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Reviewed: Jason Anick, Jason Yeager | Misha Tsiganov | Franco Ambrosetti | Devin Gray - Jazz Journal
Jason Anick, Jason Yeager: Sanctuary (Sunnyland Records SSC 1738) The two Jasons, violinist Anick and pianist Yeager have a history going back to their teenage years when they jammed together in and around Boston. They are now both members of the faculty at the Berklee College of Music where all the tracks on this CD […]
Reviewed: George Duke | Scott LaFaro | Mike Stern - Jazz Journal
George Duke: From Me To You – The Definitive Collection 1977-2000 (Robinsongs Robin5BX74) A five-CD box seems an appropriate tribute to keyboard master George Duke. Containing a staggering 87 tracks, it comprises over six hours of music. Starting with seven tracks (including the title track) from the album From Me To You (Epic, 1977) the […]
Reviewed: John Williamson | John Alvey | Arun Ramamurthy | Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli - Jazz Journal
John Williamson: The Northern Sea (Ubuntu UBU0182) Over the years, one of the many sources of inspiration for composition has been location: Dear Old Stockholm, April In Paris, Moonlight In Vermont, Chelsea Bridge, and so on. No doubt it’s tempting fate, but not many have used the Yorkshire coast as a muse. On the face […]
Reviewed: Geoffrey Keezer | Nexus | Gato Barbieri - Jazz Journal
Three partly related themes this month: the squirts of album releases from busy record labels; the number of albums recorded live at famous venues; and the tributes being paid to the music of others, a province long dominated commercially and perfected to sometimes ludicrous extent by the pop/rock fraternity. Doing the rounds of UK clubs […]
Reviewed: David Haney | Scarla O’Horror | Anna Marie | Marilyn Maye - Jazz Journal
David Haney: four albums on Cadence and New York Jazz Stories Pianist David Haney’s put out a number of albums this time round, including appearances by musicians including Marty Ehrlich, Kirk Knuffke and, implausibly in Haney’s generally avant-garde milieu, funk-drum maestro Bernard Purdie. His musical approach might be described as post-Cecil Taylor, although more helpful […]
New releases Oct-Nov 2024, S-T - Jazz Journal
Sajdera, Anne: It’s Here They say : Third album by San Francisco pianist/composer Anne Sajdera takes listeners on an uplifting & groove-filled journey with Sajdera originals, familiar standards, & a Slovak folk song. Personnel includes Gary Brown (b), Deszon Claiborne (d), Mike Olmos (tpt), & Jesse Levit (as). (Bijuri Records) Salo, Matti: Matti Salo Quartet: 4 + […]
New releases Oct-Nov 2024, P-R - Jazz Journal
Pagán, Michael: Paganova They say : Paganova the new album from the prolific pianist/composer Michael Pagán, who has become a fixture of the Kansas City jazz scene over the past two decades, documents five of his compositions and three arrangements of tunes by some of the most celebrated masters of the post-bop era. (Capri Records) Pallas, Michael: […]
New releases Oct-Nov 2024, M-O - Jazz Journal
M.T.B. Quintet (Mehldau / Turner / Bernstein) : Solid Jackson They say : When eminent jazz practitioners with shared histories convene in the studio without rehearsal or preparatory gigs, a perfunctory, by-the-numbers session is often the outcome. That is decidedly not the case on Solid Jackson, whose personnel, four of whom participated on the well-wrought day-after-Christmas of […]
New releases Oct-Nov 2024, V-Z - Jazz Journal
Valdes, Chucho: Jazz Nocturno They say : Nothing. (Descarga 637002 LP) Vallon, Colin: Samares They say : The signature-lyricism of Colin Vallon’s compositions and his trio’s understated three-way interaction remain magically intact on “Samares”. Yet, much has evolved in the sound of the Swiss pianist’s group (with bassist Patrice Moret and drummer Julian Sartorius) since 2017’s “Danse”, among other […]
Reviewed: DD Jackson | Christopher Parnis | Naomi Moon Siegel - Jazz Journal
DD Jackson: Poetry Project (ddjackson.com) Who among us did not launch an eccentric project during lockdown? DD Jackson certainly did. When poet George Elliott Clarke popped up in Jackson’s inbox asking him to set one of his texts to music, the award-winning pianist opted to give it a go. Clarke then chucked a dozen more […]
