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Tom Harrell: Roman Nights
by Robert Dugan
Since signing with the HighNote label in 2006, Tom Harrell has released the most significant CDs in his three decades-plus of recording. It's no coincidence that, for this same period, he has been leading a true dream band of younger players. His previous output for RCA was of the highest quality, particularly Paradise (2001), a unique ...
Take Five With Matt Slocum
by AAJ Staff
Meet Matt Slocum:“Matt Slocum's multicolored traps--at times forceful or delicate, creatively painting varied tempos with the essence of swing--define the drummer's debut, Portraits. Hailing from St. Paul, Minnesota, Slocum's introduction carries forward the torch of patriarchs Max Roach and Elvin Jones amongst others, but he also carves out his own rhythmic patterns with young ...
Tom Harrell: Roman Nights
by John Kelman
Since coming back from hiatus following the superb Wise Children (Bluebird, 2003), Tom Harrell's been on a roll. On a new label (HighNote) and with a new working quartet, the trumpeter has gone from success to success, from the undeniably fine Light On (2007), to the even better Prana Dance (2009). Whether Roman Dances is even ...
John Blake Jr.: Motherless Child
by Mark F. Turner
The precursor to the blues as a music form was first heard in the chants and songs of African American slaves. Their lyrics of hardship, perseverance, and faith were expressed through work songs, hymns, and spirituals, some of which are beautifully interpreted on John Blake Jr.'s Motherless Child. Growing up in South Philadelphia, Blake had this ...
Monterey Jazz Festival All-Star Group at Orange Co. Performing Arts Center on April 24
By Larry Taylor Always at the forefront of modern jazz, the one-and-only Monterey Jazz Festival has taken to the road with a roster of musical heavyweights representing today's very best including: nine-time Grammy-nominated and NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron on piano; Grammy-nominated Regina Carter on violin; Grammy winner Russell Malone on guitar; Grammy-winning vocalist Kurt Elling; ...
Craig Handy: The Busiest Man In Jazz
by Robert Dugan
Saxophonist Craig Handy is a musician's musician. Those “in the know" know about him, which is why he's been a first call player in New York for over two decades. He is a careful, thoughtful improviser—expansive and precise. His solos build on a rich knowledge of the tradition at the same time as they often set ...
Michael Janisch: Purpose Built
by Woodrow Wilkins
The first notes of Purpose Built's opening track draw attention, setting up a pleasurable jaunt into the world of Michael Janisch on this 30 year-old bassist's debut as a bandleader. Born in the United States and now residing in London, England, Janisch is skilled at both the acoustic and the electric bass. He has ...
Michael Janisch: Purpose Built
by J Hunter
At a glance, Purpose Built, bassist Michael Janisch's debut as a leader, looks like a big-band session. The roster on the back of the CD case is not just stocked with notables, it's a long list of notables. As such, it would make sense to imagine this group arranged on risers, pinning the studio's needles as ...
Matt Slocum: Portraits
by Mark F. Turner
Matt Slocum's multicolored traps--at times forceful or delicate, creatively painting varied tempos with the essence of swing--define the drummer's debut, Portraits. Hailing from St. Paul, Minnesota, Slocum's introduction carries forward the torch of patriarchs Max Roach and Elvin Jones amongst others, but he also carves out his own rhythmic patterns with young contemporaries such as Eric ...
Joe Locke: Versatile Vibes Master
by R.J. DeLuke
Jazz has a history of inclusiveness, accepting the influences of music from around the globe. It also knows no boundaries when it comes to instrumentation, accommodating all kinds of axes if they are played in the spirit of jazz. Rufus Harley even brought the unlikely bagpipes into the lexicon, playing the sound of surprise on the ...
