Jazz Articles
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Benny Lackner Trio: Cachuma
by Dan McClenaghan
Pianist Benny Lackner can do whatever he wants, and says as much with “I Can Do Whatever I Want," the opener on his forward-leaning Cachuma. This piano trio outing suggests he wants to nudge the trio setting into a modern groove while giving voice to his own artistic vision.Modernization of the tried and true piano trio format is an ongoing process. e.s.t., led by the late Swedish pianist Esbjörn Svensson, incorporated electronics with great success, while John Medeski ...
read moreHeadhunters: On Top: Live in Europe
by Mark F. Turner
It's been said that true funk can be imitated but never duplicated. But in the case of the Headhunters's 2 CD live recording On Top, the band--named after Herbie Hancock's 1973 groundbreaking release, Head Hunters (Columbia)--continues to uphold the groove. Master percussionist Bill Summers, one of the original members since the 1970s, has kept the essence of Hancock's music alive through various releases including 2003's Evolution Revolution (Basin Street Records). Recorded in Paris, France, this live document ...
read moreBill Hart: Subject to Change
by Geannine Reid
Guitarist Bill Hart's early training was fairly non-traditional. As a teenager, he spent time playing in theaters performing The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Little Shop of Horrors. Fascinated by the mathematical precision of music, Hart attended the Guitar Institute of Technology in Hollywood, California, graduating with honors. Hart has studied under master guitarists including Mike Stern, Steve Khan, Wayne Krantz and Scott Henderson, and his true joy comes from playing his original compositions. Bill Hart has opened for jazz ...
read moreBill Evans / Randy Brecker: Soul Bop Band Live
by Woodrow Wilkins
&BBill Evans and Randy Brecker are both, to put it succinctly, well-traveled. In more than twenty years as a solo artist, Evans has been nominated for several Grammy awards, establishing a repertoire that includes traditional jazz, funk, hip-hop and Brazilian styles. Brecker has been delivering straight jazz, fusion, rock and R for three decades. Collectively, the pair has performed or recorded with a wide range of acts, including Miles Davis, Parliament/Funkadelic, James Taylor, Steely Dan, Horace Silver, Chaka Khan, Dave ...
read moreSoulbop Band Live: Bill Evans / Randy Brecker Soulbop Band
by John Kelman
Straddling the line between funk and jazz, Soulbop was conceived by veteran trumpeter Randy Brecker and ex-Miles Davis saxophonist Bill Evans in response to Bob Berg's untimely death, which scuttled Brecker's touring plans for 34th N Lex (ESC, 2003). Brecker and Evans' 2003 tour with their newly formed Soulbop Band turned out to be one of those unexpected positives that sometimes emerge out of tragedy--so successful, in fact, that a 2004 European tour was booked, finishing up with a triumphant ...
read moreMaceo Parker: School's In
by Woodrow Wilkins
Shakespeare was never so funky. “To Be or Not to Be, Maceo Parker's funky tribute to the playwright, is an attention-getting opener to School's In, a curriculum of funk education. And who better to do it than Parker? Over the course of his career, this alto saxophonist, percussionist, and vocalist worked with the Godfather of Soul in the 1960s and the masters of 1970s funk, George Clinton and Bootsy Collins, among others.Parker was born in Kinston, North Carolina. ...
read moreAlain Caron: 5
by John Kelman
Ever since Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke and Jeff Berlin redefined the role of electric bass in the 1970s, there's been a multitude of players aiming to expand its reach. But despite its potential as a melodic equal, it's still important for bassists to create a rhythmic foundation--even if this sometimes seems a contradiction in purpose. Few contemporary bassists successfully straddle the line, and far more cross it into excess. Marcus Miller, for example, often makes his bass the primary voice, ...
read moreTok Tok Tok: About...
by Woodrow Wilkins
Generally speaking, acoustic drums and cymbals are the best option in music. That's because many drum programs sound like prefabricated templates that were modified to add or subtract sounds, or to adjust pitch and tempo. Because of that, a lot of songs--even those by different artists--appear to have the same rhythm tracks, clichés included. Not so with Morten Klein's mouth drums, which add a nice touch to About.... Klein and his partner, Tokunbo Akinro, cover a lot ...
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