Jazz Articles

Beegie Adair: I'll Take Romance

by Jack Bowers
February 3, 2003

More late-evening mood music than jazz, I’ll Take Romance, the seventh album on the Green Hill label by Beegie Adair, showcases her warm piano stylings with a string-laden orchestra conducted by Jeff Steinberg. As Adair is based in Nashville, TN, hers may be a new name to many readers and / or listeners. Suffice to say that she’s an accomplished technician who can swing when the occasion demands, which in this instance is all too seldom (she is able to ...

Antoine Silverman: Blue Moods

by AAJ Staff
January 22, 2003

On his Hillsboro debut, Broadway veteran Antoine Silverman combines the best of that stage with music from other stages in his life and the life of the music he loves. Having played violin since age three, Silverman has had much time to get his musical act together and, for the most part, the act is worthy of applause. From Great American songs like Mercer and Arlen’s “Come Rain or Come Shine" and Rodgers and Hart’s “Bewitched" to Horace Silver’s more ...

Beegie Adair: I'll Take Romance

by Jim Santella
April 12, 2002

What were you doing on September 11th?

Sadly, we'll always remember that day. Those who were at home had an opportunity to see it all in one fell swoop. What a day. Those who were traveling had to make other arrangements, and felt an immediate need to contact loved ones. Their prayers went out to those involved. Those of us who were at work managed, somehow. We kept informed, stayed in touch with our families, and still ...

Mark Douthit: Groove

by Craig W. Hurst
April 12, 2002

Nashville is not only the country music capital of the World, but from evidence provided on Mark Douthit’s newest CD Groove, this center of the recording industry certainly is also home to some incredible studio musicians as well. Douthit and his collaborators, many of them first-call session players who are usually the unknowns on recordings backing up singers like Whitney Houston, The Neville Brothers, Elton John, The Temptations, Patti LaBelle and many others, provide a very finely polished, well produced, ...

Jack Jezzro: Jazz Elegance

by Jim Santella
June 1, 2001

Rich, round, restrained and refined, guitarist Jack Jezzro's latest album favors elegant taste; and yet, he keeps the session quite simple. Jazz standards are the solution for many situations. His cohesive trio makes them instantly recognizable, while applying a soft touch to all aspects. Wire brushes, lyrical, upright bass, and vocal-like, fingerstyle guitar melodies grace the album across the board. A few original tunes add an even fresher quality. “Rose Waltz," “Christina," “Jake's Tune" and “Jeanette's Day" are dedications to ...

Antoine Silverman: Blue Moods

by Joel Roberts
May 1, 2001

A classically trained violinist who spent time as a bluegrass and country musician in Nashville and currently earns a living in New York backing up pop stars like Sinead O'Connor and Moby, Antoine Silverman has certainly made his mark outside the jazz world. But for an artist with such an eclectic resume, Blue Moods , Silverman's second release as a leader on Hillsboro Jazz, is a surprisingly straight-ahead jazz effort, though one with the potential for mainstream appeal.Silverman's ...

Beegie Adair: Dream Dancing - Songs of Cole Porter

by Dave Nathan
April 1, 2001

Another album of Cole Porter songs played by a piano trio?? Yes, and it is a welcome addition to both Cole Porter and piano combo recorded literature. The leader of the group, Beegie Adair is no newcomer to jazz piano having been in the business for more than 30 years. Playing out of Nashville, TN which, surprising or not, is moving up as a jazz Mecca, but not to the extent that it rivals country music..yet, Adair applies her experience, ...

Beegie Adair: Dream Dancing

by AAJ Staff
March 1, 2001

There's a new label on the jazz scene, and it's coming out of Nashville, the city where Gary Burton got his professional start and where the extraordinary bassist/singer Jim Ferguson resides. The Hillsboro label's parent company, Spring Hill Music Group, had already been successful in releasing gospel and gift market CD's.In some respects, Nashville is similar to Orlando or Las Vegas because of its need for first-class musicians to support the cities' strong but localized entertainment industries, even ...