Multiple Reviews
Wanted: For Being Hip—Willie Colon, Hector Lavoe and the Birth of Salsa
by Richard J Salvucci
It may require some effort to imagine that there were once no Latin Grammy awards. The albums reviewed here truly appeared in a different world. Until 1970, there was, with one brief exception, no systematic attempt to compute the size of the Latino population of the United States. The first effort did not go well. The Bureau of the Census ultimately invented the term Hispanic," to aggregate people of different nationalities and ethnicities, although calling, for example, someone from Ecuador ...
read moreMike Clark: Humble As He Goes
by Doug Collette
Drummer/composer/bandleader Mike Clark's resume is as diverse as his talent and, in turn, his discography. The man who dramatically raised his public profile by sitting at the kit for Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters has gone on to record in a wide variety of settings, with a panoply of people, including guitarist extraordinaire Charlie Hunter, British fusioneers Brand X plus once and future member of the Meters, George Porter Jr. Somewhat contrary to Clark's restless, eclectic spirit, both of these ...
read moreThe Worlds of Ignaz Schick
by Mark Corroto
It may be a bit of hyperbole to call Ignaz Schick a Renaissance man. If, though, we take architect Leon Battista Alberti's (1404-72) definition a man can do all things if he will," then labeling Schick with that epithet is not such a stretch. The German composer, musician, turntablist, visual artist, label chief, and inventor has an unconventional and curious innovative mind. Since a young age, he eschewed pop music and was fascinated by the avant-garde. His early contact with ...
read moreExotic Ivories: Hard Bop Piano and World Beat Rhythms
by AAJ Staff
This article was first published at All About Jazz in January 2002. Jazz piano and world music rhythm make an enchanting pair. With the popularization of world beat music, jazz musicians nurtured on straight-ahead precepts have incorporated instruments and musical concepts from other cultures into their art. Some, like saxophonist Sam Newsome on last year's release Global Unity, have exited traditional jazz entirely, adopting these international grooves wholesale. Others--clarinetist Don Byron, for instance, on his recent Your Are ...
read moreBlue Note Connoisseur Reissues: Grant Green, Andrew Hill, Hank Mobley, Don Wilkerson, George Braith, Booker Ervin
by C. Andrew Hovan
This article was first published at All About Jazz in April 2001. Since 1995, Blue Note has been pleasing hardcore fans with a special reissue series that sports a very simple premise: w'll print up some of the catalog's most obscure titles as long as you buy them up quickly, because they'll only be around for a limited time. As a result, w've seen a great degree of variety within the catalog, from the early recordings of German ...
read moreTwo-Trumpet Cacophony
by AAJ Staff
This article was first published at All About Jazz in February 2002. Miles had it figured out: never record with another trumpeter in a small group setting--it just don't work. Or was it his ego? Two, three, and multi-trumpet small group ensembles represent an obscure configuration in modern jazz. This position contrasts sharply with the notoriety and abundance of two-tenor saxophone lineups: Johnny Griffin and Eddie “Lockjaw" Davis' Tough Tenors" act of the early '60s immediately comes ...
read moreGordon Grdina: Everything Old Is New Again
by Doug Collette
Guitarist and oud master Gordon Grdina's imagination is as deep as it is broad. As a result, there are those titles in his rapidly expanding discography that, like this pair on Attaboygirl Records, bear some measure of resemblance to previously released titles. Such an impression is nonetheless deceptive, as is the reappearance of names like the Canadian's band, The Marrow, or his frequent collaborator, percussionist Christian Lillinger: such participation constitutes legitimate extension of previous works. But that observation may also ...
read moreBlue Note Series of Rare Summer Grooves
by Chris M. Slawecki
This article was first published at All About Jazz in September 2002 under the old Combing the Blue Note Catalog column. The Rascals knew all about it. They expressed it perfectly in one of their biggest hit singles: Ain't nothing like groovin' on a Sunday afternoon. Not much serves the purpose of that groove better than the right music. To enjoy an exceptional groove, you often need some exceptionally groovin' music. Exceptional grooves--or, if you prefer, Rare Grooves. ...
read moreJoel Dorn's Nine Lives: Label M and Live at the Left Bank
by C. Michael Bailey
This article was first published at All About Jazz on March 6, 2001. It wasn't but a few years ago that veteran record producer Joel Dorn and a business partner founded 32 Records, a label devoted to re-releasing the old Muse and Landmark catalogs and releasing previously unheard live recordings by major jazz artists. Previous to that, Dorn had been the founder of Night records and a producer and A&R guy for Nesuhi Ertegun's Atlantic Records. He has ...
read moreRich Halley, Ethan Philion and Other Releases
by Jerome Wilson
Here are a few more albums from 2023 that deserve some belated recognition. Rich Halley Fire Within Pine Eagle Records 2023 This is tenor saxophonist Rich Halley's third recording with a quartet that also features Matthew Shipp on piano, Michael Bisio on bass, and Newman Taylor Baker on drums. All four men are seasoned veterans and their work as a unit exhibits a maturity and finesse much deeper than the usual fire ...
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