SoCal Jazz
Daily articles carefully curated by the All About Jazz staff. Read our popular and future articles.
Sometimes poignant.... sometimes humorous....always about jazz. The musings of a lifetime jazz listener in stories, concert reviews, profiles, interviews, and more.
Samuel Torres: The Interfuse of Percussion and Orchestration
Samuel Torres is a percussionist extraordinaire. Samuel Torres is an exceptional composer. Samuel Torres is an astute arranger. Samuel Torres has vast skills as an orchestrator. All of those statements are valid responses to the question, who is Samuel Torres? The Colombian born artist, who now makes his home in New York City, has, as they say in the industry, “made a lot of noise" over the past few years. No, I don't mean banging and clanging around on a ...
read moreJimmy Haslip: Amperes Beyond the BASSics, Part 2
In case you missed it, Part One of my conversation with Jimmy Haslip covered a lot of ground and had a few good laughs along the way. Although we talked about the Yellowjackets, we delved more deeply into why and how he parted ways with the band some eight years ago. Haslip has been producing records for a number of years now. We spoke about the “other side of the glass'" and specifically about a few of those projects. Allan ...
read moreJimmy Haslip: Amperes Beyond The BASSics, Part 1
The name Jimmy Haslip needs no introduction. So, he doesn't get one. Seriously, we had a lot of ground to cover and he had so many great stories and interesting asides to share that we are breaking the interview into two parts as it is. So, without further ado... All About Jazz: I believe it is against the Geneva Convention to not talk about The Yellowjackets or left-handed bass players when talking with Jimmy Haslip. Having said ...
read moreDarek Oleszkiewicz: Rolls-Royce Groovin'
Inspiring greatness has long been the two-word association with the grand luxury of Rolls-Royce. Britain's entry into automobile finery has thus become benchmark terminology. To hear bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz interact, navigate, and improvise with today's finest jazz musicians is to understand why he has been deemed the Rolls-Royce of the modern day upright. Carrying the torch of masters such as Paul Chambers and Ron Carter, Oleszkiewicz has grooved the genre forward by harnessing the tradition yet unbridling his nuanced colors ...
read moreAlan Pasqua: Keys That Unlock Many Doors
Recently, and just a few days before Thanksgiving (2019), I was thankful for the opportunity to have two separate conversations with renown pianist Alan Pasqua. As generous with his time and candid commentary as he is talented as a musician and composer, both conversations crashed the one-hour mark. For you non mathematicians, that is over two hours of discussing, recounting, and engaging into a wide range of topics. With that in mind I will keep this intro brief ...
read moreDouye: Live at LACMA
No doubt, LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) wanted to finish their jazz music series with a flourish. Reaching out to the enchantingly superb jazz vocalist Douye proved to be the right call. Jazz at LACMA is presented on Friday nights from April through November. In the past they have had performances from artists such as Wayne Shorter, Kenny Burrell, and Billy Childs. On this Friday evening, November 22nd, 2019, a quintet featuring Douye, pianist Aaron Provisor ...
read moreDavid Sanborn: The Curtain Rises on Sanborn Sessions
Listed alphabetically, as opposed to first, second, and third place, Cannonball Adderley, Charlie Parker, and David Sanborn are as good as it gets when discussing the best and most influential alto saxophone players of all-time. Now before you say what about Phil Woods or Kenny Garrett or any number of others, let me qualify that this is my list, my opinion. Not some carved in stone official list that has been sealed and notarized by some sort of imaginary Grand ...
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