Jazz composition is a unique art. Rather than creating a piece of music completely from start to finish, jazz composers must leave room for others to improvise and realize the score. This month, Thomas Cunniffe reviews CDs by three composer-pianists who have found their voices within the small-group format.
MoreJazz fans expect (and receive) great music from certain veteran musicians. That is certainly the case with Jimmy Cobb, Fred Hersch and Sonny Rollins. Thomas Cunniffe reviews three superb new releases from these jazz giants in this month’s instrumental CD reviews.
MoreEvery year, we lose more of the great jazz masters, and predictably, the tribute albums turn up within the next year. While many of these tribute albums are well-made, they are ultimately too late. This month, Thomas Cunniffe examines three albums which celebrate living musicians, and notes that on two of the CDs, the honorees perform alongside their admiring colleagues.
MoreAll four of the recordings covered in this month’s vocal CD reviews feature established singers at an artistic crossroads. Cyrille Aimée’s live album catches her group just before they disbanded, while Amy Cervini, Keri Johnsrud and Allegra Levy all explore music new to their discographies. Thomas Cunniffe reviews these superb albums.
MoreThe duo (or duet) remains one of the most venerable formats for jazz performance. The form defies any strict rules, so that the only necessary ingredients are two musicians who want to work together and can share the same jazz language. Thomas Cunniffe reviews two diverse albums from Anat Cohen & Fred Hersch, and Nadje Noordhuis & James Shipp.
MoreIn addition to being one of the best jazz clarinetists today, Anat Cohen is a particularly fine interpreter of Brazilian music. She has made several trips to Brazil over the past two decades, and one of her collaborators says that she plays Brazilian music with a perfect accent. Thomas Cunniffe reviews two new CDs of Brazilian music, which represents her greatest concentration to this unique musical heritage.
MoreIf we place the origin of jazz sometime around 1905 and then place the emergence of bebop around 1945, we find that the music is about 113 years old, and bebop has been part of its language for 73 years—considerably over half of the music’s history. The three albums featured in this month’s instrumental CD reviews all owe much of their inspiration to the bebop masters. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the albums by Richie Cole, Christopher Hollyday and Bruce Barth.
MoreTheoretically, surprise should be part of every jazz performance, but this month’s instrumental CDs offer plenty. Thomas Cunniffe and Ben Markley offer reviews of a Harry Allen/Scott Hamilton tenor duets that eschews the fever pitch of other such efforts, a rhythmically rich album by Joe Lovano’s Us Five and an understated interactive album by Ron Miles, Bill Frisell and Brian Blade.
MoreDiscovering new repertoire is an ongoing challenge for jazz musicians, whether they are vocalists or instrumentalists. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the latest albums by vocalists Claudia Acuña, Kellye Gray, Gretchen Parlato and Janis Siegel where they explore music that lays outside of the standard repertoire.
MoreIt has been said that the music of the future will be a combination of different styles, rather than a new form of an established genre. In this month’s vocal CD reviews, Thomas Cunniffe discusses albums by Dena DeRose, Camila Meza, and Sofia Ribeiro which blend elements of seemingly disparate styles.
MoreThis month’s instrumental CD reviews are all (in one form or another) tributes to jazz giants. Thomas Cunniffe reviews Marc Cary’s salute to his former boss, Abbey Lincoln, Eli Yamin and Evan Christopher’s homage to a wealth of jazz heroes, Eddie Daniels and Roger Kellaway’s live performances of Ellington and Hush Point’s debut CD which examines the continuum between cool and free jazz.
MoreIt’s been about six years since pianist Renee Rosnes and saxophonist Lew Tabackin released albums under their own names, but each of them has a new disc out, and as Thomas Cunniffe notes in his reviews, both albums were worth the wait. Also reviewed is a collection of 2005 duets by trumpeter Kenny Wheeler and pianist John Taylor. The album was originally issued as a memorial to Wheeler, but by the time of its release, Taylor had also passed away.
MoreOn his new CD, Tree of Life, drummer/composer Francisco Mela creates a multicultured musical journey with his band, Cuban Safari, and guest vocalist Esperanza Spalding. The recorded results are explored by our Latin jazz expert, Janine Santana.
MoreThe live recording sessions for the new Fred Hersch Trio CD Sunday Night at the Vanguard were nearly canceled, until Hersch changed his mind at the group’s initial sound check earlier in the week. It’s a good thing that he did. The album features the astounding music primarily created during a single set at the storied Greenwich Village club. Thomas Cunniffe’s feature review focuses on the ensemble work of this extraordinary trio.
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