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Upstate New York Jazz: Brian Patneaude, Lee Shaw, Steve Lambert
by J Hunter
A famous New Yorker cover shows Manhattan in detail up to the Hudson River, and then the rest of the nation is one small, faceless block. Jazz in the Empire State is seen the same way--everything in Manhattan, nothing in the hinterlands. But a few hours up the New York Thruway is Albany, birthplace of vibes ...
J Hunter's Best Jazz Discs of 2009
by J Hunter
It's that time again--the season for relentless bell-ringers, wild-eyed consumers, and end-of-year countdown lists. The latter category can actually be helpful for last-minute shoppers who want to give someone “the best of everything." However, a little background info never hurts the buying process. As such, here's one more countdown for Best Jazz Discs of 2009. #10 ...
Arturo O'Farrill: Risa Negra
by J Hunter
Pianist Arturo O'Farrill describes the music on Risa Negra as “Latin/jazz/funk/classical." By “accepted" standards, that means it won't fit into established musical pigeonholes; the Latin, funk, and jazz contingents won't go for it because of the classical angle, and the classical contingent won't go for it because ... well, there's something other than classical music involved. ...
The Art of the Trio: John Patitucci, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Marcus Strickland
by J Hunter
Pianist Brad Mehldau got flak for naming a series of discs “The Art of the Trio." But it really is an art, and no more so than when the lead instrument is not a piano, or any member of the keyboard family. Think about it. Without the myriad capabilities of Mehldau's instrument, a trio's leader must ...
McCoy Tyner: alone and (in spirit) with SFJAZZ Collective
by J Hunter
Usually, the kind of passionate tribute SFJAZZ Collective delivers annually is reserved for artists who are either no longer on the scene, or whose productivity has seriously tanked. However, current honoree McCoy Tyner fits neither of those definitions. The pianist's winter 2009 disc follows the remarkable CD/DVD package Guitars (Half Note, 2008), and is Tyner's third ...
Roni Ben-Hur: Fortuna
by J Hunter
The most famous lyric from Charlie Chaplin's bittersweet song “Smile" is, “Smile, though your heart is aching/Smile, even though it's breaking." Roni Ben-Hur knows that methodology, and how: Smile (Motema, 2008), Ben-Hur's benefit disc with fellow guitarist Gene Bertoncini, was originally conceived as a duet with Ben-Hur's longtime bassist Earl May, who died before recording began. ...
Let's Party: Anthony Wilson Trio, Joel Frahm & Bruce Katz, James Carter et al.
by J Hunter
Just because summer is long gone doesn't mean the other three seasons have to be a marathon of dreariness. The calendar's got plenty of reasons to party--Christmas, New Year's Eve, or (for college students) the odd Tuesday that needs freshening up. It's only logical that parties need party music, so here are three “musical guests," all ...
No "Vanity" Here: Jackie Ryan, Denise Donatelli, Lisa Sokolov, Kat Edmonson
by J Hunter
One of the whinier columns ever to appear in a major jazz publication concerned “Vanity Projects"--that is, sessions bankrolled by rich men for their marginally talented spouses/girlfriends/siblings/whatever. Unfortunately, those kind of recordings do exist, and in far greater numbers than desirable. However, the author's implication was that most female vocal projects could be categorized in this ...
Jason Marsalis: Music Update
by J Hunter
It's not like Jason Marsalis has been invisible since he released Music in Motion (Basin Street, 2002); his name's just been on the back of CD booklets instead of the front. With Music Update, Marsalis is back at the top of the bill, except he's brought a different set of sticks with him, or more specifically, ...
Luis Bonilla: I Talking Now!
by J Hunter
The cover art for I Talking Now gives a visual demonstration of how trombonist Luis Bonilla's father took control of conversations at the family dinner table. When things got a little too animated for him, Bonilla's dad would bark out his signature admonishment, “You Chuttup! I talking now!" Both Doctors Phil and Spock would probably take ...
