Articles

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

ALBUM REVIEW August 5, 2020

Dave Liebman: Earth

Read "Earth" reviewed by Chris M. Slawecki

When saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Dave Liebman groks a musical vision, he dreams big and deep. “In the late 1990s," Liebman recalls, “I embarked on a project to musically depict manifestations of the four natural elements. In 1997 I recorded Water with Pat Metheny, Billy Hart and Cecil McBee; in 2006, I did Air with the late genius engineer Walter Quintus; fast forward to 2016 for Fire featuring Kenny Werner, Jack DeJohnette, and Dave Holland; finally, with my present group ...

RADIO June 5, 2020

A Jazz Immuno-Booster: Part 7

By Ludovico Granvassu

The immuno-booster series continues, and confirms its wide-ranging nature. In this seventh installment the selections range from Stevie Wonder to Mahalia Jackson, passing through Myra Melford, Lyle Mays, Bill Frisell, Charlie Haden, John Coltrane, The Weather Report and Lea Bertucci, who surprisingly seems to take off where Jacobus Gallus left a few hundred years earlier. Mina and Tindersticks provide surprising juxtapositions and some good old Sergio Mendes wraps things up. The selectors this week were Ben Allison, Scott ...

ALBUM REVIEW February 22, 2020

Dave Liebman: Earth

By Mike Jurkovic

It's taken over two tumultuous decades for Dave Liebman to fully realize and execute his poetic, elemental suite. Alongside Pat Metheny,Billy Hart, and Cecil McBee, Water: Giver of Life (Arkadia Jazz, 1997) birthed the the long journey. Teaming with violinist/sound engineer Walter Quintus for 2006's Air (Finetunes) led to 2016's free-jazz flame torch with Dave Holland, Kenny Werner, and Jack DeJohnette Fire (Jazzlines.) Wholly cognitive of his music's inert ability to rouse a myriad of cinematic possibilities and ...

RADIO January 2, 2020

Local Talent, Saxophone Summit and More

By Bob Osborne

On this show there is a focus on two recent albums by Local Talent and Saxophone Summit. Local Talent combines three of Canada's most eminent instrumentalists performing together on record for the first time. The group is lead by composer and keyboardist James Hill, a rising star of the Toronto scene, known best for his work with international jazz and hip hop sensations BADBADNOTGOOD and Autobahn Trio. Accompanying him are electric bassist Rich Brown (Rinse the Algorithm, Dapp ...

ALBUM REVIEW April 9, 2019

Dave Liebman: On the Corner Live!

By Mike Jurkovic

Saxophonist/flautist and 2011 NEA Jazz Master David Liebman knows of what he speaks when he speaks of Miles Davis. He was part of the pack stirring the rock/jazz/electronic/funk fusion cauldron, first working with Elvin Jones and then running with Davis in the studio--first appearing on the original On The Corner, (Columbia, 1972)--and on tour from 1972 to 1974. And though the electric chapter of Miles Davis and Liebman serves as the historical pivot point, for On The Corner ...

ALBUM REVIEW March 11, 2019

Dave Liebman: On the Corner Live!

By Geno Thackara

The idea is easy to dismiss at first glance. This is roughly the 127th Miles Davis homage to come along since tribute recordings became a widespread thing. It took a long time for the original On the Corner (Columbia, 1972) to gain acceptance with its thick relentless jungle-funk and lack of conventional melody, but it gradually became a touchstone that still stands without a scratch and impossible to imitate. Still, this one-off performance made a fresh and lively set for ...

ALBUM REVIEW March 5, 2019

Dave Liebman: On the Corner Live!

By Victor L. Schermer

When the Miles Davis album On the Corner (Columbia, 1972) was released, Davis had already begun to engage in electronic instrumentation and jazz fusion with soon to be revered recordings: In A Silent Way (Columbia, 1969), Bitch's Brew (Columbia, 1970) and Jack Johnson (Columbia, 1971). On the Corner, however, was so experimental and funky that it incurred the wrath of many critics and sales were minimal. Still, in the ensuing decades, it has come to be regarded as a pioneering ...