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Gene Bertoncini / Roni Ben-Hur: Smile: Jazz Therapy Volume 1
by J Hunter
In November 2007, Roni Ben-Hur and his bassist Earl May approached Motema Records with a great idea: They would record a duo CD, pro bono, as a fundraiser for the Dizzy Gillespie Memorial Fund, a trust created by Engelwood Hospital and Medical Center to fund health care for jazz musicians who can't afford it (i.e. just ...
New Jazz Composers Octet: The Turning Gate
by J Hunter
Good support players can add color and depth to the vision of almost any artist; the right supporting cast can help a leader move in innumerable creative directions--witness the many phases of Dave Douglas. But what if a support player has a vision to share with the world? That was trumpeter David Weiss' motivation for founding ...
Amina Figarova: Above the Clouds
by J Hunter
On September Suite (Munich, 2005), Amina Figarova's inspiration was one of the biggest events this generation may ever know--the September 11th attacks, and their psychological aftermath. While Above the Clouds's subject matter is both smaller and lighter, Figarova again chooses a large medium and a multi-colored palate to illustrate her vision. And this is all to ...
McCoy Tyner: Guitars
by J Hunter
McCoy TynerGuitarsHalf Note Records2008 It's amazing that the concept of McCoy Tyner recording with a guitarist has never come up before. After all, the legendary piano man has done just about everything else, with and without former employer, saxophonist John Coltrane. Now we have Guitars, which mixes Tyner ...
Lee Shaw Trio: Live in Graz
by J Hunter
Lee Shaw TrioLive in GrazARC--Artists Recording Collective2008 It's hard to remember this in the face of accomplished players like saxophonist Anat Cohen, pianist and vocalist Eliane Elias and drummer Cindy Blackman, but it is an unfortunate fact: female instrumentalists (and female leaders, come to that) are still a ...
Francisco Mela: Cirio: Live at the Blue Note
by J Hunter
Unlike many who started out at the Berklee School of Music--doing more time in the clubs than the classroom--Francisco Mela skipped the step of Berklee and went straight into the Boston club scene, working with the likes of Danilo Perez (who'd urged Mela to move from Cuba to Beantown in the first place), Roy Haynes, and ...
SFJazz Collective: Live 2008: 5th Annual Concert Tour
by J Hunter
SFJazz Collective is not unfamiliar with personnel turnover. Since the octet's debut in 2004, there has been at least one lineup change every year. This season, though, saw three new arrivals--the most notable being Joe Lovano, who succeeds Joshua Redman as Artistic Director. When you factor in Dave Douglas' addition in 2007, that means ...
Rudresh Mahanthappa: Kinsmen
by J Hunter
It's hard to know what key will open a locked door. For Rudresh Mahanthappa, the door was his desire to meld the compositional and improvisatory esthetics of jazz and Indian classical music. Mahanthappa's key arrived when his brother gave him a post-recital gag gift: A CD by legendary Indian musician Kadri Gopalnath called Saxophone Indian Style ...
The Wee Trio: Capitol Diner Vol. 1
by J Hunter
"Lightning in a bottle" is an excellent metaphor for The Wee Trio's Capitol Diner Vol. 1, given how the music crackles like high-tension wires in a rainstorm. But it's the level of electricity that is the surprise. On its face, TWT's instrumental makeup--vibes with a rhythm section--doesn't seem to lend itself to any kind of aggressive ...
Aaron Parks: Invisible Cinema
by J Hunter
When Aaron Parks first appeared with Terence Blanchard, the then-19-year old pianist with wild hair and rumpled clothing made him indistinguishable from many of the young jazz fans who came to see Blanchard's return from the world of Spike Lee film scores. Looks can be deceiving though as Parks would later become a key contributor to ...
