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Ken Peplowski: In Search Of ...
by Dan McClenaghan
The splenetic and hard-nosed clarinetist/bandleader Benny Goodman admired tenor saxophonist Ken Peplowski enough to hire the younger musician on for his last performing band, during the mid-1980s. But the Cleveland, Ohio-born and bred Peplowski's main ax was, in fact, the clarinet. He spent a good part of his early career playing in Polish polka bands, and ...
Stan Kenton: Artistry in Rhythm - Portrait Of A Jazz Legend
by Jack Bowers
Stan KentonArtistry In Rhythm: Portrait Of A Jazz LegendJazzed Media2011 “I thought that [Stan] was an echo of life itself: that life is precious, life is exquisite, and life is magnificent. He lived it, and his legacy points to some of those values. Whether we are able ...
Lauren Sevian: Big Voice on the Big Horn
by R.J. DeLuke
Swaying slightly, with eyes closed, Lauren Sevian pours a lot of heart and grit into the big, baritone saxophone--the largest of the most commonly played saxophones and an axe that looks even more considerable when seen against her small frame. She comes out with an imposing sound and welcoming style, put forth through a striking conception. ...
Tommaso Starace Quartet: Blood & Champagne
by Bruce Lindsay
Somewhere in a parallel universe far, far away Tommaso Starace is fêted as one of the finest saxophonists in contemporary jazz. It's the only way to explain why Starace remains so underrated on this little world. Blood & Champagne, his fourth album, should bring Planet Earth into line. Starace has a distinctive, hard-edged, tone and a ...
Abdullah Ibrahim: Perpetual Change
by Ian Patterson
For legendary pianist/composer Abdullah Ibrahim, music is always in a state of evolution. This philosophy is common to nearly all great composers, from [pianist] Duke Ellington to [trumpeter] Miles Davis and from [saxophonist] John Coltrane and [pianist] Ahmad Jamal to [guitarist] Bill Frisell. A piece of music is born, it grows and gradually matures but it ...
Damani Phillips: The String Theory
by Victor Verney
Damani PhillipsThe String TheorySelf Produced2010 The idea of adding strings to a jazz combo has long been a divisive issue among the music's aficionados. It's often disparaged by many purists as a commercial sell-out, similar to the “fusion" concept of marrying jazz with rock. One self-proclaimed hard ...
Deborah Brown: For The Love Of Ivie: A Tribute to Ivie Anderson
by Victor L. Schermer
Ivie Anderson was Duke Ellington's mainstay singer from 1931 to 1942, melding the depth of Billie Holiday with the sophisticated attitude of Lena Horne. Deborah Brown is one of the finest modern jazz vocalists ever to grace live venues and recording studios. In common with Anderson, she is a musician's vocalist, having played with the likes ...
Matthew Shipp: The Art of the Improviser
by John Sharpe
Any who have witnessed Matthew Shipp in action over the past few years will know that the pianist's bravura concert displays often eclipse his studio output. Unlike many jazz musicians the vast majority of Shipp's oeuvre has been recorded away from an audience. His previous four releases on Thirsty Ear have alternated between trio and solo ...
The Guitar Stylists of CTI Records
by Dan Bilawsky
In many ways, the guitarists who recorded for the CTI label owe a great debt to the late Wes Montgomery. Guitarist Montgomery's last recordings, before his untimely death from a heart attack, were like a laboratory test for producer Creed Taylor. At the time, Taylor was still trying to work out a formula to balance the ...
Matt Haimovitz/Uccello: Meeting of the Spirits
by Ian Patterson
Matt Haimovitz/Uccello Meeting of the Spirits Oxingale Records 2010 That the classical music world should visit jazz repertory is not without precedent. As the saying goes, there's nothing new under the sun. However, the spirits summoned here belong to that of visionary musician and internationally renowned cellist Matt ...
