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Cedar Walton: Seasoned Wood
by Douglas Payne
Pianist Cedar Walton has long been the perfect accompanist for so many other leaders. He's written quite a few of jazz's few “standards" over the last half century as well. For four decades now, he's also been an outstanding leader, waxing dozens of discs that win plenty of critical plaudits but never seem to bring him ...
Bill O'Connell: Triple Play
by Douglas Payne
Following a three-decade run as a pianistic purveyor of jazz that leans occasionally toward the Latin side and six progressively interesting solo efforts, pianist Bill O'Connell's Triple Play, his first effort for the Savant label, might very well be the best thing he's ever done. Here, he's assembled a trio that includes longtime musical associate Dave ...
Sadao Watanabe: How's Everything
by Douglas Payne
In 1977, prolific Japanese saxophonist Sadao Watanabe began recording a series of jazz fusion albums supervised, for the most part, by pianist, arranger and GRP wunderkind, Dave Grusin. A hugely popular icon of Japanese jazz since the mid-1960s, Watanabe had already recorded four such fusion albums (in between other more straight-ahead projects) when he was offered ...
Ted Nash: The Mancini Project
by Douglas Payne
While Henry Mancini (1924-1994) borrowed plenty from jazz, he returned in kind by contributing a large body of fine, memorable music worthy of the melodic jazz tradition. Much of Mancini's best film music--particularly those scores from the early 1960s--sprang from the “cool jazz" of the 1950s West Coast Scene and featured some of the era's best ...
Sahib Shihab: Sahib Shihab and the Danish Radio Jazz Group
by Douglas Payne
Sahib Shihab (1925-1989) played alongside such greats as Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Tadd Dameron, and Art Blakey in the 1940s and 50s. But in order to escape the racial problems in the United States and take advantage of the increased appreciation and opportunities for jazz abroad, he left for Europe and settled in Copenhagen in 1962. ...
Fourplay: Energy
by Douglas Payne
Fourplay is as much a conundrum as a contrivance. Their punning name suggests sexy jazz--and both levels are sometimes achieved--but if this collective's aim of producing what is, after all, supposed to be “pretty music" meets its goal, it may sell millions but it rarely rises above agreeable (for those paying attention) or merely listenable (for ...
Terry Silverlight: Diamond In The Riff
by Douglas Payne
Drummer Terry Silverlight's interesting and varied career dates back to his first session on brother Barry Miles' highly-regarded album White Heat (Mainstream, 1971), when he was only 14. He's since gone on to frequently high-profile gigs with Mel Torme, George Benson, David Matthews, Phil Woods, Tom Jones, Roberta Flack and many others as well as appearances ...
Ray Bryant, Hank Crawford, Heavy Flute: Three By Label M
by Douglas Payne
I have a belief that all writing must avoid the nominative singular pronoun, “I.” This is particularly necessary in reviews or interviews. What is any reader to think of an article allegedly about something or someone else when it’s littered with references to “I,” “me” and “my”? Who cares? A good writer will reveal ...
Marc Ribot Y Los Cubanos Postizos: Muy Divertido! (Very Entertaining!)
by Douglas Payne
>Surely a disc that lives up to its own title, Muy Divertido! (Very Entertaining!) is difficult to consider from a jazz perspective. So maybe it ain't jazz. Maybe it doesn't matter. But, then again, eccentric downtown guitarist Marc Ribot has made a career out of being unpredictable - and never less than totally interesting.On ...
Marc Ribot Y Los Cubanos Postizos: ?Muy Divertido! (Very Entertaining!)
by Douglas Payne
Surely a disc that lives up to its own title, ?Muy Divertido! (Very Entertaining!) is difficult to consider from a jazz perspective. So maybe it ain't jazz. Maybe it doesn't matter. But, then again, eccentric downtown guitarist Marc Ribot has made a career out of being unpredictable - and never less than totally interesting.On ...
