Author name: Thomas Cunniffe

Gretchen Parlato at Rockwood Music Hall, New York City (December 6, 2012)

Concert Reviews /

Music (and especially jazz) has the quality of a living organism, changing from night to night as its players find new avenues of expression. After a year of global touring, Gretchen Parlato and her band are recording live versions of songs previously issued on her studio albums. Nicky Schrire attended one of these live sessions in New York City, and offers this concert review.

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Gretchen Parlato: Finding The Essence

Best of JHO, Profiles /

Gretchen Parlato is one of the top young jazz singers on the scene today. Thomas Cunniffe profiles this extraordinary musician, and how she rediscovers the essence of jazz every night.

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Eric Gunnison & Ellyn Rucker at Dazzle, Denver (June 14, 2012)

Concert Reviews /

Eric Gunnison was Carmen McRae’s accompanist for the last four years of her career. To honor McRae, Gunnison performed several of her signature songs at Denver’s Dazzle night club, featuring Ellyn Rucker’s vocals and McRae’s original trio arrangements. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the performance.

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H2 Big Band: “You’re It!” (Jazzed Media 1053)

CD Reviews /

The debut CD of the H2 Big Band, co-led by Al Hood and Dave Hanson, features a wealth of talent and an excellent collections of arrangements by Hanson. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the CD and a concert performance.

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Hailey Niswanger: “The Keeper” (Calmit Productions)

CD Reviews /

Fresh out of the Berklee College of Music, saxophonist Hailey Niswanger has released her second self-produced album The Keeper. Dedicated to several of her mentors and featuring a band full of Berklee alumni, the album offers splendid examples of this engaging improviser and composer. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the album.

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Contemporary Stylists of the Hammond B-3

CD Reviews /

The Hammond B-3 organ designates its own subculture in the jazz world. Yet, in the proper hands, it can fit into many different musical environments. Ben Markley reviews a trio of varied albums featuring the organists Pat Bianchi, Tony Monaco and Jared Gold.

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Donald Harrison & Phil Woods: Alto Sax Roundup

CD Reviews /

Thomas Cunniffe reviews recent releases by two masters of the alto saxophone. Donald Harrison’s This Is Jazz is a surprisingly avant-garde set featuring Ron Carter and Billy Cobham, and Phil Woods performs in a duet setting with Bill Mays on Phil and Bill.

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Possibilities (by Herbie Hancock & Lisa Dickey)

Book Reviews /

Ask the average jazz musician who he would like to meet, and one likely answer would be Herbie Hancock. From all accounts, Hancock is a friendly warm person with few pretensions. We may not all get our chance to hang out with Herbie, but his autobiography Possibilities might be the next best thing. In a conversational tone, Hancock recalls his work with Miles Davis, his own groups, and offers a few surprising stories. Thomas Cunniffe offers his impressions of the autobiography in this month’s Book Review.

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Herbie Hancock: “Mwandishi” (Warner Bros. 9362 47541)

Retro Reviews /

Herbie Hancock called his 1970 LP, Mwandishi his “favorite record of all the records I have ever made, and the loosest I’ve ever done.” Marissa Dodge examines this pivotal album which expanded the ideas explored in Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew.

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Conrad Herwig and Marshall Gilkes: No Tailgating Here!

CD Reviews /

The modern art of the trombone is illustrated in two new releases by veteran Conrad Herwig (Tip of the Sword) and newcomer Marshall Gilkes (Sound Stories). Chris Coulter examines both discs in this CD review.

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I Called Him Morgan (Filmrise DVD; Netflix/Amazon stream)

DVD Reviews /

On a winter night in 1972, Lee Morgan’s estranged common-law wife, Helen, shot and killed the trumpeter in the middle of a packed nightclub. The details of the murder have been elusive for decades, but a new film by Kasper Collin, I Called Him Morgan uses an audio interview of Helen and the memories of Lee’s musical colleagues to describe the events leading to the trumpeter’s death. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the film, recently issued on DVD.

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Icons Among Us: Jazz In The Present Tense (Indiepix)

DVD Reviews /

It’s the quietest revolution I’ve ever seen states Terence Blanchard in this award-winning documentary about the current jazz scene. Thomas Cunniffe examines both its feature film version and the original 4-hour broadcast edition.

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In Memoriam

CD Reviews /

The two vocal CDs reviewed this month memorialize a great musician (and his wife), and an honored son. Karla Harris celebrates the rarely-heard vocal music of Dave & Iola Brubeck, while Chris McNulty offers a heartfelt memorial to her late son, Sam. Thomas Cunniffe gives his reactions to these fine albums.

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Inspirations

CD Reviews /

While each of the leaders of this month’s instrumental CDs is an accomplished composer/arranger, most of the music presented on their discs are from the pens of other composers. Saxophonist Michael Cox remembers his friend and colleague Mark Flugge on Compassion, Eddie Daniels salutes Egberto Gismondi on Heart of Brazil, Ryan Keberle and Frank Woeste explore a piece by Maurice Ravel on Reverso, and Bobby Sanabria offers a dramatic rewrite of a classic musical in West Side Story Reimagined. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the discs.

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