Nate Wooley: Seven Storey Mountain V

Nate Wooley has a fairly traditional early background having played trumpet in his father's big band as a teenager. His departure from convention was quite radical as he went on to work with the likes of m: John Zorn, m: Anthony Braxton, m: Ken Vandermark and {{m... [ read more ]

: Montreux Through The Decades: Jazz Recordings, Part One

To celebrate Montreux Jazz Festival's 50th edition in 2016, and as a posthumous tribute to the festival's founder, the late Claude Nobs, All About Jazz is launching a new column entitled Montreux Through the Decades, which will periodically present reviews of officially released live recordings from... [ read more ]

Ed Neumeister: Suite Ellington

A complete summary of trombonist Ed Neumeister's musical career would date back to his pre-school years. Initially a regular fixture on the San Francisco circuit, he later immersed himself in the New York jazz scene dividing almost thirty-five years between the m: Duke Ellington Orchestra... [ read more ]

Take Five with Alex Gershman of Sashaa€(TM)s Bloc

About Alex GershmanAn intriguing ensemble founded in 2012, Sasha's Bloc is an amalgam of varied artists, nationalities and experiences, all fueled by bassist and songwriter Alex Gershman. This collective delivers a sound that is consistently big, boisterous, full of spirit and rich in everything tha...

Louis Heriveaux: Triadic Episode

Where has Louis Heriveaux been hiding? That's the first question/thought that pops into the head after hearing this music. But truth be told, Heriveaux hasn't been hiding at all. We--the jazz public at large--just haven't had enough exposure to his talent(s). Heriveaux has racked up sideman credits... [ read more ]

Kit Downes and Tom Challenger: Vyamanikal

Five churches, five church organs and a saxophone or two: the instrumentation to be found on Vyamanikal, the British duo of Kit Downes and Tom Challenger's follow-up to Wedding Music (Loop Collective, 2013). Downes (ENEMY, Tricko, Troyka) and Challenger (Brass Mask, Ma, Dice Factory) recorded Vyaman... [ read more ]

Jim Self and the Tricky Lix Latin Jazz Band: Yo!

A tuba in a Latin jazz band? m: Jim Self, what were you thinking? No matter. Whatever you were thinking, the end result is far more agreeable than even you could have imagined. Yo! (sorry, we can't handle the upside down exclamation point) is a generally delightful album by Self's well-br... [ read more ]

Take Five With Antonio Adolfo

About Antonio Adolfo Pianist, arranger, producer and educator Antonio Adolfo grew up in a musical family in jny: Rio de Janeiro and began his studies at the age of seven. At seventeen he was already a professional musician. His teachers include m: Deodato and Nadia Boulanger in {{jny...

Oscar Pettiford and Jan Johansson: In Denmark 1959-1960

If anyone should doubt how much it has meant to the Danes that a number of prominent American jazz musicians have lived in Denmark for a shorter or longer time, they just need to walk around the streets of Copenhagen. Here you will find street names such as m: Ben Webster Street, {{m: Er... [ read more ]

Take Five With Roberta Piket

About Roberta Piket Born in Queens, New York, Roberta inherited a passion for music from both her parents. Her father was the Austrian composer Frederick Piket, who made significant contributions to both the musical liturgy of Reform Judaism and the concert hall with works performed by the New York...

Daniel Bennett Group: Sinking Houseboat Confusion

After a year of extensive touring to support last years' The Mystery at Clown Castle (Manhattan Daylight Media, 2015) the m: Daniel Bennett Group returns with a fresh eclectic musical blend they describe as Surf Rock + Avant-Pop + Modern Jazz. All that touring seems to have inspired a str... [ read more ]

Illogical Harmonies with Da€(TM)Incise: Illogical Harmonies with Da€(TM)Incise

For several reasons this download-only release makes an excellent companion piece to Volume (Another Timbre, 2016) by Illogical Harmonies. Firstly, the Illogical Harmonies duo of violinist m: Johnny Chang and double bassist m: Mike Majkowski is here joined by INSUB curator D... [ read more ]

How to Listen to Jazz: A Q&A with Ted Gioia

In How to Listen to Jazz, m: Ted Gioia has tasked himself with writing a book that asks people to drop their musical prejudices and open up their ears. The challenge in writing a book like is to find a middle path between, as Gioia says, "those who pretend that music is objective science...

