jazz Archive
25 Nov 2017
Latin Jazz Comes Alive with the Spanish Harlem Orchestra
Oscar Hernandez already had a long-established career and sterling reputation as a musician and arranger when he got a call from Aaron Levinson in 2000. The producer had an idea […]
18 Nov 2017
100-word Reviews for November 2017: New Music
So much great music and so little time. Here’s ten reviews: all new music, each summed up in 100 words. All are worth your time. Bryant Fabian Marsalis – Do […]
14 Nov 2017
San Jose Jazz Festival 2017
Note: This summer, I wrote a preview of the 2017 San Jose Jazz Festival for Metro Silicon Valley, spotlighting acts I found the most worth seeing. Here’s that feature. — […]
13 Nov 2017
War: 50 Years On, Still Making Friends
Multiracial American funk band War got its start backing British singer Eric Burdon, formerly of the Animals. “Spill the Wine” from 1970’s Eric Burdon Declares “War” effectively captured the zeitgeist […]
03 Nov 2017
Jonah Parzen Johnson’s Combination of Man, Machine and Instrument
A saxophonist employing the circular breathing method is impressive, but not as remarkable as it once was. At the top of the creative scale, jazz legend Rahsaan Roland Kirk used […]
01 Nov 2017
Jonathan Scales: What Matters
Jonathan Scales is a world traveler, bringing his unique brand of jazz fusion to audiences around the globe. But even against that backdrop, the first half of 2017 has been […]
30 Oct 2017
Album Reviews: Six New Jazz Albums
Ignacio Berroa Trio – Straight Ahead from Havana (Codes Drum Music) Cuba has a long, storied and proud history of jazz. But owing to the U.S. Government’s half-century-long embargo on […]
27 Oct 2017
Reviews: 12 Jazz Reissues (Part Two)
Alphonse Mouzon – In Search of a Dream (MPS) Powerhouse fusion drummer Mouzon made his name on sides by Les McCann (the stunning Invitation to Openness) and Weather Report’s debut, […]
26 Oct 2017
Reviews: 12 Jazz Reissues (Part One)
Albert Ayler Quartet – Copenhagen Live 1964 (hatOLOGY) The music of tenor saxophonist Albert Ayler (1936-1970) is assuredly not for the jazz novitiate. With an approach that makes Ornette Coleman […]
21 Oct 2017
Album Review: Joe Henderson — The Elements
Released in 1974, The Elements is the 16th album from tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson. This four-track album features four extended tracks; each is an improvisational exploration/meditation on one the elements. […]