Like it was yesterday, I recall driving my beat-up Monte Carlo with the windows rolled…
Publisher's Letter
Prelude
Requisite Listening: Les McCann and Eddie Harris, “Swiss Movement” (Atlantic)
Les McCann and Eddie Harris Swiss Movement (Atlantic) — Call it serendipity. Pianist McCann and…
Running with the Devil: A New Documentary Traces Harlem Blues Duo Satan & Adam
Mr. Satan had seen better days. Having suffered a stroke, he was convalescing in a…
Back in the Groove: Claudia Acuña Releases Her First Album in a Decade
Vocalist and composer Claudia Acuña released her fourth album, En Este Momento, a decade ago.…
A Horn Beloved: On His Latest Outing, Scott Robinson Spotlights His Trusty Tenor Sax
Tenormore, the vibrant new album by saxophonist Scott Robinson, is the story of a beautiful…
Play Time: Kurt Elling Stages a Dramatic Production in New York City
The Big Blind, Kurt Elling’s wildly ambitious “live radio drama,” received its premiere performances March…
Voices of Liberation: Ulysses Owens Jr. Explores the Music and Vision of Three Iconic Singers
Songs of Freedom features moving and vibrant interpretations of classic material associated with Nina Simone,…
Seismic Activity: Samantha Boshnack Gives Full Expression to Her Fascination with Volcanoes
When Samantha Boshnack moved to Seattle from her native New York state in 2003, she…
Belgian Pearls: Unreleased Tapes of Jeanne Lee and Ran Blake Reveal a Rich Legacy
Jeanne Lee and Ran Blake returned to Europe in the fall of 1966, the vocal-piano…
Interstellar Spirits: Joris Teepe Pays Tribute to Rashied Ali
Rashied Ali is perhaps best known for his work on John Coltrane’s Interstellar Space, the…
Contempo
All the Way Home: With His Mind at Peace, Reza Khan Finds His Sound
On the surface, Reza Khan’s “day job” as program manager for the United Nations sounds…
Blu Notes
The Ice Cream Man: Kassa Overall Blends Jazz and Hip-Hop into Something Cool and Refreshing
On a cold December night at Manhattan’s Jazz Gallery, drummer Kassa Overall, pianist Jon Batiste and bassist Ameen Saleem made music that was, by turns, hard-swinging, brooding, bluesy and abstract…
Features
Perfectly Balanced: Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah Walks the Fine Line Between Old and New
Judging by titles alone, it would be easy to mistake Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah’s recent…
By George, He’s Still Got It!: A Conversation with George Benson
Few careers have been as rich and variegated as that of 76-year-old guitarist extraordinaire George…
Sax Addict: Dave Liebman Shows No Signs of Slowing Down
When Dave Liebman gigs, teaches or does business in New York City, he often relocates…
Totally Subversive: Moppa Elliott Releases His Most Ambitious Project Yet
In early 2003, Moppa Elliott made a career move that, by most any jazz standard,…
Staying Alive: Joshua Redman Continues to Embrace Challenging Opportunities
Joshua Redman is going nowhere fast. It’s mid-afternoon on Valentine’s Day and the saxophonist is…
Auditions
Matthew Shipp Trio – Signature (ESP Disk)
The risk for gifted artists as prolific as pianist Matthew Shipp is that a new…
Joe Policastro Trio – Nothing Here Belongs (JeruJazz)
Nothing Here Belongs, a fitting name for an eclectic album, is the fourth release by…
Charles Rumback, Cadillac Turns (Astral Spirits)
Drummer Charles Rumback had not played with this particular quartet prior to the session that…
Rafael Zaldivar, Consecration (Effendi)
Cuban composers and instrumentalists are relentless in their quest to honor the past while projecting…
Marilyn Mazur, Shamania (Rare Noise)
Inventive, daring and impeccably executed and recorded, Shamania, by New York-born Danish percussionist, drummer and…
David Dominique – Mask (Orenda)
On his composition “To Dave Treut,” from his new album, Mask, David Dominique leads his…
Steph Richards – Take the Neon Lights (Birdwatcher)
A rigorous experimenter, trumpeter Steph Richards has a résumé that names avant-garde jazz stalwarts Henry…
Artist in Resonance: Joel Ross Brings Depth and Maturity to His Sparkling Debut
Joel Ross released his debut album, KingMaker, in May on Blue Note Records. But for…
Tom Rainey Trio – Combobulated (Intakt)
Since 2010, the trio of drummer Tom Rainey, guitarist Mary Halvorson and saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock…
Auditions Round-Up: Jazz Artists Weave Strings into Their Sonic Tapestry
Violin and strings, in general, have remained outliers in the jazz world. But they have…
Russ Lossing – Motian Music (Sunnyside)
Pianist Russ Lossing and drummer Paul Motian recorded together at least five times over 10…
Etienne Charles – Carnival: The Sound of a People, Vol. 1 (Culture Shock)
On his latest release, Trinidadian trumpet wizard and emerging composer Etienne Charles has found a…
Mimi Fox – This Bird Still Flies (Origin)
Now in her fourth decade of recording, guitar virtuoso Mimi Fox has ensembled with legends,…
Auditions Round-Up: The Voice is the Blues’ Most Powerful Weapon
The blues has produced countless instrumental virtuosos, but the genre has always been a singer’s…
Michel Petrucciani – One Night in Karlsruhe (SWR/JazzHaus)
French pianist Michel Petrucciani (1962-1999) was born a dwarf. Reaching a height of only three…
Anat Fort Trio – Colour (Sunnyside)
Together since 1999, the trio of Israeli pianist Anat Fort, American bassist Gary Wang and…
David Liebman, Jeff Coffin, Victor Wooten, Chester Thompson, Chris Walters James DaSilva – On the Corner Live! The Music of Miles Davis (Ear Up)
“I didn’t think much of it,” David Liebman said about On the Corner, the funk-driven…
Johnathan Blake – Trion (Giant Step Arts)
You’re setting expectations high when your trio partners are tenor saxophonist Chris Potter and bassist…
Joey DeFrancesco – In the Key of the Universe (Mack Avenue)
It’s an understatement to call Joey DeFrancesco his generation’s pre-eminent Hammond B-3 organist. For 30…
Greg Ward & Rogue Parade – Stomping Off from Greenwood (Greenleaf)
Greg Ward’s last album, Touch My Beloved’s Thought, used Charles Mingus’ classic The Black Saint…
Coda
Portrait of Pops
For decades, this 1960’s oil painting by Davis Quinn hung in the study of my…