Reviewed: Bill Charlap Trio | Ann Kittredge - Jazz Journal
Bill Charlap Trio: Then And Again (Blue Note) For me this album represents an atoll of tranquillity in a sea of chaos. For though it was recorded barely one year ago as I write – 9 September 2023 at the Village Vanguard, New York – both the content and style of performing afford a comfort […]
Peers and MPs venture beyond Taylor and the Gallaghers - Jazz Journal
It might have seemed lately that the tastes of British politicians don’t extend beyond Taylor Swift and Oasis but on 29 October, at an undisclosed venue, probably in London, politicians belonging to the All-Party Parliamentary Jazz Group (APPJG) and a judging panel from the jazz “constituency” conferred awards on music practitioners of the non-pop variety. […]
Reviewed: Miles Davis | Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers - Jazz Journal
Miles Davis: Steamin’ (20th Century Masterworks 350270) Just before signing for the prestigious Columbia Records label in 1956 the Miles Davis quintet recorded their final four LPs for Prestige, fulfilling a contract obligation. Miles had been working with John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones for most of that year so Cookin,’ […]
New releases Oct-Nov 2024, J-L - Jazz Journal
Jackson, Javon: Javon and Nikki Go to the Movies They say : Tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson reunites with renowned poet, activist and educator Nikki Giovanni for a second extraordinary collaboration. Javon and Nikki Go to the Movies, due out August 23, 2024 via Solid Jackson / Palmetto Records, draws on the pair’s shared love for standards from […]
Reviewed: Mathilde Febrer | Joe Marsala - Jazz Journal
Mathilde Febrer: Milou En Mai (Frémeaux FA 8613) Classically trained and with a lifelong interest in jazz, the versatile and experienced violinist Mathilde Febrer has worked over the years with a diverse range of noted names, including Claude Bolling, Charles Aznavour and Led Zeppelin. This tribute album to the swing violin maestro Stephane Grappelli is the […]
Reviewed: Billie Holiday | Sarah Vaughan | Dinah Washington | Jimmy Smith - Jazz Journal
Billie Holiday: Solitude Songs By Billie Holiday (Number One Essentials LP 291009) The ever-alert Norman Granz took over Billie’s (faltering) career in the 1940s, and featured her extensively in his early JATP concerts. This studio recording from 1952 (her first for Granz) set the pattern for her subsequent studio and “live” sessions for Verve. Solitude […]
New releases Oct-Nov 2024, E-I - Jazz Journal
Edmonds, Euan: Beyond Hope and Fear They say : Trombonist and composer Euan Edmonds releases a set of all original compositions, and his first record as a leader with Desafio Candete Records. The set includes a 30 minute suite titled Beyond Hope and Fear, and features Clark Gibson, Dustin Laurenzi, Paul Bedal, Sam Peters, and Neil Hemphill. […]
Reviewed: John Beasley, Frankfurt Radio Big Band | Neff Irizarry | Alice Zawadzki, Fred Thomas, Misha Mullov-Abbado | Lina Nyberg | Runar Nørsett - Jazz Journal
John Beasley, Frankfurt Radio Big Band: Returning To Forever (Candid CAN 33352) Following my review last month of the Del Sasso Big Band’s revisioning of Chick Corea’s 1981 Three Quartets, here is another high-octane take on the pianist’s multi-dimensional world. This time the music includes material I associate with the moment when Corea turned the […]
Symphonies in Black: Duke Ellington shorts at the Barbican, London - Jazz Journal
Back in the day, when you and I were young, Maggie, and your local Essoldo offered not one, but two feature films, a newsreel, magazine – Pathe Pictorial, Look At Life – and a cartoon, they were wont to throw in, as an occasional bonus, short black and white films featuring the bands of the […]
Reviewed: Neil Cowley Trio | Aaron Parks | Phil Bancroft Trio | Alasdair Pennington | The Tony Currie Orchestra - Jazz Journal
