70 year old Cuban piano maestro Chucho Valdes brought his Afro-Cuban Messengers to the University of Denver’s Newman Center for an exciting Valentine’s Day concert. Jazz History Online’s Latin jazz correspondent, Janine Santana was there and she offers this review.
Chucho Valdes’ Afro-Cuban Messengers at the DU Newman Center, Denver (February 14, 2012) Read More »
No one could write for saxophone sections like Benny Carter, and his 1961 Impulse LP, Further Definitions is a genuine masterpiece. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the CD reissue, which also includes Carter’s superb 1966 follow-up, Additions to Further Definitions.
Benny Carter: “Further Definitions” (LP: Impulse 12; CD: Impulse 229) Read More »
Jazz at Oberlin is one of the classic Dave Brubeck albums. It was his first recorded college concert, and it featured Paul Desmond at his most uninhibited. In this Retro Review, Thomas Cunniffe tells of the first he heard this jazz masterpiece.
Dave Brubeck Quartet: “Jazz At Oberlin” (OJC 46) Read More »
In 1954, Max Roach and Clifford Brown teamed up in LA to form one of jazz’s finest bop groups. The group only stayed in California for a few months, but it helped revitalize LA’s bop scene. In this Retro Review, Thomas Cunniffe examines two early concerts by the Brown/Roach Quintet, originally issued on the GNP label, and now available in a superior reissue by Fresh Sounds.
Clifford Brown/Max Roach: “Historic California Concerts’ (Fresh Sounds 377) Read More »
Although it was made in a recording studio, Art Blakey’s Free For All sounds like a live album. Recorded in 1964, the album features remarkable music by one of the greatest of all Jazz Messenger units, with Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Curtis Fuller, Cedar Walton and Reggie Workman. Thomas Cunniffe discusses the curious circumstances of the recording session and the events of the time that may have inspired the music.
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers: “Free For All” (Blue Note 84170) Read More »
In 1958, Joe Williams and Count Basie recorded a small group masterpiece called Memories Ad-Lib. While the performances by Williams and Basie are superb, the real treasure of this album are guitar solos by Freddie Green. Thomas Cunniffe tells of this rare treasure and wonders why no one has reissued it on CD.
Count Basie/Joe Williams: “Memories Ad-Lib” (Roulette LP 52021) Read More »
COTA is an active jazz support group headquartered in the Pocono Mountains 75 miles west of New York City. The combination of its picturesque location and the region’s avid jazz fans has attracted several musicians to the area. Bob Dorough has been part of the COTA family for years, and his new CD of Duets is a fundraiser for the organization. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the all-star disc.
Celebrating Bob Dorough and COTA Read More »
Anyone who wishes to become a jazz vocalist must find a way to stand out from the crowd. In this month’s vocal CD reviews, Thomas Cunniffe discusses the music of Dee Dee Bridgewater, Lainie Cooke and Joanna Pascale, three women whose sounds differ a great deal, but who all possess a distinctive approach to their music.
Distinctive Voices Read More »
Culled from 24 sets over a two-week stand at New York’s Blue Note, the new album by Chick Corea, Eddie Gomez and Paul Motian, Further Explorations started out as a tribute to Bill Evans but became an examination of the entire piano trio format. Thomas Cunniffe reviews this stunning double CD.
Chick Corea/Eddie Gomez/Paul Motian: “Further Explorations” (Concord 33364) Read More »
This month’s instrumental CD reviews spotlight three musicians equally impressive as composers and performers. Trombonist Marshall Gilkes reunites with the WDR Big Band for “Köln”, Pianist Oded Lev-Ari leads a unique 11-piece ensemble on Threading, and Myra Melford’s quintet pay tribute to the late Uruguayan author Eduardo Galeano with the suite Snowy Egret. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the compositions and performances.
Composer-Performers Read More »
The spirit of collaboration is a common thread in this month’s vocal CD reviews. Thomas Cunniffe discusses the latest releases by the Caswell Sisters (with Fred Hersch), New York Voices (and the WDR Big Band of Cologne) and Sandy Stewart (with Bill Charlap).
Although Allison Miller’s sextet Boom Tic Boom had just played an acclaimed set at the Chicago Jazz Festival over the Labor Day weekend, she was back in Chicago (with a somewhat different personnel) for a mid-October gig at the Green Mill. Thomas Cunniffe was on a working holiday in the Windy City, and he offers a review of two sets from the Friday performance.
Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom at Green Mill, Chicago (October 20, 2017) Read More »
Tribute albums are nothing new in jazz, but recent releases by Anat Cohen and Joe Lovano offer deep insights into the music of Benny Goodman and Charlie Parker, while also giving us prime examples of jazz in the present tense. Thomas Cunniffe reviews Cohen’s Clarinetwork and Lovano’s Bird Songs.
Anat Cohen & Joe Lovano: Reinterpreting the Masters Read More »
In the New Orleans, Chicago and Swing Eras, the clarinet was an essential part of any jazz ensemble. But few clarinetists tackled bebop and the instrument lost its dominance in jazz as a solo instrument. The trend may be reversing, with three new clarinet albums released in the past few months. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the new discs by Dave Bennett, Ken Peplowski and Anat Cohen.
Clarinets (Hold the Marmalade) Read More »