Jazz Articles
Our daily articles are carefully curated by the All About Jazz staff. You can find more articles by searching our website, see what's trending on our popular articles page or read articles ahead of their published dates on our future articles page. Read our daily album reviews.
Sign in to customize your My Articles page —or— Filter Article Results
Michael Hedges: Torched
by John W. Patterson
Of all of Michael’s fine releases this one, Torched , reaches me in the deepest recesses of my being. I must confess I have sang along, tears in my eyes, sensing the deep loss of Michael now being gone, tragically killed in late 1997 in a car accident. What waste, what loss, and so final. But Hedges’ voice and soul lives on in this last release, nearly ready to be finally “polished” yet too late — it is released anyway, ...
read moreLeo Kottke (Private Music 82171: One Guitar, No Vocals
by C. Michael Bailey
A Long Way From Takoma. 6- and 12-String Guitar was the auspicious debut of guitarmeister Leo Kottke. On the heels of John Fahey, Peter Lange, and Stefan Grossman, Kottke created his debut masterpiece of acoustic wizardry that served as a template for countless acoustic guitarists after him. In the 25 years between the release of 6- and 12-String Guitar and his current project One Guitar, No Vocals, Kottke has come full circle. His current offering contains originals and several Kottke ...
read moreRippingtons featuring Russ Freeman: Topaz
by Dave Hughes
The Rippingtons' latest CD,Topaz, was inspired by Taos, New Mexico - both its history and its present. This influence is primarily expressed with the addition of the carved wood flute of Robert Tree Cody on several selections. On some songs, the acoustic guitars and/or percussion paint an aural picture of serene, wide-open spaces with flowing melody lines and gently galloping rhythms. On a few other songs, though, the effect is derailed by the more mechanical chunking of programmed ...
read moreEarl Klugh: Peculiar Situation
by Dave Hughes
Earl Klugh's Windham Hill Jazz debut, titledPeculiar Situation, isn't really peculiar at all, it's mostly a familiar situation. Klugh's music has always been presented in semi-glossy productions, from his earliest outings under Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen's touch to the majority of his releases which have been self-produced. His music is always easy on the ears, featuring his easily-recognizable acoustic guitar voice sailing through catchy melodies over tasteful arrangements. As usual, the compositions are all Klugh's. All of ...
read moreTuck & Patti: Paradise Found
by Dave Hughes
Tuck and Patti, guitar and vocal duo as well as husband and wife, offer up another helping of positive, optimistic musical brilliance on Paradise Found. I think they found paradise about twenty years ago, when they first began performing together. They both possess considerable chops, always utilized in exquisite taste and in perfect tandem.
This time around, they occasionally supplement their duets with other instruments, such as soprano sax and percussion on the opening tune "Lembrancas." ... read moreBraxton Brothers: Now and Forever
by Dave Hughes
The Braxton Brothers demonstrate their versatility and their handle on today's lite R&B/contempo genre onNow and Forever. The pair handle the production duties, split the compositional credits, and play most of the instruments on the disc. Wayne's primary axe is the sax, while Nelson uses his bass for lead lines as well as the more traditional foundational support. Both add keyboards and drum programming to the mix. There are other Bay-area notables present on the date as well, ...
read moreSpyro Gyra: Got the Magic
by Dave Hughes
On their 22nd album, it's clear that Spyro Gyra has stillGot the Magic. The compositions, performances, and production values are as dependable as ever, but this time around leader/producer Jay Beckenstein brought in some fresh production and composition help in the persons of Chuck Loeb (six of the eleven selections), Jeff Beal and Jason Miles (one each). Loeb's tracks do steer Spyro Gyra a little bit in the direction of smooth jazz, but this is still definitely identifiable ...
read moreCraig Chaquico & Russ Freeman: From the Redwoods to the Rockies
by Dave Hughes
In 1998, Russ Freeman took a break from the Rippingtons to team up with fellow guitarist Craig Chaquico to produce musical journeyFrom the Redwoods to the Rockies. While both guitarists play electric and acoustic axes, the overall feeling tends towards acoustic. The composition credits are split pretty evenly among the pair, with half of the ten tunes being joint compositions, but the results end up more similar to Chaquico's previous output than Freeman's. Russ Freeman adds keyboards and ...
read moreDouble Scale: Double Scale
by Dave Hughes
Keyboardist Doc Powell produced and played keyboards and composed most of the tunes on the CD titledDouble Scale, yet his name appears nowhere on the cover. Perhaps he's still under contract with another label. Whatever the case, this clearly Powell's project, although he takes a background roll throughout much of the disc. Each tune features a notable guest artist, such as pianist Bobby Lyle (on two tunes), Chuck Mangione, Joe Sample, Tom Scott, and Everette Harp. Most of ...
read moreHiroshima: Between Black & White
by Dave Hughes
The Japanese-American band Hiroshima's Windham Hill Jazz debut,Between Black and White, offers its most memorable moments when the band leans closer to its Japanese roots, such as on the ethereal "Dreams" the mysterious, percussive "Picasso's Dance," and the brief percussion-only interlude "Omo Tai." But on many other cuts, only June Kuramoto's koto saves the band from sounding like any generic, faceless contemporary ensemble. At one time, the band had a highly recognizable, energetic and personable sound, but on ...
read more
Giveaway
Days remaining: 5
