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
Mars Williams / Tollef Østvang: Painted Pillars
by Mark Corroto
If you only know saxophonist Mars Williams from his gigs with the post-punk band The Psychedelic Furs or the hip-hop/funk band Liquid Soul, you're missing out on a talented and dedicated free-jazz improviser. He scatters himself in many directions, from collaborations with Chicago's Ken Vandermark, Tim Daisy, Jim Baker and Michael Zerang, to work in Europe with Switchback and Raoul Björkenheim's Scorch Trio. He also leads the power trio Boneshaker, maintains Hal Russell's spirit with the NRG Ensemble, and he ...
read moreKeefe Jackson/Josh Berman/Jon Rune Strøm/Tollef Østvang: Southern Sun
by Mark Corroto
Americans have discovered Norwegian jazz artists through several sources. Manfred Eicher's ECM label has produced music by the now famous artists: Arild Andersen, Jan Garbarek, Tord Gustavsen, Terje Rypdal, Trygve Seim and Nils Petter Molvaer. Their success bled into the modern sounds of Bugge Wesseltoft, Per Zanussi, Håvard Wiik, and Hakon Kornstad. Perhaps the closest connection to American jazz has been the acceptance and integration of drummer Paal Nilssen-Love and bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten into the ensembles of Ken Vandermark ...
read moreJon Rune Strøm: Jøa
by Eyal Hareuveni
Norwegian double bassist Jon Rune Strøm's energetic and highly rhythmic playing approach on the bull fiddle, sets him apart from other young fellow Norwegian double bass players who explore the solo medium or the sonic capabilities of this massive instrument in intimate settings as Christian Meaas Svendsen, Adrian Myhr, or Inga Margrete Aas. The 29 year old Strøm draws inspiration from free jazz pioneers such as the young Gary Peacock and free improvisation great Peter Kowald}. He demonstrates his playing ...
read moreUniversal Indians: Nihil is Now
by Eyal Hareuveni
Universal Indians is a trio comprised of Amsterdam-based, American saxophonist John Dikeman and the resourceful and powerful rhythm section of Norwegian bassist Jon Rune Strøm and drummer Tollef Østvang, both of whom cooperate in other outfits such as the Friends & Neighbors quintet responsible for No Beat Policy (Øra Fonogram, 2011), the All Included quintet that released Reincarnation of a Free Bird (Stone Floor, 2012), and the yet-to-record The Way Ahead sextet; both also manage Stone Floor Records.
read moreAll Included: Reincarnation of a Free Bird
by Eyal Hareuveni
The title of All Included's debut refers to one of immortal compositions of bassist Charles Mingus, “Reincarnation of a Lovebird." Following Mingus' legacy, this Swedish-Norwegian quintet's music is based on the American, politically committed, fiery free jazz that originated in the sixties; still, it is unmistakably contemporary. All compositions are well-crafted, wisely arranged and performed passionately. The strength of this quintet is based on prior collaborations of its musicians. Prolific Swedish saxophonist Martin Küchen towers as the ...
read moreSAKA: Cementen
by Eyal Hareuveni
The second album from Norwegian power trio SAKA, after last year's Posh! (FMR Records), serves as another reminder of the fertile Norwegian music scene that keeps breeding such excellent bands. This trio has already managed to create its own independent, mature voice while still well-versed in past and current powerful trios legacies that marry free jazz with free improvisation, mainly European ones such as saxophonist Peter Brötzmann's various projects, Sweden/Norway's The Thing and Norwegian saxophonist Frode Gjerstad, in which SAKA ...
read more
Giveaway
Days remaining: 11
