Jazz Articles

Craig Buhler: Skykomish

by Edward Blanco
July 9, 2009

Reed man Craig Buhler, an educator by profession, is in every sense of the definition a West Coast jazz musician. He also serves as Musical Director of the 18-piece Stardust Big Band and as leader of the Jazz 101 combo--all significant credentials to being an established jazz artist. But there is another side to this versatile musician that emerges here, drawing from his experience as a rock and gospel playing musician, with Skykomish eschewing traditional jazz compositions in favor of ...

Craig Buhler: Skykomish

by C. Michael Bailey
July 1, 2009

On Capistrano Sessions (Discernment Music, 2007), saxophonist/arranger Craig Buhler boldly updated the sound of West Coast Cool, effectively making him the heir proper to composer Marty Paich. Buhler tempers his grip on said inheritance with Skykomish, an effort to add to the new book of jazz standards while suggesting two of his own. An “everyman" musician, he is involved in recording, performance, education, church and local activities in his North West community of Sequim, Washington, where he lives with his ...

Craig Buhler: Capistrano Sessions

by Michael P. Gladstone
April 18, 2007

This is the first album for saxophonist/composer/bandleader Craig Buhler, who hails from the Seattle area. Since the early '70s, Buhler has also had a successful run with his rock band, Honk, as well as providing, in another phase of his musical life, Christian music.

Buhler and his quintet provide eleven original compositions that evoke what he refers to as a jazz journey along the Pacific Coast. In many ways, the music is typically West Coast and seems like ...

Craig Buhler: Capistrano Sessions

by Dan McClenaghan
February 3, 2007

Welcome to the West Coast, and welcome to some buoyant cool jazz on Capistrano Sessions. Multiple reedist Craig Buhler (clarinet, alto and tenor saxophones) takes us on a “trip along the Pacific Coast" on this recording. This quintet outing fits the mold of fellow West Coaster Art Pepper's sound, though Buhler and his mates have perhaps a more upbeat, outgoing and slightly less intense approach.This disc of all original material opens with a zingy, swinging “Lookear," where Buhler ...

Craig Buhler: Capistrano Sessions

by C. Michael Bailey
January 27, 2007

A blind spin of The Capistrano Sessions immediately evokes the recordings Shorty Rogers made in the 1950s. The sound, the swing, the je ne sais quoi is a vintage West Coast jazz vibe. One of the hallmarks of the West Coast sound is the facile ability for small combos to sound like a much larger band. This ability is a function of the musical arrangement, the West Coast having a stable full of such talent. Multi-instrumentalist leader Craig Buhler provides ...