Cool jazz altoist Lee Konitz has another strong effort with his Chesky Records debut, Parallels. Backed by a group of gifted musicians, he explores both classic and new com…

Pianist Lynne Arriale believes "singing to oneself is very important to have a vocal quality to the music, but more than a vocal quality, a heart connection." It is this heart connection she is delivering to her audiences in live performances, and in her trio’s new release Inspiration on TCB records. Critics dubbed her "the new queen" of the Montreux Jazz Festival after her performance there in 1999. Her technique may dazzle, but her ability to connect with and hold an audience is what se …

New York has many fine guitar players. Mark Elf is one of the finest bop players on the scene today. His resume reads like a who’s who of jazz including work with Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Wynton Marsalis, Jimmy Heath and others. Mark Elf’s string of six consecutive #1 recordings since 1997, have established him as a major player and composer. He is currently completing his eighth album as a leader on Jen Bay Records, a label he founded in 1995. I talked with him recently abo …

Mark Levine is a wonderful jazz pianist who’s played with greats like Cal Tjader, Mongo Santamaria, Willie Bobo, Blue Mitchell, Harold Land, Joe Henderson and Woody Shaw. Since then, he has several fine recordings as a leader, including his last two with his group, The Latin Tinge. He’s also a respected jazz educator and author of "The Jazz Piano Book" and "The Jazz Theory Book." Jazzreview: Let’s talk about your latest release, Serengeti. You have a fine group of sidemen; a gr …