Jazz Articles about Tony Scherr

Elan Mehler: There Is A Dance

by Patrick Burnette
September 17, 2022

David Bowie's album The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (RCA, 1972) includes instructions on the back: “To Be Played At Maximum Volume." Had pianist Elan Mehler's new trio effort, There is a Dance, followed suit, the slogan would be something like “To Be Played Only on Rainy Afternoons." There is a Dance, which celebrates memories of Mehler's mother, is a quiet, meditative album, one more drawn to rubato than momentum. There are moments of ...

Norah Jones: I Dream of Christmas

by Jim Trageser
October 23, 2021

With Tony Bennett's retirement, the mantle of legitimate straight-ahead pop crooners is now firmly in the hands of subsequent generations: Harry Connick, Jr., Diana Krall and Norah Jones. Not pure jazz singers, of which there are numerous stellar examples, these singers are more in the Bennett-Sinatra-Fitzgerald mold, bringing a jazz sensibility to pop music. It is in the area of seasonal Christmas music that the crooners have had perhaps their greatest influence. From Andy Williams to Connie Stevens, ...

Pat Donaher: Occasionally

by Jerome Wilson
July 4, 2021

Occasionally sees saxophonist Pat Donaher reflecting on a few milestones in his life to date. He does this by writing and performing compositions which are all dedicated to occasions and people that have been special to him. Donaher's varied set of tunes is played here by an excellent group with Jason Palmer on trumpet, Tim Watson on guitar, Carmen Staaf on piano, Tony Scherr on bass and Allison Miller on drums. Two selections celebrate family weddings. “Wedding Day," ...

Rick Peckham Trio: Left End

by Jerry D'Souza
September 14, 2004

Guitarist Rick Peckham has played as a sideman on several albums, bringing his personal signature to the music. On this, his debut as leader, he elevates that presence, aided by two fine musicians in Jim Black and Tony Scherr.

Peckham is fine tuned into jazz, as evidenced by his cover of the Thelonious Monk tune “Evidence," as well as the group's “Free 1" and the fleeting “Free 2." And though the harmonies may not be those of jazz ...

Bill Frisell: Unspeakable

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 ...

Rick Peckham: Left End

by Sean Patrick Fitzell
July 3, 2004

The opening twangy guitar riff off the title track of guitarist Rick Peckham’s Left End suggests an edge usually associated with rock music, a feeling solidified by the propulsive groove of drummer Jim Black and bassist Tony Scherr (both with plenty of rock in their backgrounds) to push the leader’s statement further. And that’s just the first 30 seconds.

Peckham’s debut as a leader draws on early classic rock guitar influences for sound and attitude and infuses them with improvisational ...

Rick Peckham: Left End

by John Kelman
June 13, 2004

For the first album by the assistant chair to the guitar department at the Berklee School of Music, one might expect a heavily jazz-centric affair and, given Rick Peckham’s vintage, one that would be heavily informed by alumni like John Scofield, Pat Metheny and Bill Frisell. And, to be sure, there’s a certain outward edge a la Scofield, and some reference to the skewed Americana of Frisell territory. But while Left End may demonstrate these allegiances, they are just as ...