Jazz Articles
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Allen Lowe: Blues and the Empirical Truth
by Troy Collins
Operating on the fringes of the jazz establishment since the early 1990s, under-sung saxophonist Allen Lowe has earned meritorious praise for his distinctive efforts. It is his academic writings documenting the history of American folk music that have garnered him the most widespread critical acclaim however. Lowe's first foray into roots music, his 1994 album Dark Was the Night--Cold Was the Ground (Music & Arts), reconciled modernism with tradition, consequently inspiring his interest in scholarly dissertations like American Pop from ...
read moreThe Fonda/Stevens Group: Parallel Lines
by AAJ Staff
The Fonda/Stevens Group serves up a characteristically ambivalent sound on the 1997 studio record Parallel Lines. On one hand, the quintet deftly handles structured straight-ahead material; but on the other, it yields at the slightest opportunity to collective improvisation. Bassist Joe Fonda stands at the crux of the group--interacting with drummer Harvey Sorgen in a potently rhythmic role (check out their duo performance midway through the tune Waltz"), as well as interdigitating with pianist Michael Stevens in a strikingly intuitive ...
read moreThe Bill Horvitz Band: Dust Devil
by Glenn Astarita
While spending several years in New York City, guitarist Bill Horvitz (Wayne Horvitz’ brother) performed with new music renegades such as John Zorn, Elliott Sharp, Bill Laswell, Shelley Hirsch, Eugene Chadbourne and many others. Currently, Mr. Horvitz exhibits his creative juices in Northern California while managing to delve into a variety of frameworks and settings, yet his Trio featuring ROVA’s woodwind virtuoso Steve Adams and the estimable drummer, Joesph Sabella have been on the receiving end of praise for quite ...
read moreJeff Song & Lowbrow: The Other Pocket
by Glenn Astarita
A native of Iowa, Jeff Song is an extremely talented electric bass technician while also exploiting his acute sense of band leading and improvisational attributes. Song has studied and performed within a Who’s Who of modern jazz, namely Joe Maneri, Ran Blake, Glenn Horiuchi, George E. Lewis and others. Here, with his band “Lowbrow”, Song embarks on a journey consisting of improvisation and composition that touch on many genres. The individual pieces represented on “The Other Pocket” are stylish improvisational ...
read moreBen Goldberg Trio: Here By Now
by Glenn Astarita
Ben Goldberg is one of the few determined jazz musicians who have revived and perhaps reinvented the potential use of the clarinet as a driving force in modern jazz. Ben Goldberg, Marty Ehrlich and Francois Houle represent a few notable clarinetist’s seeking new musical avenues while implementing their distinct styles and unique approaches via composition and improvisation. The Ben Goldberg Trio's Here By Now is a worthy edition to the ever-increasing catalog of modern jazz visionaries who utilize the clarinet ...
read moreString Trio of New York: String Trio of New York With Anthony Davis
by Joel Roberts
Through twenty years and thirteen albums, the String Trio of New York has made a name for itself on the new music / experimental edge of the jazz world. This new album, a collaboration with composer and pianist Anthony Davis, is the group's first to focus almost exclusively on jazz standards as opposed to original compositions. For an ensemble associated with the avant-garde, this is an extremely accessible, straight-ahead album, and it is a rousing success.
From the first notes ...
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