Jazz Articles

Lou Donaldson: Say It Loud

by C. Andrew Hovan
March 23, 2023

It's hard to imagine now, but there was a time when the sound of jazz could be heard lingering in the smoky corners of neighborhood bars in every major city from New York to Los Angeles. These ghetto hangouts were on what was often called the 'chitlin' circuit,' a network of predominantly black operated venues that presented organ combos as the norm. Be it at The Smiling Dog Saloon in Cleveland or The Front Room in Newark, jazz and more ...

Allen Ginsberg: First Blues

by Mark Corroto
April 2, 2006

As I listen to this two-CD recording by the late Allen Ginsberg, I cannot help thinking about Dick Cheney. The American vice president might just be the exact polar opposite of Allen Ginsberg, kind of a beat Dr. Evil. I suspect he's never heard Ginsberg read his unexpurgated Buddhist poetry or joined a sing-along with his harmonium. But then again, who knows what Cheney does in his bunker. He might be learning the lyrics to “Everybody Sing"--"everybody is just a ...

Brother Jack McDuff: Who Knows What Tomorrow's Gonna Bring?

by Germein Linares
July 7, 2005

Though originally released by Blue Note, Brother Jack McDuff's '71 album Who Knows What Tomorrow's Gonna Bring? came after the venerable jazz label's glory days in hard bop and post bop. An album with far more funk and soul than swing and bop, this excellent first-time CD reissue by San Francisco-based Water finds McDuff's organ paired nicely with guitarist Joe Beck, trumpeters Randy Brecker and Olu Dara, trombonists Dick Griffin and John Pierson, vibraphonist Mike Mainieri, pianist Paul Griffin, bassists ...

Lou Donaldson: Say It Loud!

by Germein Linares
June 24, 2005

Lou Donaldson's Say It Loud! is finally on CD. Recorded for Blue Note in '69, this is one of several late-'60s albums by the legendary alto saxophonist that tend to get little respect. That's too bad, really. Apart from sporting a very capable band in trumpeter Blue Mitchell, guitarist Jimmy Ponder, organist Charles Earland and drummer Leo Morris, the five selections on Say It Loud! are undeniably fun.True, there aren't great answers on God or the circle of ...

Patty Waters: You Thrill Me: A Musical Odyssey 1960-1979

by Germein Linares
March 3, 2005

On several instances in this collection of previously unreleased material, Patty Waters appears so unexpected, so revealing, that hearing her feels like eavesdropping. Delicate, sensitive, and slightly melancholic, Waters sings of the off-center tones in love and life. Spanning 1960-79, You Thrill Me features many of Waters' solo ballads on piano, avoiding all of her more provocative free jazz excursions.

The collection begins with a light-hearted, jazzy jingle for Jax Beer, a now defunct New Orleans brewery. Though meant to ...