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Lee Konitz: What True Improvising Is
by Bob Kenselaar
Lee Konitz is legendary as one of the great individualists in jazz, an art form that has always placed an extraordinary high value on individualism and unique forms of expression. “I've pretty much dedicated myself to trying to figure out what true improvising is," he says, “as opposed to playing what you know and getting loose ...
Bobo Stenson Trio: Indicum
by John Kelman
With Cantando (ECM, 2008), Swedish pianist Bobo Stenson finally documented the significant renewal of his quarter-century trio with bassist Anders Jormin. The pair had been playing with Jon Fält since the departure of drummer Jon Christensen in the early 2000s. But if Fält was already touring with Stenson when Goodbye (ECM, 2005) was released, its curious--and ...
Matthew Silberman: Questionable Creatures
by Dan Bilawsky
The concept of straight-line status quo and normalcy powers plenty of artists along their journey of creation, but saxophonist/composer Matthew Silberman prefers the not-so-normal. The Salvador Dali-esque artwork that accompanies his album, and the population of questionable musical creatures that inhabit his world, are easy-to-read signs that point to a surrealist streak in Silberman's work. But, ...
The Year of the Trio: Fred Hersch and Masabumi Kikuchi
by Hrayr Attarian
The grouping of piano, bass and drums is perhaps the most popular combo in jazz and hence 2012, like most years, has seen its share of sessions in that format. It is, however, not because of the quantity of the output but because of the issuance of two exceptional albums that it should be known as ...
Frank Kimbrough Trio: Live At Kitano
by Dan Bilawsky
Pianist Frank Kimbrough can't avoid the magnetic pull of the trio. His own discography contains fine solo, duo, quartet and quintet dates, but a good half of the releases under his name have been triangular affairs that focus on his flexible take on this time-tested format. Kimbrough keeps coming back to this scenario, not because he ...
Fred Hersch Trio: Alive At The Vanguard
by Mark Corroto
Tradition is served well on this Fred Hersch Trio live recording from New York's Village Vanguard. The pianist's covers of the American songbook, like Cole Porter's “From This Moment On" and jazz classics such as Miles Davis' “Nardis" and Thelonious Monk's “Played Twice," animate and energize every moment of this club date.Hersch, whose touring ...
Lee Konitz / Bill Frisell / Gary Peacock / Joey Baron: Enfants Terribles: Live at the Blue Note
by Mark Corroto
Super groups are, by their very nature, either bright shining stars or catastrophic exploding supernovae. Dream team basketball lineups get beat by upstarts, and the new Stallone/Schwarzenegger/Van Damme movie is sure to be a nonstarter. The reasons for the flops are usually chemistry and vision, both essential requirements.Same can be said for jazz groups. ...
Lee Konitz / Bill Frisell / Gary Peacock / Joey Baron: Enfants Terribles: Live at the Blue Note
by John Kelman
The idea of going into a club and playing a set of standards without any plans, preconceptions or pre- arrangements ain't exactly new; it's what plenty of jazz musicians do, each and every night. But it's one thing to go in and run down some Real Book charts, head-solo-head style, and give everyone a chance to ...
Art Lande: Revealing the Infinite
by Florence Wetzel
Born in New York City on February 5, 1947, pianist and drummer Art Lande has been a font of creativity throughout his long and multifaceted career. Lande grew up in Long Island and started studying piano at age four; he attended Williams College, then moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1969. During the early ...
Motian Sickness: The Music of Paul Motian: For the Love of Sarah
by Ian Patterson
Washington, DC drummer Jeff Cosgrove's exploration of jazz drumming legend Paul Motian's music has been a labor of love. Motian, who passed away in November 2011, sent Cosgrove 29 tunes over the three years this project took to realize. Using traditional bluegrass musicians as a kind of laboratory, Cosgrove chose compositions that best fit the uncommon ...
