Jazz Articles about Miles Donahue

Miles Donahue: Just Passing Thru

by Jack Bowers
March 9, 2021

Miles Donahue is a versatile musician, a talent that serves him well on Just Passing Thru, an album wherein he not only plays soprano, alto and tenor saxophones, trumpet and keyboards but also wrote all but one of the session's nine selections. This is basically a quintet with guitarist Mike Stern added on the last three tracks, guitarist Sal Difusco and accordionist Joey Barbato on one each. Barbato is an especially welcome addition on the closer, “Ireland," a nod to ...

Miles Donahue: The Bug

by Jack Bowers
August 20, 2017

People who have an aversion to bugs (do you know any?) may hesitate to purchase (or even review) an album whose title epitomizes the very thing they abhor. But even though multi-instrumentalist Miles Donahue's new album does nod to that often-despised creature and even includes a song by that name, there is more to it than that; one might even say that Donahue removed the most of the “bugs" from the studio before he and his colleagues started recording.

Miles Donahue Quintet: In The Pocket / Bounce

by AAJ Italy Staff
June 14, 2007

Pur essendo un multistrumentista di vaglia, Miles Donahue non ha mai lasciato tracce particolarmente significative sul versante discografico. Lo confermano i suoi due più recenti lavori da leader, che - e tra alti e bassi - ne evidenziano una cifra stilistica irrisolta. Sia in quartetto che in quintetto, lo si ammira qui per il ragguardevole spessore strumentale nel cimentarsi con successo al sax alto e tenore, nonché al flicorno. Ma da un brillante solista del suo calibro ci si aspetterebbe ...

Miles Donahue: Pocket Prolific

by Jerry D'Souza
October 10, 2006

Multi-instrumentalist Miles Donahue certainly packs it in when it comes to recording. In 2003, he was inspired enough by the classic American songbook to release a set of four albums which he called Standards: Volumes I-IV. This time around he is more circumspect, releasing just two CDs simultaneously.

Donahue is no doubt a man of ideas. He writes with his focus on the mainstream, but he keeps his compositions diverse, a move that makes his work interesting. He adds further ...

The Miles Donahue Quintet: In The Pocket

by Michael P. Gladstone
July 30, 2006

In contrast with the contemporaneous release Bounce, In the Pocket shows a different side of the saxonphonist, trumpeter and composer Miles Donahue. Donahue has assembled a bigger combo with even more firepower on this session, including tenor player Jerry Bergonzi, pianist Fred Hersch, bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Jamey Haddad. They are joined by guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel on four tracks and bassist Dan Greenspan on two compositions.

On many of the tracks that feature a two-tenor front line, ...

Miles Donahue: Bounce

by Michael P. Gladstone
July 29, 2006

The release of two simultaneous albums (Bounce and In the Pocket) gives a rare opportunity to hear this saxophonist/trumpeter and composer in different settings, both showcasing his ability to straight-ahead bebop performances. On half of the tracks on Bounce, Donahue leads a quintet, and on the other half he leads a quartet plus three additional musicians. The well-equipped quartet consists of pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist John Lockwood and drummer Adam Nussbaum. The other cast features Calderazzo, bassist John Patitucci, and ...

Pamela Hines: Twilight World

by Jim Santella
April 28, 2005

Pianist Pamela Hines puts her quartet through a powerfully driven modern mainstream session on Twilight World, which also includes searing ballads and heartfelt blues. With tenor saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi, she interprets a program of pert originals and other fresh themes.

Marian McPartland's “Twilight World" serves as the album's centerpiece, with its flowing melody and light Latin beat. The pianist provides a strong foundation for Bergonzi's articulate tenor, applying sparkling counterpoint that flows naturally. Her solo interludes give each ...