Articles
Daily articles carefully curated by the All About Jazz staff. Read our popular and future articles.
Peter Evans, Michael Leonhart, Sean Lennon, Jambinai & Axiom
Peter Evans & Levy Lorenzo Roulette April 15, 2019 Trumpeter Peter Evans is a very familiar figure on the extreme scene, but the percussionist and electronicist Levy Lorenzo will be a new name to most folks. The pair have been jointly penning compositions, but these nevertheless have the feel of ambient improvisations. It's a continuation of the collaboration that began on 2018's Q album, released on the More Is More label. Their entwined roots ...
read more2018 Jazz Surprises
The end of the year is the time when we usually look back and take stock. To celebrate the continuous growth and expansion of the music we love, we've decided to look back at the music that, for a reason or another, has surprised us the most this year. It features mostly young musicians, artists we were not familiar with, unexpected reissues or new projects by players we love. Happy listening! Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo ...
read moreSummer 2018
Jazz Journal is a regular column consisting of pithy takes on recent jazz releases of note as well as spotlights on those titles in the genre that might otherwise go unnoticed under the cultural radar. Fred Hersch Trio Heartsong Sunnyside Records 2018 The longer Fred Hersch plays, the more resplendent his piano sounds. And that is with all due respect to his accompanists, on this remastered edition of the near twenty year ...
read moreMichael Leonhart: Surfing on an Orchestral Wave
If one were to find an answer to the age-old “nature or nurture" debate, s/he would have to look no further than The Painted Lady Suite [Sunnyside Records]. Listening to the stunning debut album by the Michael Leonhart Orchestra makes it clear that major achievements are only possible when nature and nurture are well integrated and perfectly balanced. Take Michael Leonhart, an artist blessed by nature with a superior talent that was nurtured by a musical family. His ...
read moreMichael Leonhart, Charles Lloyd and other great new releases
Gorgeous music never stops. Case in point: the spectacularly beautiful new album by the Michael Leonhart Orchestra, The Painted Lady Suite, destined to become a reference record for large ensembles, and the latest release by Charles Lloyd and the Marvels, Vanished Gardens. This episode of Mondo Jazz spotlights those albums and other intriguing new (and not so new) releases, and features an exclusive interview with Michael Leonhart on the making of “The Painted Lady Suite." ...
read moreMichael Leonhart: A Fortunate Son
For most musicians, writers and actors, making the final decision to go against the grain and pursue a paycheck-to-paycheck, month-to-month career as a performing artist is one of the harder choices in life. Yet for trumpeter Michael Leonhart, a life in jazz and art is “all in the family": his father is the noted jazz bassist, studio musician and humorist Jay Leonhart; and his sister is the sprightly, sassy, and torchy alt-rock and jazz singer Carolyn Leonhart. And after a ...
read moreMichael Leonhart: Slow
The inception for this release by trumpeter Michael Leonhart emanated on a bus during a Steely Dan tour. Guitarist Jon Herington – also touring with the band – subsequently joined Leonhart for a few impromptu renderings of jazz ballads. To that end, the final product features a divergent mix, spanning tunes by Duke Ellington, Henry Mancini, and, oddly enough, Black Sabbath, among others. Here, the duo establishes a vibe that projects a certain magic, not always witnessed on offerings of ...
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Contest Giveaway
ELIGIBLE WINNERS: 5 | DAYS REMAINING: 24
Prize: Ragmala: A Garland Of Ragas by Adam Rudolph
World music pioneer Adam Rudolph and his groundbreaking Go: Organic Orchestra join forces with Brooklyn Raga Massive to create the monumental new album, Ragmala – A Garland of Ragas (Meta Records). Ragmala bridges generations, cultures and traditions in a deep-rooted, forward-looking sound born of 21st-century innovation and hybrid voices. Epic in scale and ambition, the project features 40 world-class musicians including Gnawa master musician Hassan Hakmoun, legendary drummer/percussionist Hamid Drake, forward-thinking cornetist Graham Haynes, and tradition-blurring flutist...
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