Neil Cowley Trio: Entity (Hide Inside Records HIDECD003) This month’s digest starts with two excellent releases from piano-led bands. After a considerable break, Neil Cowley returns with his trio and a pared back sound that explores the joy of human connection in the digital age. In years to come, cultural historians may well write about […]
New releases Oct-Nov 2024, C-D - Jazz Journal
Calgaréal: Vanishing Point They say : Calgaréal is a dynamic new Canadian cross-country collective. The project fuses together two distinct musical scenes; that of Calgary, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains; and Montréal, on the St. Laurence River. The band was spearheaded by violinist Jeremy Gignoux, a former Montrealer now based in Calgary, who saw an […]
The Jazz Omnibus: 21st Century Photos And Writings - Jazz Journal
Edited by David Adler – who contributes a piece of “self-confessed shameless promotion” in a prolix introduction to this massive compendium states “I’m proud of my two published books (Miles Ornette Cecil – Jazz Beyond Jazz and Future Jazz) and my unpublished ones.” The Jazz Omnibus is published and available in all formats at Amazon.com […]
Reviewed: Emmet Cohen | Dwayne Clemons | Linda Dachtyl | Remembered: Benny & Willem - Jazz Journal
Emmet Cohen: Vibe Provider (Mack Avenue 1211) Neo-stride is one of many strengths of Emmet Cohen, fabulous pianist and savvy entrepreneur. The opening song Vibe Provider is a homage to Willie “The Lion” Smith and as virtuosic as it is fluent, his lines like knives carving through butter. Lion Song is appropriate, since Cohen lives […]
Reviewed: Isrea Butler | Gerry Mulligan | Gerry Mulligan & Paul Desmond Quartet | Ray Conniff - Jazz Journal
Isrea Butler: Congo Lament (Venus Records VR 1026) Anyone who like me used to eagerly wait for the next Bennie Green LP to be released will love this CD by Dr. Isrea Butler. His sleeve-note really says it all: “When I first heard Bennie Green I was captivated by (his) sound and style”. Green was […]
New releases Oct-Nov 2024, A-B - Jazz Journal
Aadal Michael: Stories They say : Michael’s upcoming release on Clonmell Jazz Social is entitled ‘Stories’, and will be his first solo guitar release. The album has a very intimate sound that directly reflects the space in which it was recorded, consisting mainly of short improvised pieces. (Clonmell Jazz Social) Acosta Teich, Dario : Tierra Infinita They […]
Reviewed: Kjetil Husebø | Lampen | Pericopes+1 | Jenny Scheinman - Jazz Journal
Ever since the first jazz musician entered a recording studio or found the need for amplification, the music’s long and sometimes controversial relationship with technology was sealed. This month’s quartet of recordings is fairly representative of the ways in which today’s musicians are harnessing its potential, and even an ostensibly traditional work such as violinist […]
Roy Haynes: 'I wanted to be one of those unknowns that are greater than anybody' - Jazz Journal
Drummer Roy Haynes died after a short illness on 12 November, 2024 in Nassau County, New York, aged 99. His career had spanned playing swing with Lester Young in the late 1940s through bebop with Charlie Parker and performances with Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan and John Coltrane on to […]
Lou Donaldson dies - Jazz Journal
Alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson, known for his bebop and soul-jazz work, died 9 November, aged 98, apparently following complications from pneumonia. His family announced his passing and mentioned that a private service will be held. Donaldson is perhaps best known to the general public for albums such as the 1967 Alligator Bogaloo, which included Ode […]
Mátyás Gayer Trio at Chichester Jazz Club - Jazz Journal
Each time I drop into Chichester Jazz Club, I don’t know what impresses me the most: the range and overall quality of the performing musicians or the size of the attentive (and healthily diverse) audience, who habitually accord the music the most respectful and enthusiastic attention. Currently based in London, the elegant, swinging and reflective […]
The Good Vibe - an interview with Sérgio Mendes - Jazz Journal
