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Eden Brent: A Jazz Queen With a Case of the Blues
Jazz grew out of the blues some time in the late 19th or early 20th century in and around New Orleans. While the two styles grew apart as each developed its own lexicon, there's no mistaking the fact that the they are deeply intertwined—one need look no further than Billie Holiday, Count Basie and most musicians ...
Kneebody Present a Democratic Collective's Mix of Jazz and Rock
Jazz is traditionally a music of names and hierarchy. This goes back to great bandleaders like Ellington and Basie, but also applies to many smaller groups today where you get the Vijay Iyer Trio, David S. Ware Quartet, Wayne Shorter Quartet, or even simpler tags like Sonny Rollins or Herbie Hancock. Nonetheless, there have been notable ...
Vijay Iyer Has Nowhere to Hide on 'Solo'
It seems that pianist Vijay Iyer has been getting accolades from everywhere since the release of 2009's 'Historicity.' The trio album won awards in Downbeat and the Village Voice's year-end polls, and not to be outdone, the Jazz Journalist Association recently picked him as Musician of the Year. GQ India even listed him as one of ...
An Educational Conversation With Jazz Trumpeter and Teacher Ralph Alessi
Trumpeter Ralph Alessi has carved out an excellent reputation for himself since moving from California to New York in 1991. His music tends to walk a fine line between outright avant-garde and modern bebop, creating challenging music that never loses a sense of swing or groove. This is once again apparent on the brand-new 'Cognitive Dissonance,' ...
Either/Orchestra Take a Respite From Ethiopian Sounds to Present Jazz Originals
It's easy to take the Either/Orchestra for granted. The Boston 10-piece has been around for 25 years, putting out consistently excellent albums on its own Accurate imprint. But it's not an easy slog being in a band this size—it takes patience as well as a flair for scheduling, not to mention some creative accounting to keep ...
Jazz Pianist Guillermo Klein Tackles Iconoclast 'Cuchi' Leguizamón
There is a select list of musicians in jazz who are far from being a household name, but they have the respect if not outright adoration of their peers. Argentine composer/arranger/pianist Guillermo Klein is such an artist. He's released a handful of CDs under his own name since attending Boston's Berkelee College of Music from 1990 ...
Montreal Jazz Fest Part Deux: Sonny Rollins, David Sanborn Set the Tone
Last week, I dedicated this column to live reviews of sets by Herbie Hancock and Vijay Iyer. Both are pianists, but while Hancock struggles to remain relevant in the eyes of his public, it seems that the public has found relevance in the work of Iyer, who has gained a lot of acclaim in recent years, ...
Herbie Hancock, Vijay Iyer Anchor Montreal Jazz Festival (Part 1 of 2)
As mentioned previously in this column, the Montreal Jazz Festival is an embarrassment of jazz riches. I spent June 25 through 28 there, wandering the streets to take in some of the free shows, but I also caught a handful of indoor shows, as well. This is the first half of a two-part review of some ...
Allen Toussaint is All Smiles at the Montreal Jazz Festival
A standing ovation is a pretty great way to start a concert--and with more than 50 years of songwriting and recording to his credit, Allen Toussaint deserves nothing less. The warm welcome came at 6PM in a church basement just outside of the Montreal Jazz Festival grounds, and from there the evening unfolded like the best-kept ...
For Fred Anderson: A Remembrance of the Late Jazz Saxophonist
Saxophonist Fred Anderson passed away Thursday, June 24, leaving a hole in the Chicago and international avant-garde jazz scenes that will never be truly filled. The cause of death has not been given, but Anderson had suffered a heart attack on June 14 while in the hospital with complaints of stomach pains. He was 81. ...
