Jazz Articles
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Ben Haugland: A Million Dreams
by David A. Orthmann
During the course of A Million Dreams, pianist Ben Haugland's second date as a leader, most of the trappings of a typical mainstream jazz record are present and easy to identify. Not unlike a lot of young leaders who are fusing their own creative aspirations with an allegiance to the tradition, Haugland penned four of the disc's eight tracks, and chose three American Standards and a Charlie Parker tune to round out the program. Another recognizable element is the presence ...
read moreShirley: From a Bright Clearing
by Florence Wetzel
It's hard to pinpoint the exact moment when “fusion" became a dirty word in jazz, but it definitely occurred sometime in the 1980s. Although fusion had been embraced by many musicians and fans, there was suddenly an overriding philosophy that “real" jazz did not incorporate electric instruments or electronics. This idea has lost currency over the decades, and there's a new crop of musicians who do not labor under this invisible rule. These folks are picking up where fusion forefathers ...
read moreSteve Denny Trio: Life in the Basement
by Florence Wetzel
The basement is a rich metaphor, with all sorts of literary and emotional connotations. In pianist Steve Denny's case, it represents a place for gestation and growth, a lair in which to hunker down and do one's work. Denny was born and raised in Denver, studied music at Loyola University in Chicago where he graduated summa cum laude, and then earned a master's at University of North Colorado. Along the way he studied with legendary pianist Art Lande and met ...
read moreJosh Quinlan Quintet: Mountain Time Standards
by Florence Wetzel
Although the Gold Rush is long over, the Wild West still holds out the promise of reinvention and inspiration. For saxophonist Josh Quinlan, who came of musical age in Chicago and moved to Colorado in 2006, the Front Range jazz scene has been chock-full of opportunity: he is co-director of the Telluride All-Star Program, director of education for the Colorado nonprofit Gift of Jazz, executive director of the jazz label Dazzle Recordings, and creator of the education series Jazz for ...
read moreMatt Smiley: Quartet Art
by Florence Wetzel
Colorado-based bassist Matt Smiley is an excellent example of the virtues of musical versatility. His résumé includes performing internationally at the Montreux, North Sea, and Montreal Jazz festivals; premiering John Hilliard's 2nd Piano Concerto at the Kennedy Center; presenting his own arrangements of bassist Dave Holland's seminal “Conference of the Birds"; playing with a funk band; experimenting with electronics; and providing music for silent films. Clearly Smiley is a musician with wide-open ears, and his expressive, inventive bass work is ...
read moreThe Teaching: 12.26.09 Live at Dazzle
by Florence Wetzel
One of the most inspiring stories in jazz concerns saxophonist John Coltrane's valiant attempt to kick heroin. In the midst of a physical firestorm, Coltrane had a spiritual awakening, and he asked God to give him the means and privilege to make others happy through music--which he ultimately did, creating jazz history in the process. The new generation of jazz musicians has different issues--struggling less with addiction and more with attracting an audience and finding time to do ...
read morePeter Sommer: Tremolo Canteen
by Florence Wetzel
Like food, music can be hastily prepared and obvious, or it can be thoughtfully concocted, with delicious subtleties of flavor and seasoning. Saxophonist Peter Sommer's standout Tremolo Canteen is happily the latter, full of intricate layers and quiet surprises, performed by four excellent musicians who came of age in the Denver jazz scene. Sommer's tenor lines are strong and multifaceted, and yet at the same time there's a quality to his playing that's refreshingly understated. He can ...
read moreFred Hess Big Band: Hold On
by Troy Collins
Originally from Abington, Pennsylvania, tenor saxophonist Fred Hess has resided in Denver, Colorado since 1981. Though Denver is not often considered a hotbed of progressive jazz, Hess, as founder of the Boulder Creative Music Ensemble and Denver's Creative Music Works Orchestra, has fashioned an alternative to the East Coast/West Coast paradigm. With 14 albums as a leader to his credit, Hess and his regular collaborators have documented a fertile body of work, with many tunes from his burgeoning songbook featured ...
read moreFred Hess Big Band: Hold On
by Dan McClenaghan
Fred Hess has been prolific this millennium. For those familiar with the Denver-based saxophonist's last six discs, however, Hold On may come as a surprise. Since 2004, Hess has immersed himself in the art of the piano-less quartet, before augmenting his group--first, with a second saxophonist, and then a guitarist, moving from quintet to sextet and offering up a fresh and energetic take on free jazz.With Hold On, Hess jumps into the big band arena for the first ...
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