

by Raul d'Gama Rose
October 24, 2010

Using something that Walt Whitman said about prolific writing, trombonist Steve Swell posits that the more he creates--the more he writes and therefore performs--the more likely he is to produce something worthwhile. Although he does not mention it, this also suggests pushing the boundaries and being nonjudgmental about any of his work until he arrives at something of substantive value. What this might be is impossible to predict, until it is actually created and performed, and the response to it ...

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Interview

Steve Swell: Sound Miracles

by Gordon Marshall
May 31, 2010

Trombonist Steve Swell captures the energy of a big band in the close quarters of a small group. An alumnus of Buddy Rich's and Lionel Hampton's bands on the one hand, and collaborator with Anthony Braxton on the other, he seems bound to have fixed upon such a hybrid configuration at some point. But how an artist could exhibit such stylistic range and adaptability to begin with, and on top of that reconcile them in a career that has already ...

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Album Review

Steve Swell's Slammin' The Infinite: 5000 Poems

Read "5000 Poems" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
April 6, 2010

There was a time when the addition of a chordal instrument such as piano to a horn-led free jazz quartet would have been viewed as a nod to the mainstream. But not the case now and especially not when the pianist in question is John Blum and the group is trombonist Steve Swell's Slammin' The Infinite. Underground legend Blum stays on board for their fourth outing after his guest appearance on Live At The Vision Festival (Not Two, 2008) and ...