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Album Review

Steven Bernstein: Diaspora Hollywood

Read "Diaspora Hollywood" reviewed by Celeste Sunderland

by Celeste Sunderland
December 22, 2004

Picture a couple of Jewish grandpas sitting around cracking jokes. Now imagine a Hollywood starlet from the '50s sauntering into a dimly lit club and you've got Diaspora Hollywood , the third installment of trumpet player Steven Bernstein's Diaspora series on John Zorn's Tzadik label. An ode to pioneering geniuses like Franz Waxman and Max Steiner, the disc salutes the great Jewish film composers who left their chilly Eastern European homelands for the sunny, palm-fringed streets of Los Angeles.

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Multiple Reviews

Steven Bernstein: Evaluating The Diaspora Series

by John Kelman
November 10, 2004

Trumpeter/composer/bandleader Steven Bernstein may have made his name with groups as far-flung as Sex Mob and the Lounge Lizards, but it is quite possible that his most enduring work, the effort that will be most remembered when people look back at a long and fruitful career, is his series of Diaspora recordings on John Zorn's Tzadik label and its Radical Jewish Culture imprint. By taking traditional Jewish music and reworking it in a variety of contexts, Bernstein has demonstrated just ...

Album Review

The Frank and Joe Show: 33 1/3

by David Rickert
October 20, 2004

It's easy to forget that in the beginning jazz was music designed for entertainment and not considered serious art. The Frank & Joe Show takes its inspiration from such a time, a bygone era when the audience preferred to jitterbug rather than to just sit and listen. Frank Vignola has already displayed a serious Django jones on his previous albums, yet wisely has avoided recording a CD full of gypsy music when the real thing is so ready and available. ...

356

Album Review

Steven Bernstein: Diaspora Hollywood

Read "Diaspora Hollywood" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
September 28, 2004

Trumpeter/composer Steven Bernstein's Diaspora Hollywood brings a Jewish tinge into a bluesy American jazz feeling; this mournful after-hours set brings some past sounds to mind while simultaneously pushing the vision forward.The ensemble features an unusual front line of the leader's trumpet with Pablo Calocero's baritone saxophone, bass clarinet and flutes, along with D.J. Bonebrake's vibraphone shimmerings, adding the occasional pop of bongos from Danny Frankel to add another touch of the odd and exotic.Past sounds that ...

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Album Review

Bill Frisell: Unspeakable

Read "Unspeakable" reviewed by John Kelman

by John Kelman
August 22, 2004

Some artists spend an entire lifetime within a narrow genre, honing their skill and working at stretching the boundaries of that style, while others transcend all definitions and labels, creating a music that defies categorization. Such is the case with guitarist Bill Frisell, who over a twenty-five year career has contributed to everything from the Nordic cool of Jan Garbarek's quartet to the downtown edge of John Zorn's Naked City. On his own records he has explored diverse landscapes including ...

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Profile

Steven Bernstein

by Celeste Sunderland
October 28, 2003

Prince can heat up a Detroit night with his slippery tongue and quivering guitar vamps. Trumpet player Steven Bernstein can do as much for a New York jazz club with his slide trumpet and an eight-piece band. On one of his Monday night residency performances last month at the Jazz Standard, Bernstein's group the Millennial Territory Orchestra covered “Darling Nikki". Prince's lithe, grinding seductress from the hotel lobby vanished. In her place strolled in a burlesque queen from the ‘30s. ...

372

Album Review

Mario Pavone Nu Trio/Quintet: Mythos

by AAJ Staff
October 1, 2002

One of the most prolific yet least recognized bassists on the New York scene today is Mario Pavone. Pavone, six decades into life, has no shortage of energy, and this is reflected on Mythos. Pavone offers three quintet tunes and eight trio tunes, mostly originals, on this outing. The piano trio is always at the center of the music, but a couple horns add nice density up top. As always, Pavone treads the line between swing and punch, structured composition ...