Concert Reviews (851)
Nothing beats experiencing live jazz music as its being created right in front of you. Stop here for reviews of your favorite jazz artists live and in concert.
As the songwriter, visionary force, and de facto leader of the Chicago octet 8 Bold Souls for over fifteen years, Edward Wilkerson, Jr. has earned a place among the great tenor saxophonists of that city's tenor royalty- Von Freeman, Ari Brown, and Fred Anderson. Although a member in good standing of the south side collective Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), Wilkerson's talent for improvising gets lost in the shuffle of the compositions of the Souls and his larger big
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The Magic Triangle Concerts, sponsored by UMass Residential Arts and WMUA Student Radio, began its 13th series with an interpretation of Bach¹s Goldberg Variations by the Uri Caine Ensemble. The ensemble was made up of Cornell Rochester, drums, Barbara Walker, vocals, Ralph Alessi, trumpet, Dave Binney, sax, DJ Olive, turntables, Drew Gress, bass, Joyce Hamman, violin, and Uri Caine, piano. For the last week, I have thought long and hard about how to approach writing this article. In fac
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The warm ambience that filled the room at Hollywood Park Casino on Sunday afternoon was a tribute to the late Joe Williams. A two day jazz event, presented by jazz artist Barbara Morrison, with a stellar line up that included herself as well as Sweet Baby J’ai, Bill Henderson, Yve Evans, Billy Mitchell, Kim Yarbrough Art Hillery, Niki Harris, Dee Dee McNeal and other jazz artists. With radio personality James Janisse of KLON-FM (88.1), as Emcee for Sunday afternoon, the show got under way. B
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Human beings possess certain biological traits. Simple things that we consider essential to living like walking and breathing. Pat Martino adds an extra element to his list. He plays the guitar. When the virtuoso lost most of his memory after the removal of a brain aneurysm in 1980, Martino was forced to take on the staggering feat of re-learning his instrument. What this guitar legend proves is that when you’re born with a gift there’s no letting go. I saw the Pat Martino Trio for the first
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The evening was ripe for the band to be in a festive mood. The date marked the release of their new album, Uberjam, and the opening night of their American tour. Two high-energy sets were testimony to the celebration. Early in the first set, one of Scofield’s pedals wasn’t working. He needed batteries. One of his many fans ran across the street and quickly returned with the double A’s. Scofield kept his cool and used the brief window to lighten up the crowd with his witty personality. With the p
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First off: electronics are not The Devil’s Toenails there’s precious little difference between a flute made from a hunk of wood and a digital sampler. Both are designed to help us humans make sounds that we otherwise could not. But then: some of us have from heard from seers, egotistical performers and critics, hypeheads and trendy jackasses that the nebulous genre known as "Electronica" music/sound/noises produced via electronic media was going to supplant rock and/or jazz and/or whatever as TH
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After a long absence, the Amherst Meetinghouse Music Series, put on by Michael Ehlers, resumed with a startling performance by The Clarinet Trio with Walter Perkins on drums & vocals, Perry Robinson on clarinets and William Parker on bass, flutes, vocals & reed instruments. This group is not at all presumptuous. I could tell that they came together because they are dedicated to their music, they love making the music, their music is the extension of their inner selves to the outside worl
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In (early) observance of Martin Luther King Day, New York City was treated to a concert by two of the most joyfully fieriest jazz players the 60s and 70s produced, respectively: Andrew Cyrille and Oliver Lake. This took place in the performance space of Manhattan’s Museum For African Art, a small but impressive museum and store. Both fellows have played together off and on for years, most notably in the group Trio3 with bassist Reggie Workman, but tonight was devoted to the concept of the duo. T
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During a week of warm January sunshine, and an occasional cool rain shower, the 9th Annual Barbados Jazz Festival brought an assortment of musical talent to this lovely Caribbean island. As festival promoter Gilbert Rowe said, following a stirring performance by drummer Sonny Emory, "We took a chance this year on not running a pure jazz line-up, and it seems to be working. " Judging from the crowds that came to see performers such as Dionne Warwick, Freddy Cole, Jesse Cook, David Sanborn
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Pianist/composer Andrew Hill has been on the fringes of the jazz scene for decades a flurry of activity, discs on Blue Note, Soul Note and Palmetto, then back to low profile-land. But if it’s quality not quantity you value, Hill fills the bill and then some. In recent years he’s taken to performing with a quintet or sextet, but for this go-‘round he has a big band, billed as The Andrew Hill Sextet +11. On this Saturday night, devoted fans filled New York’s small, elegant Birdland to catch th
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Most legendary artists, especially after 4+ decades, would take it easy on their 60th birthday. Chick Corea decided instead to throw a party, and invite some of the hottest talent, legendary and new, to join him for a week long engagement at NYC's jazz staple, the Blue Note. We had the pleasure of catching Chick in the duo setting with Cuban-born pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, who has laid a solid (annd burning) mark on the scene as one of the finest young pianists in the Latin vein. R
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The NYC jazz club/restaurant Iridium used to be located in the upper west side, near Lincoln Center now, it’s located near the heart of the bustling Times Square area. (For the benefit of those not familiar, the streets are lousy with people virtually ‘round the clock.) It’s at the bottom of a stairway, and has two levels of tables it sort-of reminded me of the old TV Show Playboy After Dark, where Hef would serve as host to a variety of talents. The menu consists of - well, there’s no way aroun
