Clare Fischer has been an influential jazz arranger for over 50 years. Now his son Brent is helping him preserve his legacy for the ages. Brent talks to Marissa Dodge about this labor of love, involving recording, archiving, and tag-team arranging his father’s music.
How It’s Meant To Be Played: The Brent Fischer Interview Read More »
Duchess is an exciting new vocal trio based in New York City. While Melissa Stylianou, Hilary Gardner and Amy Cervini all have notable careers as solo artists, they clearly love making music together. Shortly before the group celebrated the release of their debut CD, Thomas Cunniffe chatted with the group about their repertoire, inspirations and goals.
Girl-on-Girl Harmony: A Chat with Duchess Read More »
Anita Wardell may be the greatest singer you’ve never heard. Well-known in Europe, but barely known in the US, Wardell is one of the best scat singers in jazz today, and she also is a superb interpreter of vocalese, jazz originals and standards. Thomas Cunniffe introduces you to Wardell in this profile which features 5 complete audio selections and a video performance.
Meet Anita Wardell Read More »
Here at the JHO offices, we have an abundance of CDs waiting for review. For the next two months, we are trying to get as many discs reviewed as possible–not only to relieve the overflowing pile of discs, but to qualify them for next month’s 2016 Summation. Thomas Cunniffe offers reviews of (fairly) recent discs by Richie Cole, Brandi Disterheft, Monika Herzig and Catherine Russell.
Jazz musicians pride themselves about being ahead of most audiences, but they must offer some sort of gateway to their music if they expect listeners to follow them on their musical journeys. In this month’s vocal CD reviews, Thomas Cunniffe explores new recordings by Kendra Shank and Sara Serpa that successfully strike the delicate balance between accessibility and progressiveness.
The Delicate Balance Read More »
Jazz began as an ensemble music, and even after soloists took the spotlight, ensembles have played a major role in the music’s development. This month, Thomas Cunniffe explores how modern ensembles like the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, The Cookers and Coalition work together as bands in their latest recordings.
Better With A Band Read More »
Jazz composition is a unique art. Rather than creating a piece of music completely from start to finish, jazz composers must leave room for others to improvise and realize the score. This month, Thomas Cunniffe reviews CDs by three composer-pianists who have found their voices within the small-group format.
The Art of the Composer/Pianist Read More »
Jazz fans expect (and receive) great music from certain veteran musicians. That is certainly the case with Jimmy Cobb, Fred Hersch and Sonny Rollins. Thomas Cunniffe reviews three superb new releases from these jazz giants in this month’s instrumental CD reviews.
Dependable Excellence Read More »
Although he had appeared on records since the early 1960s, Charles Lloyd was still developing his sound and finding his audience in 1965. A new 2-disc set, Manhattan Stories includes contrasting live sets from Judson Hall and Slug’s featuring Lloyd, Gábor Szabó, Ron Carter and Pete La Roca. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the set, noting how well these two sets play off each other, and how one selection points to Lloyd’s eventual direction.
Charles Lloyd: “Manhattan Stories” (Resonance 2016) Read More »
Filling an important gap in Charles Mingus’ discography, the new Mosaic 7-CD set The Jazz Workshop Concerts collects five concerts from 1964-1965 originally produced for issue on Mingus’ own label. The album includes over two hours of newly released music, including three very different versions of Meditations on Integration. Thomas Cunniffe offers details in this Retro Review.
Charles Mingus: “The Jazz Workshop Concerts 1964-65” (Mosaic 253) Read More »
Mosaic’s new collection of Louis Armstrong and his All-Stars includes over 11 hours of live performances spread over 9 CDs. Co-Producer and annotator Ricky Riccardi has long held that Armstrong’s later recordings are as important as his early works, and reviewer Thomas Cunniffe states that the music in this Mosaic set validates Riccardi’s arguments. This expanded Retro Review offers a detailed look at the music in this outstanding collection.
Louis Armstrong: “Columbia & RCA Victor Live Recordings” (Mosaic 257) Read More »
Nearly 60 years after his death, Clifford Brown is still regarded as one of the greatest trumpeters in jazz history. For the past two decades, Don Glanden has researched Brown’s life and music, and interviewed many of Brown’s friends and colleagues. The results have been gathered into a new documentary, Brownie Speaks, and as reviewer (and longtime Brownie fan) Thomas Cunniffe writes, the film is loaded with new information about Brown’s life and career.
Brownie Speaks! (Glanden Productions) Read More »
Don’t look now, but the Boswell Sisters are currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity. A recent gathering in New Orleans featured tribute groups from all over the globe, and a new documentary on the Boswells is due to air on PBS in 2015. Unfortunately, none of the sisters are still alive to take part, but Vet Boswell’s granddaughter, Kyla Titus, has just self-published a new biography, Boswell Legacy that clears up many of the mysteries surrounding the sister’s personal and professional histories. Thomas Cunniffe reviews this long-overdue book.
The Boswell Legacy (by Kyla Titus) Read More »
Every year, we lose more of the great jazz masters, and predictably, the tribute albums turn up within the next year. While many of these tribute albums are well-made, they are ultimately too late. This month, Thomas Cunniffe examines three albums which celebrate living musicians, and notes that on two of the CDs, the honorees perform alongside their admiring colleagues.
Celebrating the Living Read More »