US4: My Scandinavian Blues: A Tribute to Horace Parlan

Once in a while, you encounter a special album that tells the story of a remarkable musician, not only as a snapshot, but as a full musical narrative with words and pictures. My Scandinavian Blues: A Tribute to Horace Parlan is such an album. The main character, pianist and composer, {{m: Horace Par... [ read more ]

Allen Toussaint: American Tunes

When it comes to the jny: New Orleans sound and its purveyors, drummers may be the most integral, but the most celebrated are perhaps the pianists. Longhair, Booker, Rebbenack, Cleary, and even Fats Domino are all acknowledged to be in that pantheon. And certainly the name Toussaint has long bee... [ read more ]

Markus Stockhausen / Florian Weber: Alba

Sixteen years have passed since Markus Stockhausen was last heard on an ECM recording, but the German trumpeter (and son of renowned composer, Karlheinz Stockhausen) has continued to lead a busy life. The core trio behind 2000's exceptional Karta--notable, in addition to guitarist {{m: Terje Rypdal... [ read more ]

Ivo Perelman: Breaking Point

Tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman usually releases albums in waves. Thus, Breaking Point is one of five concurrent productions issued on UK-based Leo Records, and offers the listener a kaleidoscopic glimpse of various ensemble lineups. Over the years Perelman has attained a comfort zone and noticeable... [ read more ]

Fahir Atakoglu: Live At Umbria Jazz

It is fascinating how different cultures can merge in music. Turkish-born pianist m: Fahir Atakoglu's trio is a fine example of a group where influences from around the world meet in original compositions that speak the international language of music. Atakoglu brings his advanced unders... [ read more ]

Angharad Davies: Another Timbrea€(TM)s Violin +1 Series

In common with many other labels, Another Timbre is in the habit of releasing its CDs in batches, usually four at a time. Occasionally these batches have an overarching theme linking them, such as its "Silence and After" or "Berlin" Series. The label's latest batch is one such, bearing the title "Vi... [ read more ]

Take Five with B.D. Lenz

About B.D. Lenz: Mix the sophistication of jazz, the grit of blues, and the grooves of funk and soul, and you have the recipe for contempo-jazz guitarist B.D. Lenz. The New Jersey native has played guitar since his early teens, is a graduate of Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, and has studied wit...

Megumi Yonezawa Trio: A Result of the Colors

Those outside of New York City, where Megumi Yonezawa currently resides, may only recognize the Japanese pianist, if anywhere, as sidewoman for m: Greg Osby (see 2004's Public on Blue Note), who brought her onboard following an enthusiastic endorsement from none other than {{m: Jason Mor... [ read more ]

Julian Julien: Terre II

With Terre II, percussionist and composer Julian Julien has given us a thing of cohesive beauty. Though classically veneered, it's a jazz album at heart, mixing two parts right brain for every part left. Joining him are Siegfried Canto (flute), MichaA l Havard (soprano, tenor, and baritone saxophone... [ read more ]

Aireene Espiritu: Back Where I Belong

How can someone go back to where they have never been? How can a ukulele playing folk singer accomplish searing blues and soul vocals with such sincere expression and emotion? These are just two of the mysteries surrounding m: Aireene Espiritu. Her release Back Where I Belong, reveals th... [ read more ]

Markus Stockhausen and Florian Weber: Alba

Alba--the first m: Markus Stockhausen recording for ECM since Karta (ECM, 2000)--is the premiere recording of trumpeter Stockhausen's duo with pianist m: Florian Weber, a relationship that spun off from Markus' six-piece world music ensemble Eternal Voyage. Initially Stockhaus... [ read more ]

John Daversa: Kaleidoscope Eyes: Music of the Beatles

Does the world need another collection of Beatles covers? The same argument could be had about any of the dozens of standards that regularly, sometimes ad nauseam, crop up on new releases. But redundancy is validated each time an Amy Winehouse takes on "Body and Soul" or Avicii reinvents "Feeling Go... [ read more ]

Roberta Piket: One For Marion: Celebrating Marian McPartland

A young, unrecorded artist is asked to share her talents, sitting in a chair that had been warmed by m: Bill Evans, m: Oscar Peterson, m: Brad Mehldau, m: Mary Lou Williams, m: Dave Brubeck, m: Chick Corea and {{m: Dizzy Gillespie... [ read more ]

Jeff Parker: The New Breed

There are certain artists that you know you can always count on. Whenever they are involved in something, at least it is going to be interesting and often it will be great. Guitarist m: Jeff Parker is one of those artists. It has been an undivided pleasure following Parker through his ma... [ read more ]

Albert Ayler: Albert We Hardly Knew Ye

The Chinese mystic philosopher Lao Tzu wrote, "the flame that burns twice as bright, burns half as long." Although he never heard the music of m: Albert Ayler, we're sure that he would agree the saxophonist's fire music was luminescent. Ayler's career was indeed quite brief, recording onl... [ read more ]

Brad Mehldau Trio: Blues and Ballads

It's easy to play the blues--or at the very least it's easy to learn the basics--but keeping the form fresh and interesting is another matter entirely. Likewise, any beginner can tackle a quiet ballad, but presenting something simple and pretty is really harder than it sounds. The {{m: Brad Mehldau... [ read more ]

Nate Wooley: Nate Wooley Makes America Great Again

In his excellent book of literary and cultural criticism, The Grey Album: On the Blackness of Blackness, Kevin Young describes the term Jazz as both a noun and a verb. He further explains that jazz from the time of its origins through, let's say the 1980s, was a word used to describe action. Such as... [ read more ]