Author name: Thomas Cunniffe

As Billy Joel’s song has it, New York City is as much a place as it is a state of mind. This month, Thomas Cunniffe reviews new albums by three outstanding (and considerably different) pianists from the Big Apple: Bill Charlap, Steve Kuhn and Leslie Pintchik.

Our vocal CD reviews cover music by three generations of singers. Emilie Weibel’s Omoo is an intriguing collection of sonic tableaus, Jackie Allen performs an arresting collection of standards, original and pop tunes on My Favorite Color, and Barbara Morrison, Ernie Andrews and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra play a rollicking concert on LA Treasures Project. All three discs are reviewed by Thomas Cunniffe.

The three instrumental CDs reviewed this month reveal a strong connection to jazz’s past while exploring the outer edges of the music. While trumpeters play a pivotal role on all three of these albums, reviewer Thomas Cunniffe notes that these recordings by Avishai Cohen, Hush Point (with John McNeil) and Ron Miles all have their moments of quiet reflection.

Female jazz vocalists have always outnumbered male jazz singers by a considerable margin, and if anything, the situation has become worse over the past few years. So with all due respect to the ladies, here are Thomas Cunniffe’s reviews of albums by three outstanding male vocalists: Michael Dees, Kurt Elling and Ku-umba Frank Lacy.

Jazz compositions have been around almost as long as jazz improvisers. While improvisation is rightly considered as an essential component of jazz, soloing without some sort of pre-arranged structure would be little more than strings of meaningless notes. In this essay review, Thomas Cunniffe examines new recordings by Lynne Arriale, Leslie Pintchik, Renee Rosnes and Martin Wind, where each leader provides their stellar musicians with inspiring repertoire.

After Oscar Peterson’s death, his hand-picked Bösendorfer Imperial Grand piano remained untouched for over five years. A piano technician told his widow, Kelly, this piano should be played, and she invited 17 great jazz pianists to Peterson’s home studio to record on the Bösendorfer. The results have been issued on a 3-CD collection titled Oscar with Love, and in this expanded CD review, Thomas Cunniffe notes each performance and expresses hope that more recordings will follow.

Twenty-five years in the music business can either make several changes to an artist’s approach, or it can leave the artist pursuing the same style that brought them original acclaim. Kellye Gray’s new double CD Rendering combines her debut disc with new versions of the same songs. Thomas Cunniffe contemplates the changes in Gray’s style, and compares them to new albums by Diana Krall and Jazzmeia Horn.

Tribute albums can come in many forms. Despite its title, Jane Ira Bloom’s new CD, Early Americans actually celebrates her current trio. Roberta Piket pays homage to her mentor Marian McPartland with lovely sextet arrangements of McPartland’s compositions on One for Marian. Matt Wilson gathers the members of his various groups in a lively memorial to his wife Felicia on Beginning of a Memory. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the discs.

In addition to being brilliant poets, Emily Dickinson and Carl Sandburg shared a deep appreciation for music. Dickinson was an amateur pianist and reportedly, a skilled improviser in the classical sense; Sandburg was a jazz fan, and an avid performer of American folk songs. In their latest albums, Jane ira Bloom and Matt Wilson celebrate Dickinson and Sandburg respectively, using stunning mixtures of poetry and music. Thomas Cunniffe spotlights both albums in this Sidetracks essay review.