Jazz Articles about Van Morrison

Van Morrison: Down the Road

by C. Michael Bailey
June 20, 2002

A Ray Charles from Belfast...

I used to wonder if there were any other artists like Ray Charles. Mr. Charles has made significant contributions to all of the flavors of popular music: the Blues, Jazz, Soul, Rhythm & Blues, Gospel, Country, and Rock & Roll. He made these contributions in a voice so distinct and unique that anyone could identify him from a mile away. When Terry Gross of National Public Radio's Fresh Air asked Charles what genre of ...

Van Morrison, Georgie Fame, Mose Allison, Ben Sidran: Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison

by Karen Angela Moore
December 1, 1998

Mose Allsion has long been the unsung master of jazz, swing, and blues, in song. His tongue in cheek, cut to the chase lyrics, and haunting melodies have been the inspiration for many artsts including those showcased here. There is a raw honesty to these recordings not found on many current albums...no over processing or punching for to obtain that technically perfect track. But indeed there is perfection here...the base of it being Allison's songs. There are real dreams being ...

Van Morrison: Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison

by Joel Roberts
June 1, 1997

From his earliest recordings in the mid '60s with the British invasion rock group Them, Van Morrison's music has always been firmly rooted in the blues. Unlike many of his rock contemporaries, who merely borrowed -- or, depending on one's mood and generosity, stole -- riffs and affectations from older blues artists, Morrison has always had the heart and soul, as well as the voice, of a real bluesman. On several of his recent albums, he has ...