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Shawn Maxwell: J Town Suite
by Jack Bowers
Saxophonist Shawn Maxwell is so fond of his hometown--Joliet, Illinois--that he has written the J Town Suite in its honor and dedicated an entire album to themes associated with his Joliet roots and upbringing. Problem is, those essays have meaning only to Maxwell--and perhaps a handful of others--so the album must be appraised ...
Eyal Vilner Big Band: Swingin' Uptown
by Jack Bowers
Even though he was born and raised in Tel Aviv, Israel, composer, saxophonist and educator Eyal Vilner is well-versed in the origins and history of American jazz, especially as they pertain to the Swing Era, big bands and the largely black jazz experience in Harlem and elsewhere. Those interests converge on Swingin' Uptown, on which Vilner's ...
Rob Parton's Ensemble 9+: Relentless
by Jack Bowers
Rob Parton, who once led the Chicago area's marvelous JazzTech big band, has since moved on to other pursuits, namely mentoring the next generation of jazz trumpeters at the stellar University of North Texas Jazz Lab in Denton. Having released eleven widely acclaimed albums with the JazzTech band, Parton has pared the lineup to nine (plus) ...
Ken Peplowski: Unheard Bird
by Jack Bowers
Even when the recording (in this case, two) is a classic--as, for example, Charlie Parker's memorable Bird with Strings (Mercury Records, 1950)--some songs that deserve better are necessarily left on the cutting-room floor. Some may see that as disappointing, while others--like reed specialist Ken Peplowski--embrace it as an opportunity. On Unheard Bird, Peplowski--with strings and a ...
Eric Alexander & Mike LeDonne: Together
by Jack Bowers
Eric Alexander and Mike LeDonne have been together many times--on recordings, in clubs, at concerts and elsewhere-- but never quite as intimately so as on this splendid album, even though they are heard Together on only four of the album's nine tracks- -LeDonne maps a solo course on three others, Alexander on two (moving to soprano ...
Jordan VanHemert: Deep in the Soil
by Jack Bowers
Energy and enthusiasm fairly leap from the speakers--or headphones--on Sharel Cassity's daring “Call to Order," the opening number on Korean-born saxophonist Jordan VanHemert's fifth album as leader, Deep in the Soil. Alas, that same ardor doesn't reappear until track seven (of eight), trombonist Michael Dease's boppish “ST in the House." In between, VanHemert and his companions ...
The 29th Annual IAJE Conference: A Jazz Merry-Go-Round
by Jack Bowers
This article was first published on All About Jazz in February 2002. As always, the annual Conference of the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE for short) in January was an absolute blast and as always, there was far too much going on for any mere mortal to see, hear and experience in four ...
The 27th Annual IAJE Conference: New Orleans And All That Jazz
by Jack Bowers
This article was first published on All About Jazz in March 2000. The 27th annual Conference of the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE), held January 12-15, 2000 in the birthplace of Jazz, New Orleans, left me with mixed emotions but no visible wounds (unlike Anaheim the year before, where I managed to fall ...
The 26th Annual IAJE Conference: A Memorable Event
by Jack Bowers
This article was first published on All About Jazz in February 1999. The 26th Annual Conference of the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) was held January 6-10, 1999 at the Disneyland Resort Hotel and Convention Center in Anaheim, California, and if there was one meaningful lesson to be learned by these Jazz mentors ...
Leigh Pilzer: Beatin' the Odds
by Jack Bowers
Beatin' the Odds. To baritone saxophonist Leigh Pilzer, that is far more than a catchphrase: it is a grim yet ultimately happy reality. In 2017, Pilzer was diagnosed with cancer. After extensive treatments, her odds of surviving more than five years were reckoned as around thirty percent. But six years have gone by, and not only ...
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