-
Saxophonists with Style
Through the generations of jazz history, the tenor saxophone has been the instrument most associated with the music. Thomas Cunniffe reviews new releases by three generations of tenor men: Benn Clatworthy, Ravi Coltrane and Brandon Wright.
-
Silvano Monasterios: “Unconditional” (Savant 2111)
Venezuelan pianist Silvano Monasterios first album for Savant features musical portraits of those most important to him, ranging from his father to his dog! Janine Santana offers her reactions to the disc.
-
Sittin’ In
The latest CDs by pianists Jeremy Siskind and Harold Mabern feature a plethora of guest vocalists. Such loaded rosters may cause some observers to claim that the artists and record companies are trying to boost the commercial appeal of the albums. However, our reviewer Thomas Cunniffe feels that the vocalists help fulfill the artistic goals…
-
Sonny Rollins: “Road Shows” (Vol. 2) (Doxy/EmArcy 15949)
Sonny Rollins has released another spectacular collection of live performances, this time covering a month-long period in September and October of 2010. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the CD, noting that in the mere ordering of tracks, Rollins the producer has enhanced the performance of Rollins the saxophonist.
-
Storytellers
For some jazz singers, telling a story through a song’s lyrics is a primary goal. The three vocalists covered in this month’s vocal reviews, newcomer Cécile McLorin Salvant , and veterans Carline Ray and Marlene VerPlanck, all share this ideal. Their latest discs are evaluated by Thomas Cunniffe.
-
Straight Ahead!
Swing is a less important factor in the jazz of today, but that doesn’t mean that swing is dead. In this month’s instrumental CD reviews, Thomas Cunniffe examines a quartet of new discs by musicians of several generations that shows the validity of straight-ahead jazz.
-
Solo Flights
Performing solo can be both liberating and challenging for a jazz musician. Yet solo performances tend to expose new dimensions of a player’s identity. This month, Ben Markley focuses his attention on new solo releases by guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg and pianists John Medeski and Frederick Moyer.
-
Worth Waiting For
Years ago, jazz musicians would typically release two or three albums a year, but with the current state of the recording industry, new CDs appear much less regularly. The three instrumental albums reviewed this month by Thomas Cunniffe are by artists who have not released albums as leaders or with their usual groups in several…
-
Women in Jazz: The Instrumentalists
There are probably more women instrumentalists on the current jazz scene than at any other time in the music’s history. Thomas Cunniffe and Amy Duncan offer capsule reviews of new CDs led by Sarah Elgeti, Jessica Jones, Virginia Mayhew, Roberta Piket and Anne Sajdera.
-
Women in Jazz: The Vocalists
Jazz is an adventure, and that spirit highlights the music of Sara Gazarek, Carol Saboya, Nicky Schrire, Sara Serpa and Judi Silvano. Thomas Cunniffe and Amy Duncan review the latest albums by these talented vocalists.