Jazz Articles about Wayne Horvitz

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Wayne Horvitz: Sweeter Than The Day

by Glenn Astarita
April 21, 2002

Whether indulging in free jazz, grunge style jazz-rock, or swinging mainstream jazz, keyboardist Wayne Horvitz is noted for his rather stylistic compositional faculties. The artist excels when churning out lushly seductive melodic phrases, as evidenced on his inaugural 2000 recording for the Songlines record label, American Bandstand (subsequently re-titled Forever ).

With his second outing for this progressive jazz-based record label, Horvitz and his Zony Mash outfit once again opt for the all-acoustic approach. On many of ...

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Wayne Horvitz: From A Window

by Mark Corroto
September 1, 2001

Of the many incarnations the music of Seattle-based Wayne Horvitz takes on, his Four Plus One Ensemble is the most contemplative. The one-time member of John Zorn’s Naked City and The New York Composers Orchestra has of recent days headed for a rocked-out West coast with his bands Pigpen and Zony Mash. 4 + 1 shares little with Horvitz’s other projects, except for maybe his role in the music of Bill Frisell and wife, Robin Holcomb.

From A Window is ...

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Wayne Horvitz & Zony Mash: Upper Egypt

by Mark Corroto
April 1, 2000

Wayne Horvitz has his fingers in many musical pots. From his days in New York came John Zorn’s Naked City, the N.Y. Composers Orchestra, and work with Butch Morris, Bobby Previte and Elliot Sharp, to name just a few. Since his return to Seattle nearly a decade ago, his vision has flowered into a multi-colored garden. Besides the punk-edged improvisational band PONGA, he heads Pigpen, Four In One, and has done some solo work, plus acted as producer for his ...

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Wayne Horvitz: American Bandstand

by Glenn Astarita
March 1, 2000

Wayne Horvitz’s esteemed stature in modern music as a prolific composer-performer is undeniable. On American Bandstand, Horvitz and co. provide the listener with a diversion or intermission from previous Horvitz-“Zony Mash” releases as they tone things down a bit while pursuing refined elegance on delicately melodic and altogether stirring pieces such as “Ben’s Music” and the gently understated “Tired”. Horvitz and guitarist Timothy Young continue their enticing blend of richly stated chord voicings and sonorous unison lines on “Prepaid Funeral” ...

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Bill Frisell: Good Dog, Happy Man

by Douglas Payne
July 1, 1999

Every note Bill Frisell plays--or suggests--offers an impressionistic soundtrack of the American vernacular. It is jazz only in the way improvisation is a reflection of sensibilities. But Frisell's music is really not just jazz. It swings over a wide swath of American musical forms: jazz, rock, grunge, blues, country, folk, bluegrass, even commercial orchestration. Call it a sort of “sound Americana": peculiar, individual and unusually compelling. Good Dog Happy Man ideally documents another set of Frisell's colorful, commanding ...

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Wayne Horvitz: 4 + 1 Ensemble

by Glenn Astarita
November 1, 1998

Seattle based keyboard whiz/composer Wayne Horvitz has been a staple of NYC’s cutting edge “Downtown Scene”. Throughout, Horvitz has released several cd’s as a leader ie; Pigpen, Zony Mash and has collaborated with the likes of Elliot Sharp, John Zorn and Bobby Previte. 4 + 1 Ensemble is his latest solo effort and represents Horvitz’ in an introspective mood yet the material here is musically stimulating.

Horvitz possesses an uncanny ability to exploit tried and true cliches’ yet has a ...