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Daily articles carefully curated by the All About Jazz staff. Read our popular and future articles.
Bill Cunliffe: Always Doing It The Right Way
by Jim Worsley
Most notably a jazz pianist, it comes as more than a surprise that Bill Cunliffe was not in the same orbit as jazz until he was in college. With the sheer volume of top shelf jazz he has written and recorded since, he would seem to have made up for any lost time. That time, those early years, were hardly lost. Instead filled with learning to play classical, pop, and Broadway. Cunliffe is remarkable not just in the ...
read moreBill Cunliffe: BACHanalia
by Jerome Wilson
This is another entry in the durable “jazz meets the classics" subgenre with pianist and bandleader Bill Cunliffe leading a large ensemble through a fun program featuring mostly classical works and familiar standards.The classical adaptations start off with Johann Sebastian Bach's “Sleepers Awake" played with crisp, muscular drive by the band. Cunliffe and trombonist Bob McChesney provide tight, intricate solos and Denise Donatelli follows the melody on top with a bubbly wordless vocal that recalls The Swingle Singers. ...
read moreLos Angeles Jazz Institute Festival "Big Band Spectacular" 2017, Part 2-4
by Simon Pilbrow
Los Angeles Jazz Institute Festival Big Band Spectacular LAX Westin Hotel Los Angeles, CA May 24-28, 2017 Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 Jimmy Giuffre's classic, “Four Brothers," has been a much-loved anthem of the Woody Herman band since his Second Herd, and a great jazz landmark. Traditionally a saxophone tour-de-force, this performance was a recasting for big band of Brent's earlier clarinet choir arrangement ...
read moreBill Cunliffe: BACHanalia
by Jack Bowers
As the title denotes, pianist Bill Cunliffe and his ensemble take a swing (literally) at the great Johann Sebastian on BACHanalia, pivoting as well toward the music of C.P.E. Bach, Sergei Prokofiev, Manuel de Falla, Cole Porter, Oscar Levant and Cunliffe himself. In spite of its classical veneer, this is at its core a jazz session, and as such embodies the essential elements one would expect from such an enterprise. To phrase it another way, Cunliffe transports these masters of ...
read moreBill Cunliffe: A Day In the Life
by Tish Oney
Grammy award-winning arranger and pianist Bill Cunliffe has been on the cutting edge of large ensemble arranging and jazz trio performance for the past few decades. An avid composer, performer, film scorer, educator and author of several jazz piano books (and online workshops), Cunliffe is focusing his creative output these days around a few select projects. His thorough exploration of several genres and his delivery of relevance in his work throughout his career reveal an inquisitive artist capable of appreciating ...
read moreBill Cunliffe Trio: River Edge, New Jersey
by Dan Bilawsky
River Edge, New Jersey is like a trip down memory lane for pianist Bill Cunliffe. The California-based ivory tickler looks back to his days as an East Coast resident, teaming up with two highly capable, once-upon-a-time colleagues--bassist Martin Wind and drummer Tim Horner--who call New Jersey home. He further taps into the nostalgia well by visiting songs from his youth (Harry Nilsson's “One") and material expressly written in honor of those who have had a strong impact on him over ...
read moreBill Cunliffe: That Time of Year
by Larry Taylor
Pianist Bill Cunliffe harkens back to his youth in That Time of Year, recording solos on Christmas songs that he says he fondly remembers. This talented, versatile performer is also an esteemed composer-arranger, having been nominated for Grammy awards three times, winning in 2010 for Best Instrumental Arrangement. A Southern Californian, he currently teaches at California State University, Fullerton, playing local gigs and recording extensively. The 14 songs range from the pious simplicity of “Angels from the ...
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