Jazz Articles

BANN: As You Like

by Raul d'Gama Rose
May 9, 2011

What happens when you put four distinct voices--each one equally powerful--together in an ensemble? The chance that they will pull in different directions is quite real. The fact that the repertoire is as exciting as it is challenging is also quite the lure to fly in the face of convention, even if the rest of the cohort is not quite ready. Such a prospect must surely have presented itself to BANN--saxophonist, Seamus Blake, bassist, Jay Anderson, guitarist, Oz Noy and ...

BANN: As You Like

by Ian Patterson
April 18, 2011

Not to be confused with the British Association of Neuroscience Nurses, or the Builders Association of Northern Nevada, BANN--the brainchild of drummer Adam Nussbaum--is a quartet which nevertheless matches brain with brawn. Saxophonist Seamus Blake, bassist Jay Anderson, Nussbaum and guitarist Oz Noy pool their initials and their considerable individual talents, to create a vibrant, swinging unit with empathy in abundance. There's a veritable spring in the quartet's collective step, and a buoyancy that permeates the playing on As You ...

BANN: As You Like

by Bruce Lindsay
February 14, 2011

BANN came together in 2007, combining the experienced rhythm section of bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Adam Nussbaum with the younger duo of guitarist Oz Noy and tenor player Seamus Blake. While the band has been busy playing live on the European scene it's taken almost four years for its debut album, recorded in May 2009, to appear. As You Like melds a fascinating blend of bop and post-bop jazz, rock, blues and country which gives all four members of ...

Seamus Blake: Live in Italy

by Terrell Kent Holmes
August 4, 2009

Seamus Blake displays impressive talent as a tenor saxophonist, composer and leader on Live in Italy, a double CD documenting his quartet's tour through various cities in 2007, where audiences were treated to an eclectic blend of dynamic originals and standards. Originals like “The Jupiter Line," “Way Out of Willy" and “Fear of Roaming" favor the bop genre. Blake's tone is clean, with uncluttered lines and robust phrases. The band works off the themes and branches out ...

The Kevin Hays Trio: You've Got a Friend

by John Barron
May 31, 2009

Pianist Kevin Hays and long-time collaborators Doug Weiss (bass) and Bill Stewart (drums) explore a set of jazz and pop classics on You've Got a Friend, a well-conceived piano trio affair.

The Carol King-penned title track and Paul Simon's “Bridge Over Troubled Water" begin the disc with a laid-back gospel vibe, tranquil and unhurried. Hays approaches these pop classics with just the right amount of lyricism, being faithful to the essence of each tune while happily avoiding the temptation to ...

Seamus Blake Quartet: Live in Italy

by Woodrow Wilkins
March 19, 2009

Born in London, England and reared in Vancouver, Canada, saxophonist Seamus Blake has established himself as both a leader and an effective sideman. He brings those leadership skills to the two-disc Live in Italy.Blake has gained recognition from Down Beat and Jazz Times magazines, and he finished first in the 2002 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition. His associations include Mark Turner, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Larry Grenadier and Victor Lewis. For his first live recording, he's accompanied by pianist ...

Seamus Blake Quartet: Live in Italy

by Warren Allen
March 14, 2009

Back in 2002, Seamus Blake established himself firmly as tenor player of interest with a first place finish in the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition. Since then, his rapidly growing discography, as well as collaborations with artists like John Scofield, suggests that the attention is well-deserved.

Even still, Blake's first live release represents a major step forward for the saxophonist. This two-disc set, culled from several shows in Italy, finds him cutting loose with a quartet ...

Al Foster Quartet: Love, Peace and Jazz!

by Joel Roberts
November 14, 2008

Al Foster is probably best known as Miles Davis' drummer for much of the '70s and '80s, and as a well-regarded sideman for jazz giants including Herbie Hancock, Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson. He's also, somewhat quietly, been leading a first-rate unit of his own for more than a decade, one that has only released two albums, the first in 1997 and the second just out in 2008 on the Italian Jazz Eyes label. Love, Peace and ...

Al Foster Quartet: Love, Peace and Jazz!

by John Barron
October 13, 2008

Al Foster is one of the most celebrated drummers in modern jazz, having worked as a sideman with a who's who of artists, including Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner and Joe Henderson. Recorded in April 2007 at the Village Vanguard in New York City, Love, Peace and Jazz! finds the veteran Foster leading a free-wheeling quartet with saxophonist Eli Degibri, pianist Kevin Hays and bassist Douglas Weiss.Throughout the disc, Foster, the elder statesmen, sits front-and-center, ...