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Tastefully proving his compelling genius, Tom Harrell performed at the infamous Blue Note with quintet members Marcus Strickland - sax (filling in for Jimmy Greene), Xavier Davis piano, Quincy Davis bass and Ugonna Okegwa drums. The early show was sparse, nonetheless enjoyable, but by the second set of the evening, the house was full of anticipating fans. A hush fell in respectful awe for Harrell’s emotional expressionism and what he has had to overcome in becoming one of the top jazz trumpeters
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Chick Corea is a musician of extraordinary abilities; he’s one of the most influential jazz pianists since the 1960s. His virtuosi technique encompasses classical precision, free improvisation, Latin rhythms, and electronic innovations. In a stunning ending of week 2 of a 3-week birthday bash; opens with the innovative sextet, Origin; featuring the collective talents of: Steve Davis (trombone), Steve Wilson (alto & soprano saxophones), Tim Garland (tenor saxophone), Avishai Cohen (bass) and
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NYC-based trombonist Josh Roseman is of the newer generations of jazz players who’ll play in a funky groove-oriented band one night, a cutting edge avant garde group the next and a hard bop unit the night after that. In times past, most jazz musicians would find the stylistic "niche" in which they thrive the most and then stay there unto death. Without lacking anything in the commitment department, Roseman and many of his 20/30-something contemporaries joyously and unashamedly embrace many style
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True pioneers of jazz, the Crusaders showed the crowd that they've still got it. Now playing with only two of the original members remaining, Wayne Henderson (trombone / fluegelhorn), and Wilton Felder (saxes), the Crusaders of today put a new twist on their classic tunes with the help of some very talented musicians. One of the liveliest shows I have ever seen, the Crusaders had the crowd on their feet groovin' to their funky tunes. Opening up with horns blaring, the Crusaders played their c
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24th North Sea Jazz Festival The Hague, Holland from July 9 to 11, 1999 where nearly all jazzgreats gather and give their best for an audience of 70.000. For the first time ever and in addition to the coveted Bird Award, the NSJF commitee issued the Jazz Edison Award International to Tuck & Patti for their latest release "Paradise Found". It was a double celebration to the couple because the singing duo chose the cozy and comfortable Van Gogh Hall, one of the 16, to concluded a tour that started
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With the recent release of his new album, "Bamboo Forest", leader and percussionist Steve Reid takes the art of percussion to a whole new level. Steve has more toys in his percussion set-up than a millionaire's kid. Steve is both exciting and quite entertaining to watch. His performance is filled with energy and just the right timing, making the music come alive. Touring with Steve are some big names in the contemporary jazz scene: Jeff Kashiwa (Sax), Dig Lewis (Bass), Kim Hansen (Keyboards),
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Contemporary jazz violinist, Karen Briggs brought down the house with her smooth, classical yet very creative playing style. Internationally recognized for her world tour with Yanni, Karen has now made a name for herself and most recently toured with Stanley Clarke's group, Vertu. Vertu was release this summer with chart-topping success. Her third performance at the Red Mill East was definitely her best. With the help of some great backup musicians (Keith Rouster - bass, LaVelle Bell - drums, an
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Narada jazz artist Scott Wilkie warms up the crowd at his outdoor Rainbow Summer concert on an unseasonably chilly night in Milwaukee. Based in Southern California, pianist Scott Wilkie is burning up the jazz charts with his debut release, "Boundless" on Narada Records. This contemporary jazz band made up of Scott Wilkie (keyboards), Nathan Brown (bass), Matthew Von Dorn (guitar), and David Owens (drums) plays with continuity and mastery while having fun doing it. The album also features special
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How can it be over? It doesn't seem possible. It just started. Didn't it? The ten most glorious days of the year come and gone once again. Thank god this town has as many talented and prolific jazz musicians as it does, or there'd certainly be a serious case of depression on my hands due to jazz deprivation the other 355 days of the year. If it had to be summed up in just two words, this year's du Maurier International Jazz Festival Vancouver would be: rainy and diverse. We had one extreme wi
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A low-key night in the Main Space at the Knit brought together Joe McPhee as featured artist with the Deep Listening Band and Straylight. The too short 80 minute set enveloped the audience with a mood that was penetrating. A mood that was inherent in the cohesion of the multiplicitous percussion instruments and the major players - Joe on sax and pocket trumpet, and Pauline Oliveros, from the Deep Listening Band, on accordion. The blending of the sound of the instruments reached beyond expecta
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Guitarist, Phillip Catherine, performed tonight at the Berrigen Cultural Center, along with Bert van den Brink, piano, Bas Kooimans, double bass, and Hans van Oosterhout, drums, at a concert sponsored by Motives for Jazz, a major jazz promoter here in Belgium. With the duet of Linx-Wissels opening the concert and Aka Moon following, the Philip Catherine Quartet stole the evening, no contest. Philip's melodic style and superb artistry was well founded with the rest of the quartet and they repe
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For my money the best concerts put the audience in a world where everything makes sense. The Frode Gjerstad Trio did that when they played on January 21. The approximately hundred people in attendance swayed and pulsated to the music. Many had their eyes closed. Hands pounded knees in unison with drummer Hamid Drake's grooves. Heads shrieked and turned to the sax playing of Frode Gjerstad. Some people hung on every hand gesture, move, or sound that came from bassist William Parker. Everybody
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When Kim Waters said, "fellas, you're going to be thanking me later tonight!", he must have been so right. Just the Sax took the Houston jazz crowd by storm on Saturday, January 22nd and left every one needing either their partner, a glass of wine to relax, or a cold shower to forget their "troubles". Sweet, sexy and saxy, Paul Taylor, Marion Meadows, Kim Waters and Gerald Albright all delivered with such a variety and distinction in each style and set selection that is was a musical ride all
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