All That Jazz MonthMusical Instrument MuseumPhoenix, AZNovember 9-30, 2012All That Jazz Month, in November 2012 at the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM), featured a star-studded concert series that included the saxophonist Branford Marsalis Quartet, vocalese masters Manhattan Transfer, DIVA Jazz Trio with saxophonist Grace Kelly, and a Django Reinhardt Tribute, all staged ...

Article: Album Review

Allan Holdsworth: None Too Soon

Read "None Too Soon" reviewed by Chris M. Slawecki

by Chris M. Slawecki
December 19, 2012

For his ninth album, guitar wizard Allan Holdsworth takes on jazz classics by saxophonists John Coltrane and Joe Henderson, pianist Bill Evans and more, plus pop classics just as famous for their jazz interpretations, in a set put together by Holdsworth's longtime musical associate and pianist, Gordon Beck. “Gordon chose most of the tunes, which I ...

Article: From the Inside Out

From Britain to Boogaloo

by Chris M. Slawecki
December 16, 2012

Chris BarberMemories of My TripProper American Records2011 You will find very few jazz retrospectives more thoroughly, warmly inviting than Memories of My Trip, which celebrates six decades of recording and performing by one of Britain's most enduring traditional jazz musicians--trombonist, bassist and bandleader Chris Barber. ...

Article: Album Review

Ray Parker: Swingin' Never Hurt Nobody

Read "Swingin' Never Hurt Nobody" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
December 14, 2012

Legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt's legacy comes alive on Ray Parker's debut, Swingin' Never Hurt Nobody. A veritable double bass virtuoso, the freelancing Parker is much sought after as a bandleader and side musician in a variety of settings. This delightful foray into the musical world of string-jazz allows him to demonstrate his immense talents as an ...

Article: Live Review

Frode Kjekstad Italian Job Trio: London, UK, November 19, 2012

by Ian Patterson
December 4, 2012

Frode Kjekstad Italian Job TrioRonnie Scott's Jazz ClubSoho, London, EnglandNovember 19, 2012The London Jazz Festival may have ended for another year the day before, after 10 exhilarating days, but jazz never rests at 47 Frith Street Soho, home to Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club. Monday night was business as usual, as it ...

Article: Album Review

Jimmy Herring: Subject to Change without Notice

Read "Subject to Change without Notice" reviewed by Ian Patterson

by Ian Patterson
November 9, 2012

It's been four years since Lifeboat (Abstract Logix, 2008), guitarist Jimmy Herring's outstanding debut as leader. Herring hasn't been idle though, recording and touring with Widespread Panic. And given that it took several decades to make the first CD, four years isn't so long to wait for another-especially one this good. The emphasis is emphatically on ...