Jazz Articles about Various Artists

Various Artists: Lagos Chop Up

by Chris May
September 1, 2005

An inspired trawl through the treasure trove that is urban Nigerian social music of the late '60s through mid '80s--a laid-back, all-night, intertribal dance party featuring classic highlife, Afrobeat, juju, and fuji hits of the era in all their four-track, one-take, original glory.

The '70s, give or take, were arguably the Golden Age of indigenous West African dance music: the decade before it forged wholesale fusions with Western pop and became global rather than local in genesis and ...

Various Artists: Sax In The City

by Stephen Latessa
August 28, 2005

A collection of New York's best women jazz instrumentalists would be an enticing compilation in and of itself, but throw in the fact that proceeds from the CD will benefit breast cancer charities and the project is very hard to pass up. Organized by alto saxophonist Laura Dreyer, Sax In The City features eleven tracks led by an intriguing group of female artists. Pianist Sarah Jane Cion contributes the lovely, sparkling “Gabrielle with Phil Palombi on bass and ...

Various Artists: Gospel for JFP III: Tribute to Jaco Pastorius

by Mark F. Turner
August 26, 2005

Paying homage to one of jazz music's greatest electric bass players seems an effortless and genuine mission on this new release dedicated to the late John Francis (Jaco) Pastorius III, who left an unforgettable mark on the hearts of musicians and fans across the globe. His brief but profound career spanned recordings with guitarist Pat Metheny and singer Joni Mitchell, but his fame reached its apex with the '70s fusion supergroup Weather Report alongside jazz greats Joe Zawinul and Wayne ...

Various Artists: Period's Jazz Digest

by AAJ Staff
August 21, 2005

The catalog of Period Records, which issued jazz and blues albums between 1954 and 1958, has been acquired by Empire Musicwerks, the same company that has begun reissuing the old Everest catalogue. This delightful compilation, which contains some previously unissued tracks, is the company's first Period reissue.

Although Period recorded more modern artists such as Charles Mingus and Al Haig, Period's Jazz Digest focuses entirely on earlier jazz styles, along with two superior blues tracks by Big Bill ...

Various Artists: Swing Gitan: The Django Reinhardt NY Festival, Live at Birdland 2002

by Brian P. Lonergan
August 18, 2005

From the moment Swing Gitan begins, one wonders how this music, forged in the Hot Club of France seventy years ago, has ever cooled in popularity for even a moment. Recorded at the now-annual Django Reinhardt Festival, live at Birdland in 2002, the music--jangling guitars, pumping accordion, swinging violins, and wailing reeds--is so energetic, exuberant, and just plain fun that it's hard to believe a revival was ever needed. It helps, of course, when bringing the music ...

Various Artists: Period's Jazz Digest

by David Rickert
August 9, 2005

Period Records was a high-end classical label that also dabbled in jazz and blues for a brief time in the fifties. The Jazz Digest LPs sampled the label's jazz and blues output, a move that at the time was innovative and proved to be quite popular. It was thus possible to hear Charles Mingus and Big Bill Broonzy on the same LP, and for the most part, the tracks featured excellent playing and pristine recording quality.

Since most ...

Various Artists: The Colors of Latin Jazz

by Woodrow Wilkins
July 25, 2005

The title of this compilation may be a bit misleading, or at least incomplete. Certainly, the music fits into the Latin jazz category. However, once it starts, The Colors of Latin Jazz '- Soul Cookin' sounds like a smorgasbord of sounds one might expect at an African-American or Hispanic family barbecue. This collection of party music does indeed have the percussive, horn-driven sounds of Latin jazz, but the vocals also season the mix with Southern soul and Delta blues.