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Saxophone Meets Guitar: The Dynamic Duo of Jazz
by Robert Middleton
Imagine a smoky jazz club where the deep, soulful wail of a saxophone weaves effortlessly with the nimble, melodic lines of a guitar. This rare instrumental combination is a hidden gem in the world of jazz that deserves more attention. Jazz is not just a genre--it is a universe with galaxies of swing, bebop, ...
Juanma Trujillo: Howl
by Jerome Wilson
Guitarist Juanma Trujillo's Howl explores some of the ways acoustic guitar can flourish in a small jazz group setting. Instead of playing simple rhythm parts, he is fully engaged in the music made by his three bandmates. His tangled strumming makes an interesting counterpoint to Kevin Sun's barrelling tenor sax on “Catharsis." On “Howl," his abstract ...
My Conversation with David Binney
by Glenn Astarita
This article first appeared on All About Jazz in September 1999. New York City-based saxophonist and composer David Binney has been getting lots of well-deserved attention over the last several years. Three excellent CDs with the unique and hard driving band Lost Tribe, stints with Medeski Martin & Wood, Drew Gress' Jagged Sky, Aretha ...
Lee Underwood: California Sigh
by Gareth Thompson
Lee Underwood's late father played trombone in a big band at the University of Colorado. Underwood recalls, “Whenever he thought of those days, my dad would close his eyes, purse his lips, and extend his right hand as if still playing this beloved trombone." Lee himself became a high-school jazz pianist, but caught his break as ...
The Continuing Adventures of Janel & Anthony
by Jerome Wilson
Cellist Janel Leppin and guitarist Anthony Pirog are both sturdy pillars of Washington, DC's creative music scene. Musical and life partners for over twenty years, the couple have spent a long time working together as a duo as well as pursuing individual projects. The universe of their combined work encompasses spiritual jazz, folk song, surf rock, ...
Take Five With Bassist / Composer Yosef Gutman Levitt
by AAJ Staff
Meet Yosef Gutman Yosef Gutman Levitt, born in 1979 in South Africa, grew up on a farm in Knoppieslaagte. His musical journey began with piano lessons, which he later abandoned for skateboarding. At 16, inspired by the work of Jaco Pastorius, he picked up the bass guitar. He earned a scholarship to Berklee College of Music ...
Norma Winstone, Kit Downes: Outpost Of Dreams
by Chris May
Any release by Norma Winstone is an event and Outpost Of Dreams, her much anticipated first album since 2018's Descansado (Songs For Films) (ECM), rises to expectations. It presents her in a new duo setting with pianist Kit Downes, a star in his own right who is equally on point as an accompanist. His sensitive, empathetic ...
Roberto Ottaviano & Pinturas: A che punto è la notte
by Neri Pollastri
Pinturas è la formazione “casalinga" di Roberto Ottaviano, quella che il sassofonista barese ha in piedi da anni e che condivide con artisti delle sue terre quali il chitarrista Nando Di Modugno, il contrabbassista Giorgio Vendola e il batterista Pippo D'Ambrosio. Una formazione che suona spesso, specie nei festival del meridione, e che di tanto in ...
JoVia Armstrong, Adam Birnbaum and Vincent Hsu
by Jerome Wilson
This particular show is a bit on the quiet side, but it still features several varied jazz performers including JoVia Armstrong, Ralph Towner, Vincent Hsu, Dave Brubeck, and Adam Birnbaum. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) ...
Christy Doran: in The Corner Of The Eye
by Ian Patterson
For forty years, Irish-born, Lucerne-based guitarist Christy Doran has recorded prolifically for numerous labels. Inevitably perhaps, many of his earlier works are out of print, so it's cause for celebration that this release brings together the very best of Phoenix (hat Art, 1990) and What a Band (hat Art, 1992), two long-neglected yet essential Doran recordings. ...
