Culminating a four-day visit to the Boulder campus, composer/arranger Maria Schneider led the CU Jazz Ensemble I in a superb concert of her music. Thomas Cunniffe reports that the band and guest soloists John Gunther and Brad Goode played Schneider’s music with precision and spirit.
Maria Schneider and the CU Jazz Ensemble I (November 18, 2011) Read More »
Colorado jazz fans were offered a rare treat with two performances by composer/bandleader Maria Schneider in just under two weeks. In addition to a four-day workshop with student musicians from the University of Colorado in Boulder, Schneider brought her entire New York-based orchestra to the Lakewood Cultural Center for a sold-out concert. Thomas Cunniffe was at both concerts and in his review, he notes how the combined repertoire of the concerts offered a unique overview of Schneider’s evolution as a composer.
Two Colorado Concerts with Maria Schneider Read More »
Through her numerous live performances and her award-winning radio series, Piano Jazz, Marian McPartland has steadily built a reputation of one of jazz’s great masters. Yet she is not one to trumpet her own accomplishments. Finally, a filmmaker has done it for her (with the help of several other great musicians). Thomas Cunniffe reviews the DVD.
Marian McPartland: In Good Time (Films by Huey) Read More »
On May 13, 2017, Denver jazz fans had the choice to hear several top-rank artists in live performances across the city. JHO’s Thomas Cunniffe joined about 1000 audience members at the University of Denver’s Newman Center for a concert by the Branford Marsalis Quartet with guest Kurt Elling. Cunniffe reports that the entire group was in top form, excelling their performances on their recent CD, Upward Spiral.
Branford Marsalis & Kurt Elling (DU Newman Center; May 13, 2017) Read More »
One of Mary Lou Williams’ proudest claims was that she played through all the major jazz eras. In the final years of her life, she codified the styles so thoroughly that any piece she played could have elements of stride, swing, boogie, bop and free. Thomas Cunniffe reviews her stunning solo performance at the 1978 Montreux Jazz Festival in this Retro Review.
One of the founding members of the vocal jazz group Rare Silk, MaryLynn Gillaspie entertained a nearly-full house at Lannie’s Clocktower Cafe in downtown Denver. While the majority of the program featured Gillaspie’s fine work as a solo singer, Thomas Cunniffe’s review notes that the highlight of the concert was a group performance of a Rare Silk chart by the late Todd Buffa.
MaryLynn Gillaspie at Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret, Denver (March 4, 2012) Read More »
Released just in time for the holidays is Naxos/EuroArts’ 5-DVD box set Masters of American Music. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the set which includes profiles of Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughan, Thelonious Monk and Billie Holiday as well as an overview of the music The Story of Jazz.
Masters of American Music box set (Naxos/EuroArts) Read More »
Over fifty years ago, Max Roach stunned the jazz world with his political Freedom Now Suite. Thomas Cunniffe re-examines the recording as part of an ongoing series of historical jazz record reviews.
We Insist!: Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite (Candid 79002) Read More »
The recorded collaborations between vocalist Mel Tormé and arranger Marty Paich were arguably the highlights of each man’s career. The albums they recorded with a 10-piece studio ensemble, the Marty Paich Dek-tette are some of the finest vocal LPs ever made. Thomas Cunniffe’s study of this music was originally part of his Master’s Thesis, and has been published on several websites over the past two decades. This newly-revised edition of the article marks its first appearance on Jazz History Online.
Mel, Marty & the Dek-tette Read More »
Former JHO contributor Michael Verity helped us out on this issue by reviewing a pair of new CDs. Rather than mix them in with Thomas Cunniffe’s notices, we’ve given Michael his own spot. He offers his reactions to Jim McNeely’s Barefoot Dances and Other Visions and McClenty Hunter’s The Groove Hunter.
Two Reviews from Michael Verity Read More »
Philadelphia vocalist Michelle Lordi loves to tell stories in song. She has a deep abiding interest in the Great American Songbook, but has also found viable material from alternative country singer Ryan Adams and the 1980s pop group, The Cars. In this month’s Sidetracks feature, Thomas Cunniffe introduces us to Lordi through her recordings and a recent live performance in Denver.
Michelle Lordi & the Art of Storytelling Read More »
Columbia/Legacy launches its latest series of Miles Davis recordings with a 3-CD/1-DVD set chronicling a fortnight tour of Europe in 1967. The quintet featuring Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams was in peak form, creating vastly different performances from night to night. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the set, and reveals what you won’t find on the collection.
Miles Davis Live in Europe 1967 (Columbia/Legacy 94053) Read More »
In the first edition of our new Sidetracks feature, Amy Duncan tells of getting the interview of a lifetime with the legendary (and notoriously difficult) Miles Davis. The first-person narrative is part of Duncan’s soon-to-be-published autobiography Getting Down To Brass Tacks: My adventures in the world of jazz, Rio and beyond.
Interviewing Miles Read More »
On his 1990 CD, Txai Milton Nascimento explores the music and culture of the people protecting the Amazon rain forest. The recording features sound clips of the indigenous people as well as an impressive line-up of Americans and Brazilians. Janine Santana examines the album in this Retro Review.
Milton Nascimento: “Txai” (Columbia 46871) Read More »