Not only did he showcase bossa nova to the world, Sérgio Mendes personifies how you don’t have to be a shark to succeed in the global music business. The Brazilian music legend here reminisces on an amazing music career and muses on the importance of gratitude. In Brazil, there’s a saying “tudo bem” (everything’s cool) […]
Reviewed: Simon Moullier | Frank Sinatra | Dafnis Prieto | A Plane To Catch | Otis Rush | Sara Oschlag - Jazz Journal
Simon Moullier: Elements Of Light (Candid 33441) The basic quartet here of Moullier with piano bass and drums is a strong post-bop unit. Moullier’s fleet lines on vibes flow along neatly enough and contrast with pianist Lex Corton’s bright and chunky chords. Both these two are good improvisers and the vibes man plays some solos […]
Reviewed: Tord Gustavsen | Sam Norris | Ben Monder - Jazz Journal
Tord Gustavsen Trio: Seeing (ECM Records 6516879) Pianist Tord Gustavsen was born in Oslo in 1970. He studied music at Oslo and Trondheim universities, then made his highly successful ECM debut with Changing Places in 2003. It was followed by two other trio albums, The Ground (2005) which reached No. 1 in the Norwegian pop […]
They Shot The Piano Player - Jazz Journal
Simply put this is the graphic novel version of the 2023 movie of the same name that centres around the disappearance of Brazilian pianist Francisco Tenório Cerqueira Júnior (or Tenório Jnr for short). He was one of the most recognised musicians of the samba-jazz movement who, on 18 March 1976, shortly after playing a gig […]
Reviewed: Happy Apple: New York CD | Sol Jang Trio: 19-29 | Twin Talk: Twin Talk Live - Jazz Journal
I have never considered the month of October to be associated with jazz trios but for some unknown reason the bands I’ve chosen to listen to and write about are all three-pieces. We start with: Happy Apple: New York CD (Sunnyside Records SC1751) Minneapolis-based Happy Apple, who have been going for 25 years, have been […]
Reviewed: Gunhild Carling | Matthew Gee | Oscar Peterson - Jazz Journal
Gunhild Carling: Jazz Is My Lifestyle (Jazz Art) Swedish swing-based trombonist and trumpeter Gunhild Carling is a talented composer who plays flute, harmonica, banjo, ukelele, piano, harp, violin, cello, bagpipes, theremin and drums as well. She sings and dances too. She appears regularly at New York’s Birdland Jazz Club, can play three trumpets at once […]
Obituary: Quincy Jones - Jazz Journal
Rarely – if ever – has an American musician received such fulsome praise both during their lifetime and after their death. Such headlines as “Quincy Jones, Giant of American Music Dies At 91” (New York Times) and “Quincy Jones: Musician, producer and arranger who had global hits with Michael Jackson and won 28 Grammys” (The […]
Kaisa’s Machine at LOCH in Wuppertal - Jazz Journal
As evening blurs into night, technicoloured lettering slithers around the concrete bulk of LOCH in Wuppertal. A sandwich board crouches in the shadow of the club’s graffitied façade. “Seid bitte leise.” Please be quiet. It’s a call for discretion from the venue’s visitors on 26 October. Inside, band Kaisa’s Machine is delivering 90 minutes of […]
Quincy Jones dies - Jazz Journal
Trumpeter turned arranger Quincy Jones – best known to the general public as the producer of hit Michael Jackson albums after a career spent in jazz arrangement – passed away 3 November aged 91. Born in Chicago, 14 March 1933, in the 1950s he worked with such as Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie before moving […]
Report: Melbourne International Jazz Festival - Jazz Journal
The Melbourne International Jazz Festival aspires to be recognised as a world-class jazz festival. This year, it got it mostly right. The artistic direction – 10 days of concerts across a range of venues throughout the city – was exemplary. Showcasing leading female artists from the USA and UK was smart, progressive and long overdue. […]
Yours Truly, John - Jazz Journal
John Stubblefield was of a jazz generation that was thoroughly grounded in the music’s values yet open to new developments, in his case with particular reference to what was once known as the avant-garde. This book has been written and compiled by his sister and is in every sense a labour of love, though not […]