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252

Article: Multiple Reviews

Skirl Records: The Clarinets, The New Mellow Edwards, My Ears Are Bent

by A. Henkin
May 27, 2006

Chris Speed, Oscar Noriega, Anthony Burr The Clarinets Skirl 2006 Ted Reichman My Ears Are Bent Skirl 2006 Curtis Hasselbring The New Mellow Edwards Skirl 2006 ...

164

Article: Album Review

Gutbucket: Sludge Test

Read "Sludge Test" reviewed by Abe Pollack

by Abe Pollack
May 26, 2006

The members of Gutbucket have never been satisfied with the moniker “jazz quartet," nor have they wanted to fit in with stereotypical rockers. Their sound, if it had to be categorized, should be filed under noir-jazz, or maybe klez-rock, but most likely squawk-thrash. This ambiguity shines in their third full-length album, Sludge Test. ...

231

Article: Album Review

Rick Haydon & John Pizzarelli: Just Friends

Read "Just Friends" reviewed by Ken Dryden

by Ken Dryden
May 26, 2006

Guitarist Rick Haydon, a veteran jazz educator, is not widely known to most jazz fans. On the other hand, John Pizzarelli has established himself by leading his own trio (and appearing in many Foxwoods Casino ads). Following a concert together in 2004, Haydon achieved his goal of recording a tribute to greats of the instrument with ...

297

Article: New York Beat

Memoirs: Mike Zwerin and Charles Cochran

by Nick Catalano
May 25, 2006

Two septuagenarian memoirs--a book by a Paris based jazz writer and a CD by a Palm Beach singer/pianist occupy us this month. Their retrospectives on American jazz and standards offer us much food for thought. Mike Zwerin gave up his status as CEO of a steel company to play jazz trombone, winding up in Europe eventually ...

200

Article: Album Review

Anthony Branker & Ascent: Spirit Songs

Read "Spirit Songs" reviewed by Ken Franckling

by Ken Franckling
May 25, 2006

Primarily working outside of the major league jazz spotlight, but not far from it by any means, Anthony Branker is crafting some of today's finest compositions--and has assembled the sextet Ascent to bring them to musical life. Spirit Songs consists of tunes Branker has written since 1997, performed by a rather formidable unit: ...

179

Article: Album Review

Lou Rawls: The Best of Lou Rawls - The Capitol Jazz & Blues Sessions

Read "The Best of Lou Rawls - The Capitol Jazz & Blues Sessions" reviewed by Andrew Velez

by Andrew Velez
May 25, 2006

This document of Lou Rawls' decade with Capitol in the '60s celebrates the beginnings of the recently departed artist, one of the rare male vocalists with a big, beautiful sound who could sing his butt off. His professional beginnings were with the gospel group The Singing Travelers, and their 1962 recording of “Motherless Child opens the ...

237

Article: Album Review

Duke Ellington: The Essential Duke Ellington

Read "The Essential Duke Ellington" reviewed by Ken Dryden

by Ken Dryden
May 25, 2006

Anytime the term “essential" is utilized in a compilation of an artist's work, critics are ready to second-guess it. But this two-CD set issued by Columbia/Legacy, now a part of the parent company Sony-BMG, represents a good cross-section of Duke Ellington's studio recordings and even licenses a few tracks from other companies to fill some gaps, ...

165

Article: Album Review

Marcus Strickland Quartets: Twi-Life

Read "Twi-Life" reviewed by Jeff Stockton

by Jeff Stockton
May 25, 2006

It's telling that the first cut on disc one of Twi-Life is a Wayne Shorter cover. Marcus Strickland's acoustic quartet seems to draw inspiration from Shorter's classic Blue Note years and the contemporary Footprints Live band. And while this group doesn't quite reach that level of excitement or create as much dramatic tension, it comes close ...

331

Article: Album Review

John Ellis: By a Thread

Read "By a Thread" reviewed by Elliott Simon

by Elliott Simon
May 24, 2006

Over the past several years, tenor saxophonist John Ellis has developed a powerfully funky style. More recently, he has stretched out to bass clarinet and ocarina, releasing two well-received sessions as a leader and maintaining his integral part in guitarist Charlie Hunter's well-known trio. On By a Thread Ellis has brought together a quintet that delivers ...

Article: Album Review

Paraphrase: Pre-Emptive Denial

Read "Pre-Emptive Denial" reviewed by Sean Patrick Fitzell

by Sean Patrick Fitzell
May 24, 2006

Without a compositional safety net, freely improvising musicians must listen deeply and react quickly to avoid excess repetition or meandering. Executed with precision, the visceral immediacy of free improv can be exhilarating, as is the case on Pre-Emptive Denial, the third release by Paraphrase, saxophonist Tim Berne's improvising trio with drummer Tom Rainey and bassist Drew ...