Articles

Daily articles carefully curated by the All About Jazz staff. Read our popular and future articles.

Album Review

Gary Bartz & Maisha: Night Dreamer Direct-To-Disc Sessions

Read "Night Dreamer Direct-To-Disc Sessions" reviewed by Chris May

by Chris May
May 8, 2020

This international spiritual-jazz jam promises much and delivers most of it. On the one hand, Gary Bartz, who is among the movement's American elder statesmen. On the other, Maisha, six young Londoners. The backstory: The wedding planner who brought the parties together is the London DJ and founder of Brownswood Recordings, Gilles Peterson. Brownswood released Maisha's debut album, There Is A Place, in 2018. In summer 2019, Peterson staged the inaugural We Out Here festival (now scheduled ...

Catching Up With

Gary Bartz: Music For Expanding One's Own Mind

by Paolo Marra
December 5, 2019

Some jazz musicians are the embodiment of a specific historical period. Their performances conjure memories of the very ideals, passions, and philosophies that characterized an era. This is certainly true of American saxophonist Gary Bartz. After joining Art Blakey & the Jazz Messangers and collaborating with McCoy Tyner on the pianist's tenth album, Expansions (Blue Note, 1968), Bartz joined Miles Davis' band in 1970, playing an active role in recording the groundbreaking album Live-Evil (Columbia). Bartz's diverse musical ...

Live Review

2019 Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival

by Mackenzie Horne
July 7, 2019

Gary Bartz Liberty Avenue Stage Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival Pittsburgh, PA June 23, 2010 The 2019 Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival featured a heavyweight lineup of world-renowned saxophone players, including Charles Lloyd, Nubya Garcia, and Gary Bartz. Bartz was scheduled to perform selections from Bitches Brew and In a Silent Way on Sunday June 23 alongside Sean Jones on trumpet, Orrin Evans on acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes, Walter Barnes on bass, and Pittsburgh's own ...

Radio

Henry Butler, Ethel Ennis & More

by Joe Dimino
March 15, 2019

Gary Bartz kicks off the 585th episode of Neon Jazz with Heavy Blue. From there, we profile cats who have been a part of his world and growth like Miles Davis and Charlie Parker. Then, we get into a host of new and old tracks from the likes of Quinsin Nachoff, Chet Baker, Iris Ornig and many more. We pay tribute to both Ethel Ennis and Henry Butler for their huge contributions to the world of jazz. Finally, we end ...

Jazz Goes to College

Gary Bartz: "Students are learning but they are learning backwards!"

by Joan Gaylord
August 19, 2013

"This is folk music. It is good that we have it in the schools, but we need to get it back more into the street—that's where it came from." When saxophonist Gary Bartz is not headlining his own band or touring with McCoy Tyner, he is a professor in the Jazz Studies department of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. His students are among the most talented and best prepared musicians of their generation. However, Bartz is convinced ...

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Interview

Gary Bartz

by John Rogers
July 15, 2005

Gary Bartz has been active on the New York music scene and throughout the world since the '60s, working with such legends as Miles Davis and Art Blakey. To preface our interview, we began by a surprise phone call that I had arranged with Dr.Yusef Lateef, whom Mr.Bartz had not spoken with for some time. This set the tone for most of the following conversation. All About Jazz: So I'll start out by asking you about your ...