Jazz Articles about Tony Scherr

Slow Poke: At Home

by Ralph A. Miriello
December 13, 2007

This re-mastered recording of Tony Scherr's 1998 basement record, Slow Poke At Home , is a joy for those who can appreciate the slow cooked, steamy sound of master musicians plying their trade in a gutsy, simmering, sweetly rhythmic stew of sounds. The label, Palmetto Records, should be applauded for taking a now defunct band and reissuing the material as a testament to just how good the music was and still is.

Slow Poke was one ...

Slow Poke: At Home

by Troy Collins
October 28, 2007

Slow Poke was a unique band, even among the fertile late nineties Downtown (New York) scene. Gradually warming to neo-classical formalism, various Downtown line-ups began incorporating traditional elements into their compositions, progressively moving beyond their No Wave roots by embracing a more traditional aesthetic. Blending accessible tunefulness with adventurous improvisation, ensembles like Ballin' The Jack, The Jazz Passengers and Sex Mob all embraced various aspects of the mainstream, but none with as much melodic assuredness as Slow Poke. ...

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 ...

Michael Blake: Drift

by AAJ Staff
February 1, 2002

Blake is an improvising saxophonist who, because of his personal interests and the label he’s on, is often mistakenly relegated to the Worldbeat sections. To be honest, this disc only grabbed me halfway through, but when it did, it grabbed hard, and has sustained repeated listening.

The title cut, “Drift,” is echoed à la old ECM, and has lots of little percussion making the mournful tune very world-weary. Kimbrough, listed as playing only piano, is on an electric model. Scherr’s ...