Jazz Articles

Leonardo Suarez Paz and Fernando Suarez Paz: Escualo

by Duncan Heining
November 24, 2016

Leonardo Suarez Paz is surely now the torchbearer of Argentine Tango and the legacy of its greatest composer, Astor Piazzolla. His father Fernando Suarez Paz, of course, played with Piazzolla for many years and father and son have often performed his and works by other composers of tango. It is our fortune that Suarez Paz hijo has persuaded Suarez Paz padre out of retirement, if only one more time. Both father and son respect tango as a living ...

The Jiggs Whigham International Trio: Live At Nighttown: 'Not So Standards'

by Dan Bilawsky
April 23, 2015

A jazz trio performing songs like “Autumn Leaves" and “Days Of Wine And Roses" isn't exactly out of the ordinary, but this trio performing those songs is something else. Live At Nighttown: 'Not So Standards' finds Jiggs Whigham, an American trombone giant who expatriated to Germany long ago, back at home in Cleveland, Ohio, putting on a standards-heavy show. But don't let the playlist fool you. These aren't paint-by-numbers takes on old favorites. The Jiggs Whigham International Trio--Whigham, German pianist ...

Bill Cunliffe Trio: River Edge, New Jersey

by Dan Bilawsky
May 29, 2013

River Edge, New Jersey is like a trip down memory lane for pianist Bill Cunliffe. The California-based ivory tickler looks back to his days as an East Coast resident, teaming up with two highly capable, once-upon-a-time colleagues--bassist Martin Wind and drummer Tim Horner--who call New Jersey home. He further taps into the nostalgia well by visiting songs from his youth (Harry Nilsson's “One") and material expressly written in honor of those who have had a strong impact on him over ...

Frank Vignola & Vinny Raniolo: Melody Magic

by Dan Bilawsky
March 29, 2013

Melody Magic is a fun-and-attractive, finely crafted collection of some of the greatest classic(al) music melodies in existence, arranged by one of the most talented, earnest-and-enlightened guitarists in the business today. Frank Vignola, who's worked with everybody from guitar innovator/icon Les Paul to trumpeter/jazz figurehead Wynton Marsalis, and Vinny Raniolo, his young guitar wielding brother-in-arms, join forces here to bring Vignola's arrangements of Bach, Bizet, Beethoven, and a few people whose last names don't start with the letter “b," to ...

Frank Vignola & Vinny Raniolo: Melody Magic

by Nicholas F. Mondello
March 13, 2013

Great classical themes have frequently attracted musicians from all musical genres because they provide substance, cachet, and robust platforms that allow artists to simultaneously salute and portray the melodies in a different, yet attractive light. Some of these attempts fail miserably, while others succeed admirably. For example, during the height of the 70's disco delirium, a chart-topping hit titled “A Fifth of Beethoven" (Walter Murphy, 1976--Private Stock Records) sold millions.With Melody Magic, guitarists Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo ...

Frank Vignola & Vinny Raniolo: Melody Magic

by C. Michael Bailey
February 1, 2013

In the same adventurous spirit as Polkastra's “I Do" The Wedding Album (Ancalagon, 2013), a spirit that transcends genre, style, and even musical phyla, guitarists Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo, using the vehicle of the Hot Club gypsy swing jazz to transform a recital ranging from Beethoven and Bizet to The Beatles and Sting. Vignola provides the lion's share of arrangements, save for the Beatles' medley of “If I Fell" and “Here, There and Everywhere," which was arranged by guitarist ...

Frank Vignola: 100 Years Of Django

by Martin Longley
May 13, 2010

In this centenary year of Django Reinhardt's birth, it's inevitable that homages will be uppermost in the minds of the guitarist's disciples. Frank Vignola has no desire to resist this temptation, given that so much of his very fiber is directly descended from the Reinhardt legacy. But aside from the unavoidable “Nuages," Vignola sidesteps down a less over-trodden path. A core trio of Vignola, rhythm guitarist Vinny Raniolo and bassman Gary Mazzaroppi, is augmented by guest accordionist ...

Frank Vignola: 100 Years of Django

by J Hunter
March 24, 2010

Of all the things guitarist Django Reinhardt accomplished in his 43 years on earth, two stand out: He proved you don't have to have a big band in order to swing, and you don't have to play soft and slow in order to be intimate. Reinhardt's Le Hot Club Quintet of France (formed with violinist Stéphane Grappelli, who David Grisman has called “the master of String Swing") embodied those two proofs, fueled by Reinhardt's evocative playing and prolific writing. 2010 ...

Hot Club of San Francisco: Hot Club Cool Yule

by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
November 7, 2009

The liner notes imply that this is the Christmas album Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli might have made, had they made one. Certainly the The Hot Club of San Francisco is a virtuosic group that specializes in conjuring that era (see their masterful Bohemian Maestro for a recent example). But there's a wealth of delicious humor here that goes beyond anything that legendary pair ever produced.

For instance, check out the inspired derangement of “Djingle Bells," and “Don Rudolfo" (as ...

Tom Knific Quartet: Lines of Influence

by Matthew Warnock
September 4, 2009

Lines of Influence is an energetic and exciting modern jazz release by multi-talented bassist/accomplished jazz educator Tom Knific. Featuring several generations of past students alongside his son, John, Knific has assembled an ensemble that not only represents his accomplishments as an educator and mentor, but performs at a level that only a working band can. Their interaction has been formed over several years of jamming, rehearsing and gigging together in various venues across the Midwest. Their years of ...