Mongo Santamaria was one of the giants of Latin jazz. In a new CD called Mongorama, producer José Rizo and a star-studded band of musicians pay tribute to the master. Our Latin jazz specialist, Janine Santana reviews the recording.
José Rizo’s “Mongorama” (Saungú 3) Read More »
Thelonious Monk’s tour of Europe in late 1969 was the last time he would travel the Continent with his own group. Despite a number of setbacks, the quartet was in great form for its appearance at Paris’ Salle Pleyel. As Thomas Cunniffe reports, the film of this concert has circulated among collectors for years, but Blue Note’s new DVD may be the first legitimate release of this material.
Thelonious Monk: “Paris 1969” (Blue Note) Read More »
In the 1960s, Nancy Wilson’s popularity rose as jazz’s audience waned. Much of her success was due to an extraordinary series of albums on Capitol. In his first contribution to our pages, Michael Canty offers his thoughts on one of those classic albums, Yesterday’s Love Songs/Today’s Blues.
Nancy Wilson: “Yesterday’s Love Songs/Today’s Blues” (Capitol 96265) Read More »
It is only ninety miles between the Florida Keys and Havana, yet the ideological and political differences between the US and Cuba seem much wider. The Ninety Miles project attempts to bridge the gap through music. The resulting CD/DVD with American and Cuban musicians playing side by side is reviewed by Janine Santana.
Stefon Harris/David Sánchez/Christian Scott: “Ninety Miles” (Concord Picante 32904) Read More »
Normally, this space would be filled with a book review. But this month, Thomas Cunniffe became quite frustrated with a new jazz listener’s guide he was asked to review. As he writes,This book is a particularly egregious example of shoddy work, which was pushed into the marketplace without recognition of its responsibilities or consequences. Cunniffe uses the faults of the book to address the problems with some of today’s jazz scholarship.
The impact of Norman Granz on the world of jazz can hardly be underestimated. He influenced the way the music is presented both live and in the studio, and he was a trailblazer in the struggle for civil rights. Tad Hershorn’s new biography tells of Granz’ accomplishments and failures, and Thomas Cunniffe offers his reactions in our new book review section.
Norman Granz: The Man Who Used Jazz for Justice (by Tad Hershorn) Read More »
Not all of the giants in New York play at the Meadowlands. Indeed, most of the giants heard in this month’s instrumental CD reviews are most likely to be found at Manhattan’s many nightspots. The range of the music, including Anat Cohen’s Brazilian ensemble, Ryan Truesdell’s Gil Evans Project, and the straight-ahead groups led by Steve Turre and Ben Wolfe display some of the styles played in the Big Apple. Thomas Cunniffe reviews these four remarkable new albums.
New York (Jazz) Giants Read More »
The three vocal CDs reviewed this month feature an abundance of original compositions. Gabriel Espinosa and Hendrik Meurkens lead an international ensemble on a celebration of Brazilian music, Samba Little Samba, Lauren Hooker sings an autobiographical song cycle on All For You, My Heart and Soul, and the duo of Judi Silvano and Michael Abene perform daring improvisations from compositional sketches on My Dance. Thomas Cunniffe examines the music.
Few albums had the impact of Ornette Coleman’s The Shape of Jazz to Come and Change of the Century. They generated an incredible amount of critical buzz, and there was little middle ground: either you loved it or hated it. In 1960 (and today), Amy Duncan loved it, and she shares her reactions to the albums in this Retro Review.
The latest CD from pianist Oscar Perez features a commissioned three-movement work that fuses African, European and indigineous musics into a unified whole. Our Latin jazz expert Janine Santana offers her thoughts on the disc.
Oscar Perez: “Afropean Affair” (Chandra 8094) Read More »
While his Easter Suite was considered one of his major compositions, Oscar Peterson never made a commercial recording of the work. In time for Holy Week, Naxos/Art Haus has issued a DVD featuring Peterson’s only recording of the piece, made for The South Bank Show. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the disc.
Oscar Peterson: “Easter Suite” (Naxos/Art Haus) Read More »
Jazz fiction is a rarely-used literary sub-genre, which means the forms are open enough to allow its writers a great deal of flexibility. Scott Shachter’s new novel Outside In tells the story of a progressive jazz saxophonist and his number one fan. Thomas Cunniffe reviews this funny and engaging book.
Outside In (by Scott Shachter) Read More »
Did French audiences and critics really understand jazz and its creators better than Americans? Author Andy Fry thinks not, and in his new book, Paris Blues, he refutes those stories with dramatic new research. In his review, Thomas Cunniffe admires Fry’s research, but wishes that the book would have been more comprehensive.
Paris Blues (by Andy Fry) Read More »
Paul Desmond’s blazing improvisation on The Way You Look Tonight (from the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s album Jazz at Oberlin) has long been considered one of the saxophonist’s greatest solos. An alert JHO reader discovered that the solo was edited when transferred from 10 LP to EP and 12 LP. In this Sidetracks feature, Thomas Cunniffe notes that the edit completely changes the feel of the solo. Both versions are embedded in this article.
The Unedited Paul Desmond Read More »