How Jan Garbarek Came To Epitomize Nordic Jazz
Saxophonist Jan Garbarek was a teenage protege of American composer George Russell in Norway in the 1960s and later played in Keith Jarrett's Scandinavian quartet. More recently, he has collaborated...
View ArticleMiguel Zenon And Laurent Coq Play 'Hopscotch'
The new quartet album by alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón and pianist Laurent Coq is called Rayuela, which means "hopscotch." It's named for Julio Cortázar's novel, the fragmented tale of a wandering...
View ArticleBrad Mehldau: (Unlikely) Songs By Other People
At this point, there's nothing special about jazz musicians playing post-Beatles pop: It's just the new normal. But one of the trendsetters on that score was pianist Brad Mehldau and his versions of...
View ArticleVince Guaraldi Didn't Just Play For 'Peanuts'
There must have been times in 1963, when Vince Guaraldi was riding high on his surprise hit "Cast Your Fate to the Wind," when he thought, "This is what I'll be remembered for." Not that he minded. He...
View ArticleAfter 26 Years, The Sam Rivers Trio Resurfaces
Jazz multi-instrumentalist Sam Rivers, who died at 88 in December 2011, recorded with many trios in the 1970s. But his most celebrated trio was barely recorded at all. In 2007, it played a reunion...
View ArticleRon Miles Finds Wide-Open Spaces On 'Quiver'
Teaching jazz history got trumpeter Ron Miles deep into the pleasures of early jazz, with its clarity of form and emphasis on melodic improvising that doesn't wander far from the tune.
View ArticleGeorge Cables: A Heartfelt Tribute To His 'Muse'
In the 1970s and '80s, George Cables was the pianist of choice for saxophonists Dexter Gordon and Art Pepper; Pepper called him his favorite pianist.
View ArticleAfter 26 Years, The Sam Rivers Trio Resurfaces
This review was originally broadcast on Sept. 26, 2012.Jazz multi-instrumentalist Sam Rivers, who died at 88 in December 2011, recorded with many trios in the 1970s. But his most celebrated trio was...
View ArticleThe Mythic Power Of Bessie Smith
Vocalist Bessie Smith's musical career, spanning 1923-33, has been collected in a new 10-CD box set, Bessie Smith: The Complete Columbia Recordings.
View ArticleJason Kao Hwang: From The Blues To China And Back
Jazz reflects who we are as a people — democracy in action and all that. But a jazz tune or solo is also a portrait of the musician who makes it; the music reflects the particular background and...
View ArticleForgotten Gems From The Dave Brubeck Quartet
This review was originally broadcast on March 12, 2012. Brubeck died Wednesday at age 91.
View ArticleBass Note: Mingus And The Jazz Workshop Concerts
On a new box set from mail-order house Mosaic Records, Charles Mingus, The Jazz Workshop Concerts 1964-65, the jazz legend's bands usually number between five and eight players. The bassist often made...
View ArticleRemembering Von Freeman, Lol Coxhill And Sean Bergin
Jazz lost many great saxophonists in 2012, including David S. Ware, John Tchicai, Byard Lancaster, Faruq Z. Bey, Hal McKusick and Red Holloway.
View ArticleGrant Green: The 'Holy Barbarian' Of St. Louis Jazz
Grant Green, The Holy Barbarian, St. Louis, 1959 could be the name of a fine stage play, perhaps based on the actual circumstances of the recording. One musician on the way up, another past his moment...
View ArticleA 'Special Edition' Box Set Of Jack DeJohnette And Band
On a new box set collecting the first four albums of Jack DeJohnette and his band Special Edition, two discs are gems and the other two have their moments. DeJohnette's quartet-slash-quintet was...
View ArticleRudresh Mahanthappa: Bicultural Jazz, Ever Shifting
Saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa's quartet can sound like it's cross-pollinating Indian classical music and vintage Captain Beefheart. That befits a bicultural saxophonist who grew up in Boulder, where...
View ArticleBen Goldberg's Variations: Two New Albums From A San Francisco Jazz Staple
Ben Goldberg has been a staple of San Francisco's improvisational-music scene ever since he helped put together the New Klezmer Trio two decades ago. More recently, as a member of the quartet Tin Hat,...
View ArticleBarry Altschul: The Jazz Drummer Makes A Comeback
The release last year of a 2007 reunion by the late Sam Rivers' trio confirmed what a creative drummer Altschul is. He has been one for decades. Altschul was a key player on the 1970s jazz scene, when...
View ArticleEarl Hines: Big Bands And Beyond On A New Box Set
By 1928, Earl Hines was jazz's most revolutionary pianist, for two good reasons. His right hand played lines in bright, clear octaves that could cut through a band. His left hand had a mind of its own....
View ArticleBing Crosby: From The Vaults, Surprising Breadth
Bing Crosby was the biggest thing in pop singing in the 1930s, a star on radio and in the movies. He remained a top star in the '40s, when Frank Sinatra began giving him competition.Crosby often...
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