Jazz Articles

Romero Lubambo: Lubambo

by AAJ Staff
March 1, 2002

Guitar and cavaquinho virtuoso Romero Lubambo makes his solo debut on this self-titled disc, which is full of impressive original compositions. Some of my favorites: a tribute to the great Rafael Rabello, the swinging “Magalha Blues" and a superb take on Bach ("Bachiao"). If you've heard Romero before, you know that he has ferocious attack coupled with tremendous sensitivity and an extremely light touch. (Thanks to avant-garde jazzman John Zorn for coaxing Romero into this gig - we hope to ...

Wayne Horvitz: From A Window

by Mark Corroto
September 1, 2001

Of the many incarnations the music of Seattle-based Wayne Horvitz takes on, his Four Plus One Ensemble is the most contemplative. The one-time member of John Zorn’s Naked City and The New York Composers Orchestra has of recent days headed for a rocked-out West coast with his bands Pigpen and Zony Mash. 4 + 1 shares little with Horvitz’s other projects, except for maybe his role in the music of Bill Frisell and wife, Robin Holcomb.

From A Window is ...

Bruce Ackley Trio: The Hearing

by Glenn Astarita
January 1, 2001

Primarily known for his work with the time honored saxophone quartet “ROVA”, Bruce Ackley’s 1999 solo effort The Hearing deserves some special attention and is one of those modern jazz jewels that has seemingly suffered from a lack of publicity and/or widespread exposure. Along with the dynamic rhythm section consisting of drummer Joey Baron and bassist Greg Cohen, the leader of this date performs solely on soprano sax as the overall results prove to be truly rewarding!

Essentially, this release ...

Harriet Tubman: Prototype

by Mark Corroto
November 1, 2000

The second ‘strange meeting’ between the members of the thumping power trio known as Harriet Tubman was recorded live in New York, Finland, and The Netherlands. Why bassist Melvin Gibbs choose to reincarnate his previous band Power Tools can be answered by noting the sales of powered amps and woofers over the past decade. Gibbs, guitarist Bill Frisell, and drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson conspired in the late 1980s to play noisy loud power-jazz. Gibbs learned it from Sonny Sharrock, played ...

Chadbourne/Dresser/Ibarra/Morris: Pain Pen

by Mark Corroto
September 1, 2000

There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but there is free-jazz and Eugene Chadbourne has been one of its stars for many years. He has worked with every free jazz musician, plus Camper Van Beethoven, They Might Be Giants, and John Zorn. Likewise, Boston guitarist Joe Morris has been making waves of late with his own group for AUM, Knitting Factory, and Omnitine records. Bassist Dresser is a veteran of recording dates with John Zorn, Anthony Braxton, ...

Various: In His Own Sweet Way: A Tribute To Dave Brubeck

by Mark Corroto
April 1, 2000

The standard I apply to critique a recording is twofold: 1) determine what the artist(s) set out to accomplish with the recording, 2) decide whether they were successful. Employing the test: yes, this is a Dave Brubeck tribute, and no, for most artists involved, they didn’t capture the spirit of Brubeck. But, interestingly I think the record is a success. Executive producer John Zorn has participated in numerous tribute records. The best of them being The Big Gundown (Ennio Morricone, ...

Mark Feldman and Sylvie Courvoisier: Music for Piano and Violin

by AAJ Staff
July 1, 1999

One of the more promiscuous violinists on the scene today, Mark Feldman has always strived to combine the unusual with the familiar. He's come a long way from his roots as a Nashville studio musician, recording with country giants such as Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash, to his more recent forays on the New York avant-improv scene with neo-giants like John Zorn and Tim Berne. Feldman's new record, Music for Piano and Violin, represents a logical progression from his 1995 ...