Author name: Thomas Cunniffe

Conversations with Charlie Haden (by Josef Woodard and Charlie Haden)

Book Reviews /

Charlie Haden was known for passionate music that encompassed several genres, and his fiery left-wing politics. Over the last two decades of his life, Haden was interviewed several times by writer Josef Woodard. Seventeen of these encounters have been collected in a new book, Conversations with Charlie Haden. Reviewer Thomas Cunniffe writes that the book is quite enlightening, but gets bogged down with numerous retellings of Haden’s life story.

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Camille Bertault: The Girl on the Internet

Best of JHO, Sidetracks /

Since the summer of 2015, when she uploaded her remarkable scat version of John Coltrane’s Giant Steps, French jazz vocalist Camille Bertault has been an internet sensation. In this edition of Sidetracks, Bertault tells Thomas Cunniffe about the inspiration for that video, and her unique and varied background. The article includes four embedded videos (and links to several more) plus a review of Bertault’s new CD, En Vie.

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Cleo Laine: “Shakespeare and All That Jazz” (Fontana 5209 or Philips 6382 014)

Retro Reviews /

A modern Renaissance woman, Dame Cleo Laine’s 1964 LP Shakespeare and All That Jazz is one of her finest recordings, and one that begs for a CD reissue. Thomas Cunniffe discusses that album and a similar project recorded by Laine’s daughter, Jacqui Dankworth, 32 years later.

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The Art Farmer Quartet featuring Jim Hall

Best of JHO, Historical Essays /

While they were only together for a little over a year, the Art Farmer Quartet with Jim Hall created a remarkable legacy of music. In this extended historical essay, Thomas Cunniffe explores the audio and video recordings of this remarkable group.

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Crossroads

CD Reviews /

All four of the recordings covered in this month’s vocal CD reviews feature established singers at an artistic crossroads. Cyrille Aimée’s live album catches her group just before they disbanded, while Amy Cervini, Keri Johnsrud and Allegra Levy all explore music new to their discographies. Thomas Cunniffe reviews these superb albums.

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Dynamics of the Duo

CD Reviews /

The duo (or duet) remains one of the most venerable formats for jazz performance. The form defies any strict rules, so that the only necessary ingredients are two musicians who want to work together and can share the same jazz language. Thomas Cunniffe reviews two diverse albums from Anat Cohen & Fred Hersch, and Nadje Noordhuis & James Shipp.

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Anat Cohen Abraça o Brasil (Anat Cohen Embraces Brazil)

CD Reviews /

In addition to being one of the best jazz clarinetists today, Anat Cohen is a particularly fine interpreter of Brazilian music. She has made several trips to Brazil over the past two decades, and one of her collaborators says that she plays Brazilian music with a perfect accent. Thomas Cunniffe reviews two new CDs of Brazilian music, which represents her greatest concentration to this unique musical heritage.

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Sophisticated Giant: The Life & Legacy of Dexter Gordon (by Maxine Gordon)

Book Reviews /

The extraordinary life of Dexter Gordon is the subject of two fine biographies, one written in 1989 by British journalist Stan Britt, and the other–just published, by Gordon’s manager and widow, Maxine. In this month’s book review, Thomas Cunniffe compares the two books, noting what each author chooses to highlight and omit.

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Bebop and Beyond

CD Reviews /

If we place the origin of jazz sometime around 1905 and then place the emergence of bebop around 1945, we find that the music is about 113 years old, and bebop has been part of its language for 73 years—considerably over half of the music’s history. The three albums featured in this month’s instrumental CD reviews all owe much of their inspiration to the bebop masters. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the albums by Richie Cole, Christopher Hollyday and Bruce Barth.

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Timeline: An Interview with Chris Brubeck

Interviews /

In 1958, the Dave Brubeck Quartet made a historic four-month tour of Europe and the Middle East for the US State Department. The tour was the subject of a PBS documentary, and the latest album by Brubeck’s sons Chris and Dan. Thomas Cunniffe chatted with Chris about the tour and his father’s legacy.

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Ella Fitzgerald at 100

Sidetracks /

2017 marks the 100th anniversary of Ella Fitzgerald’s birth, and the occasion is being marked with a plethora of reissues, compilations and tributes. In this special Sidetracks article, Thomas Cunniffe pays homage to the First Lady of Song with an appreciation of her art, and an overview of this spring’s salutes.

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Ella Fitzgerald: “Ella at Zardi’s” (Verve 27422)

Retro Reviews /

By the early months of 1956, Ella Fitzgerald had appeared in concert halls, and nightclubs, as well as on radio and television. She tailored her repertoire to fit each venue. A new release, Ella at Zardi’s, offers the earliest authorized recording of Fitzgerald in a nightclub, and reviewer Thomas Cunniffe notes the casual atmosphere and the banter between Ella and her audience makes this recording significant, enlightening and highly entertaining.

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Ella Fitzgerald: “Best of the BBC Vaults” (Voyage/Universal)

DVD Reviews /

Ella Fitzgerald was a regular presence on television during the 1950s and 1960s. Best of the BBC Vaults, a CD/DVD set just issued in the US, but released three years ago in the UK, collects four classic Fitzgerald TV appearances from 1965-1977. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the collection.

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Ella Fitzgerald: “Ella Swings Lightly” (Verve 314 517 535)

Retro Reviews /

In the mid-1950s, Ella Fitzgerald entered a period of simultaneous artistic growth and enormous popularity. Although the Song Book series garnered most of the attention, Fitzgerald several jazz albums including the splendid Ella Swings Lightly with the Marty Paich Dek-tette. Thomas Cunniffe discusses this album in this Retro Review.

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