Author name: Thomas Cunniffe

Jane Ira Bloom: “Sixteen Sunsets” (Outline 141)

CD Reviews /

Just over 20 years ago, a quote from astronaut Joseph Allen about traveling through outer space and seeing 16 sunrises and sunsets per day inspired Jane Ira Bloom to write a brilliant piece for improvisers and antiphonal wind ensemble. Today that same quote has inspired a more reflective album from Bloom, an all-ballads CD which reviewer Thomas Cunniffe says unfolds like a well-written story.

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Janeology

Profiles /

The musical worlds of soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom encompass visual art, modern dance and outer space. A brilliant improviser and educator, Bloom has been a vibrant part of the jazz scene for over 30 years. Thomas Cunniffe’s profile includes detailed descriptions of her finest recordings.

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JATP at The Opera House

Best of JHO, Historical Essays /

In 1957, Norman Granz launched the 18th tour of Jazz at the Philharmonic. The concerts yielded 5 separate albums featuring Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Stan Getz, J.J. Johnson, Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge and the JATP All-Stars. All of the albums were titled At the Opera House but on four of the five albums, the mono editions were recorded at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles! In this newly revised Historical Essay, Thomas Cunniffe sorts out the discographical maze and discusses all five of the albums in both their mono and stereo editions.

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Jazz and the Philharmonic (Okeh CD/DVD)

DVD Reviews /

With contemporary music styles cross-fertilizing before our very ears, the training of young musicians requires instruction in an ever-widening range of genres. A gala concert featuring the talented students, alumni and mentors from three pioneering music education programs has just been released as the CD/DVD set (and PBS special), Jazz and the Philharmonic. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the discs.

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The Jazz Art Song

Best of JHO, CD Reviews /

The art song has been a staple of European and American classical music for two centuries. It’s possible that jazz has found its equivalent in two new albums led by Renee Rosnes and Helen Sung. On each album, the pianist/composers have collaborated with a living, jazz-influenced poet to create song cycles with potent messages and room for improvisation. Thomas Cunniffe compares these stunning new releases in this special CD review.

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Jazz Icons Series 5 box set (Reelin’ In The Years/Mosaic)

DVD Reviews /

After a two-year gap, Reelin’ in the Years has released their long-awaited fifth series of Jazz Icons. The new set features French performances by Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers (with Lee Morgan & Wayne Shorter), John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Johnny Griffin, Freddie Hubbard and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the set.

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Jazz in China (by Eugene Marlow)

Book Reviews /

According to its author, Eugene Marlowe, the first reaction he gets to his pioneering study, Jazz in China, is the question, Is there jazz in China? It has not been an easy road for jazz to flourish in this heavily Communist country, but it has two major periods, one before Mao’s reign, and one after. Thomas Cunniffe applauds Marlow’s original research and intrepid detective work in documenting this subject, but notes that a further trip to China was necessary to bring the book up-to-date.

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The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith (Kino/Lorber)

DVD Reviews /

In the midst of Manhattan’s wholesale flower district, painter David X. Young, composer Hall Overton, and photographer W. Eugene Smith hosted a loft space for jam sessions and rehearsals. Many of New York’s finest jazz musicians spent time at the loft, and Smith made tape recordings and took photos of the proceedings. Much of the material has survived and it provides the visual and aural content of the new documentary The Jazz Loft, According to W. Eugene Smith. Thomas Cunniffe provides his thoughts on the film.

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The Jazz of Physics (by Stephon Alexander)

Book Reviews /

The liberal arts and the sciences may not be as far apart as you think. In his new book, The Jazz of Physics, physicist and jazz musician Stephon Alexander finds remarkable connections between improvised music and the laws of the natural world. As Thomas Cunniffe notes in his book review, Alexander’s dense text is sometimes slow-going, but it leads to a group of astonishing theories.

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