Interview News

Interview: Lennie Niehaus (Part 4)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
November 13, 2009

Lennie Niehaus' arrangements for Stan Kenton's band in the late 1950s and early 1960s are superb. So are his too-brief solos with the band. But if you really want to hear Lennie's musical genius at work, you have to dig his small-group recordings of the mid-1950s. Kenton, like many bandleaders in the LP era, was smart enough to know that the best way to hold onto star soloists was to let them record on their own during the band's downtime. ...

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Interview: Lennie Niehaus (Part 3)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
November 13, 2009

Up until now, I've focused this interview series on Lennie Niehaus' biography. Today, I want to turn to the alto saxophonist's work with Stan Kenton's band between 1954 and 1961. Lennie's contribution to Kenton's uptempo and ballad output during this period both as a player and writer cannot be overestimated. In Lennie's hands, you hear the birth of a new orchestral sound that combined swing with sectional coloration and spirited risk-taking. Like automotive design in the late 1950s, Lennie's arrangements ...

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Interview: Lennie Niehaus (Part 2)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
November 13, 2009

Growing up in Los Angeles in the mid-1940s, alto saxophonist Lennie Niehaus found himself rubbing elbows with other hungry young talented jazz musicians. In college in Los Angeles, Lennie studied composition with the West Coast's brightest and most advanced classical teachers and theorists. Everything was falling into place. When Stan Kenton called in late 1951 and asked him to audition, Lennie couldn't believe his good fortune. He had worked hard practicing, studying diligently and arranging in anticipation of just such ...

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Interview: Lennie Niehaus (Part 1)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
November 13, 2009

Lennie Niehaus is one of the giants of the West Coast linear ft=0,top=0' ); return false"> jazz sound. Along with Bill Holman, Shorty Rogers, Gerry Mulligan and Pete Rugolo, Lennie arranged prolifically for West Coast small groups and big bands in the 1950s, introducing a new dynamic, swinging approach. A highly trained classical musician, Lennie by 1954 was fast becoming known for his orchestral punch and harmonic reed writing. Rather than arrange for vocalists with the advent of the 12-inch ...

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Fernando Huergo, a Latin Jazz/Chacarera Bass Master

Source: Michael Ricci
November 12, 2009

By Myron Black Fernando Huergo is an acclaimed pioneer in the Latin jazz realm. He is often on the bandstand with Marta Gomez, Guillermo Klein and his own band, Jazz Argentino. Fernando was born in northern Argentina, and moved to Boston in the early 90's, where he's lived since then, although he often does gigs in the New york area. What makes this bass player really interesting is the new wave of grooves he has introduced in the scene: An ...

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Free Jazz Reedman Frank Gratkowski Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
November 12, 2009

Virtuoso German reed specialist Frank Gratkowski enjoys a particularly fertile range of collaborations, settings and directional thrusts. He was back in New York in October, 2009 with a trio that has released three albums during the last six years: Kwast (Konnex, 2004), Unearth (Nuscope, 2005) and Palaë (Leo, 2006). Appearing at Roulette, Gratkowski was joined by pianist Achim Kaufmann and bassist Wilbert De Joode, both of whom hail from the Netherlands. The gig is billed as a session of “improvised ...

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Rising Star Saxophonist Ricky Sweum Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
November 11, 2009

The fog has lifted off of the coast of Seattle with the rise of Origin Records. As the fisherman of jazz today, they've cast their nets and pulled in a catch of fresh, raw and bold talent. Their latest catch: saxophonist Ricky Sweum.

Pulling Your Own Strings, which came out in mid-August 2009, has received some of the highest accolades from today's best musicians including Dave Liebman who quotes Ricky as being a “burning tenor player with technique and ideas ...

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Innovative British Group Portico Quartet Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
November 10, 2009

The history of Portico Quartet is brief, but it's also eventful. Since forming in 2005, this young British band have seen their first album, Knee Deep In The North Sea (Babel, 2007), become a Mercury Music Award Album of the Year, they've gathered rave reviews for their second album, Isla (Real World, 2009), and they've introduced a brand new acoustic instrument into the jazz repertoire. Although much of their music is recognizably “jazz," their use of the Hang creates a ...

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