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Remembering All About Jazz's Chris May
by AAJ Staff
With profound sadness, the All About Jazz family mourns the loss of Chris May (1946-2024), a luminous soul whose passion and dedication took AAJ to new heights during his 20 year tenure. Chris was more than a colleague--he was a beloved writer, a brilliant editor, and a cherished friend whose words dazzled with grace and insight. ...
Diego Rivera: Ofrenda
by David A. Orthmann
Tenor and soprano saxophonist Diego Rivera has amassed an impressive track record on the Posi-Tone imprint as a leader, sideman, and other projects curated by producer Marc Free. Ofrenda, a ten-movement suite, is a vehicle for Rivera's impressions of aspects of altars corresponding with the traditional Mexican holiday Día De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead). ...
Gary Smulyan: Boss Baritones
by David A. Orthmann
The once-popular pairings of such incisive hard-blowing saxophonists as Johnny Griffin with Eddie “Lockjaw" Davis and Gene Ammons with Sonny Stitt constitute some of the inspiration behind the making of Boss Baritones. Incorporating material penned by Griffin, Davis, Illinois Jacquet, Don Byas and J.R. Monterose indicates a healthy respect for giants who may no longer be ...
Luther Allison: I Owe It All To You
by David A. Orthmann
Radiating an exhilarating, last-set-of-the-night ambiance, I Owe It All To You, Luther Allison's debut recording as a leader, places a premium on momentum, spontaneity and high spirits. An assertive, hard-swinging player residing in the modern, straight-ahead jazz piano tradition, Allison utilizes a bassist and drummer capable of holding down the fort and enriching anything he throws ...
Josh Lawrence: Measured Response
by David A. Orthmann
Art Hirahara's brief, cryptic solo piano intro to Where Do We Go?," the opening track of trumpeter/flugelhornist Josh Lawrence's album, offers little indication of what immediately follows: Lawrence's warm-toned, delectable horn surrounded by relaxed, straightforward, middling-tempo swing courtesy of bassist Luques Curtis and drummer Rudy Royston. This intriguing transition sets the stage for a recording that ...
Behn Gillece: Stick Together
by David A. Orthmann
While Behn Gillece's Stick Together, the vibraphonist's seventh disc for the Posi-Tone imprint, includes an abundance of highlights and exciting moments, there is something more substantive here than a band of excellent players constantly going full bore. The disc functions within the parameters of tried-and-true modern jazz practices, yet the difference between it and releases that ...
Chasing The Masters: First Takes Of A Modern Drumming Artist
by David A. Orthmann
Chasing The Masters: First Takes Of A Modern Drumming Artist Phil Haynes 296 pagesISBN: #979-886-0200883 Self Published 2023 I recently attended several recitals by instrumentalists, composers, and arrangers from the renowned Jazz Studies Program at William Paterson University. The level of musicianship was uniformly high in these stimulating ...
Willie Morris: Attentive Listening
by David A. Orthmann
Attentive Listening, Willie Morris 's second Posi-Tone release in as many years, documents the continuing evolution of a jazz master in the making. Like last year's Conversation Starter, the tenor saxophonist/composer thrives in the stimulating company of alto saxophonist/alto flutist Patrick Cornelius and pianist Jon Davis. Bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Rudy Royston round out a ...
Blue Moods: Swing & Soul
by David A. Orthmann
Swing & Soul is the second in a series of recordings by Blue Moods, one of the projects initiated by Posi-Tone Records producer Marc Free to attract new listeners to jazz. The release showcases a collection of compositions by pianist Duke Pearson, an underrecognized figure who worked for Blue Note as an A&R man, arranger, and ...
Pepper Adams: Saxophone Trailblazer
by David A. Orthmann
Pepper Adams: Saxophone Trailblazer Gary Carner 240 ISBN: #9781438494357 Excelsior Editions2023 Baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams was essential to this reviewer's formative years as a jazz enthusiast. During the 1970s, in Storrs, Connecticut, New York City, northern New Jersey, and Kansas City, Missouri, I had many opportunities to witness ...