Even though they constitute the bulwark of most jazz groups, grounding them in rhythm and atmosphere, bass players appear to be the most modest of musicians, rarely attaining the recognition of guitar, horn and keyboard players, not to mention drummers, except for outsized personalities like Jaco Pastorius or Charles Mingus. …
Personal responses to music assume numerous forms based on individual experiences or the spirit of the music. Celebratory music inspires dancing; spiritual music, prayer; blues, relief from pain; crooning, romance; dirges, grief; percussiveness, acoustic communication, sometimes coded; Muzak, manufactured calming relief from uncomfortable silence; rock, energy; free music, freedom; marches, …
Is that Jack McDuff playing? No, it’s Alberto Marsico. Marsico, a native of Turin, Italy, has been deeply influenced by McDuff’s sound, so much so that he attended one of McDuff’s week-long workshops in 1994. Marsico’s passion for jazz was the cause for his recent friendship with fellow musician, Jeremy …
Amid an abundance of first-rate young jazz guitarists, Graham Dechter’s third album, Major Influence, with its swinging irresistibility, provides another reason for his broader recognition. Influenced by a previous generation’s straight-ahead guitarists like Herb Ellis, Barney Kessel, Wes Montgomery and Grant Green, Dechter’s performance on Major Influence projects not only …
Such a sound engineering feat My Own Particular Life is! Rather than waiting out a pandemic, the album’s sound engineers flawlessly produced an album that sounds as if all the musicians and singer Lorraine Feather were in the same studio, even though they were in separate locations. So, first of …
At first frustrated by the COVID pandemic’s obstacles blocking musicians from recordings and concerts, drummer Gerry Gibbs decided to find a way, or ways, to overcome them. His determination evolved from the sudden frustration that stalled his planned 2020 album release to the unanticipated inspiration that led to the album …
A rare and significant find this is! Who knew that jazz legend Sheila Jordan was recording under her own name before her breakthrough Blue Note album, Portrait of Sheila? Having escaped her childhood poverty in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where she lived in a home without plumbing with seven uncles—Harry, Earl, Delbert, …
On one of the most unusual, not to mention one of the most remarkable, albums of the year, classical music meets jazz, Frank Morelli meets Keith Oxman, and bassoon meets tenor saxophone. That album, The Ox-Mo Incident, bears a title that abbreviates the musicians’ names with a clever but perfect …
Yet again, Resonance Records’ producers, Zev Feldman and George Klabin—whose comprehensive CD packages honor the memories of jazz icons as they continue to unearth more previously unreleased recordings—have made available even more invaluable jazz albums. This time, Resonance Records has expanded the essential discographies of trumpeter Roy Hargrove and pianist …
Wadada Leo Smith’s eightieth birthday celebration began a few months ago. Actually, the celebration was a continuation of his lifelong stream of music that continues to this day and will continue into the future. First, Smith released Sun Beans of Shimmering Light with Douglas Ewart and Mike Reed. Smith’s new …
