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Rick Stone Trio: Fractals
by Dan McClenaghan
Trio recordings hold a special place in jazz. Bass and drums, teaming with a piano or guitar, give the front man the most room for instrumental self expression (saxophone out front is a different matter). Though he may not be the busiest of guitarists in terms of recording, with a good stretch of time between Samba ...
Lars Jansson Trio with Ensemble MidtVest: Worship Of Self
by Chris Mosey
Pianist Lars Jansson's music is beyond category. Its roots are in jazz but, especially on Worship Of Self, it also embraces the Western classical tradition, bringing to mind the genius of Leonard Bernstein. Jansson hails from Sweden's second city, Gothenburg, but frequently visits Japan with his trio and is a self-proclaimed Zen Buddhist, ...
Birds of Fire: Jazz, Rock, Funk, and the Creation of Fusion
by Kevin Fellezs
This article appears in Chapter 3 of Birds of Fire: Jazz, Rock, Funk, and the Creation of Fusion by Kevin Fellezs (Duke University Press, 2011). Vital Transformation: Fusion's Discontents Ironically, fusion was, on the one hand, largely a concern for jazz participants and observers even though they largely denied its value or ...
Superbrass: Under the Spell of Spain
by Nicholas F. Mondello
Duke Ellington is quoted anecdotally as saying there are only two kinds of music--good and bad. It's quite possible that, after experiencing Under the Spell of Spain, there might be yet another category--music magnificently defying description. Rest assured Superbrass' disc is very good; however, while it is not an entirely jazz-focused effort--leaning heavily on the orchestral ...
Jimmy Owens: The Monk Project
by Mark Corroto
Jimmy Owens' tribute to the indomitable music of Thelonious Monk is a luxurious road trip that travels on smooth roads once precarious and quite perilous. His septet, an experienced large/small ensemble, glides almost effortlessly through the opulence of this music.The ease in which these musicians maneuver through the nine Monk compositions, plus Duke Ellington's ...
SuperSax Me
by Jack Bowers
Back in the early 1970s bassist Buddy Clark and saxophonist Med Flory conceived a brilliant idea: to form a group (primarily a reed section with rhythm) that would use orchestrated arrangements of saxophonist Charlie Parker's transcendent bop solos as the basis for its music. As for a name, nothing less than SuperSax would suffice. The nine-piece ...
BAM or JAZZ: Why It Matters
by Greg Thomas
Since the last Race and Jazz column, the first of a multi-part discussion with John Gennari--the top scholar on the history of jazz criticism--a firestorm of controversy has arisen surrounding Nicholas Payton's declaration that, to him, the word jazz is dead. He also feels that the word jazz is tantamount to or worse than the n" ...
What is Jazz? Good Question...
by Jason West
What is jazz? According to Wynton Marsalis jazz is music that swings. According to Pat Metheny jazz is not the music of Kenny G. According to Webster's jazz is characterized by propulsive syncopated rhythms, polyphonic ensemble playing, varying degrees of improvisation, and often deliberate distortions of pitch and timbre. Personally, I prefer the definition found in ...
27th Havana International Jazz Festival: Havana, Cuba, December 15-18, 2011
by Louis Heckheimer
27th Havana International Jazz Festival Havana International Jazz Festival Plaza Havana, Cuba December 15-18, 2011 [Note: This is the second of a series of articles reporting on concerts and other activities that took place, as well as profiles of Cuban musicians who took part.] The Havana International Jazz Festival ...
Stan Kenton-NOVA Jazz Orchestra / Baker's Dozen Big Band / Danny D'Imperio and the Bloviators
by Jack Bowers
Stan Kenton Orchestra / NOVA Jazz OrchestraDouble Feature, Vol. 2Tantara Productions2012 One of the more difficult aspects of reviewing Tantara's series of impressive salutes to Stan Kenton and his music is knowing where to begin. As on Volume 1 of the label's Double Feature (with Volume 3 ...


