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.
Frode Gjerstad: alto saxophone; William Parker: acoustic bass, piccolo trumpet and shakuhachi; Hamid Drake: drums and percussion Frode Gjerstad brought his "dream" trio to Kerrytown Concert House on a cold Michigan Friday night, in January. Having won Norway's 1997 Musician of the Year Award, he was given the opportunity to pick a pair of musicians he would most like to work and record with from the entire world-scene. This trio is the happy result and they have continued their collaborati
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As a jazz aficionado, dreaming of a show that brings all my favorite jazz artists together performing all in the same evening is simply that a dream. Now imagine this: on the night of January 28, 2000, at The Bass Performance Hall in Ft. Worth, Texas dreams came true! For artists, fans, promoters, record label owners this was the place to be and no one left disappointed. Here's a sampling of the artists that presented and received awards and then were good enough to entertain us at the podium
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Combining international performers with the tropical warmth and hospitality of beautiful Barbados produces a winning combination. Paint It Jazz 2000 was the most ambitious festival in its seven year history, drawing world-renowned artists from Canada, the Netherlands and the USA as well as providing a venue for local performers to be heard by an international audience. DENISE JANNAH: The opening night concert, on January 12, was performed in the spacious and acoustically fine Garfield Sobers
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I happened to catch up with Roy Hargrove at Yoshi's after seeing their performance in Europe earlier this year and oh, oh, oh! Just goes to show ya, you can never judge an artist by one performance. That stands to reason. Roy and his pals were more groovin', more improvisational, looser. There was plenty of hard-driving jazz, a touch of ballads and plenty of technical fortitude, but one thing I never expected was to hear Roy sing! He offered up a vocal kitchen of corn bread, collard greens, m
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KKSF Smooth Jazz, 103.7 fm, were the sponsors of the Earth Day Jazz Festival held April 25, 1999 at the Concord Pavilion in Concord, California, where Joe Sample and Lalha Hathaway headed the bill to perform to a crowd of thousands of jazz fans who filled the pavilion and grassy slopes surrounding the arena. Cheers went up as John Evans of KKSF introduced pianist Joe Sample. Joe looked good and very laid back as his trio performed several of Joe's legendary songs, the third and best being wha
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During the week of May 17 through the 23rd, Marian McPartland, legendary host of National Public Radio's Piano Jazz appeared at Yoshi's World Class Jazz House in Jack London Square, Oakland, California. Marian has hosted NPR's Piano Jazz since 1978. It is the longest-running jazz program in the history of network radio, but aside from her radio personae, Marian has a long history as a gifted jazz pianist, writer and composer. Her Saturday's May 21st performance was outstanding and Ms. McPartland
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A saxophone quartet can be very dangerous territory for the ears to wander into. When it 'works', it can be very, very good and when it doesn't, it can be very, very bad. Four saxes with no bass or drums could be a really crazy, out-there trip for the adventurous listener's ears. With a traditional rhythm section, there comes certain expectations for structure along with the melodic aspect provided through the 'out-front' instruments like horns, guitars, etc. The possibilities, then, with four s
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Last night to an intimate, appreciative audience, Steve Lacy and trio, made up of Jean-Jacques Avenel on bass and John Betsch on drums, revealed nothing but jewel-like precision , which is Lacy's total concern and has been ever since he began playing. The concert began with a Monk tune so fluidly rendered by the group that it proved an easy entrance into the growing intensity that filled the remainder of the evening. The next tune, Lacy's "The Bath", delivered a wonderful lilting and breath o
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The second in the series of Amherst Mtghouse Concerts, put on by Michael Ehlers, took place last night to a full house crowd. The group, OTHER DIMENSIONS IN MUSIC (led by Roy Campell, brass; with Rashid Bakr, drums; Daniel Carter, reeds; and William Parker, bass), performed in keeping with its name. Accompanied by Matthew Shipp at the piano, the basic quartet played a one-hour long first set; the group, not to mince words here, simply jumped in. Carter, on tenor, and Campell, on trumpet, seem
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On February 9 at the Iron Horse in Northampton, Ma., the stage was occupied by two top performers in the avant garde idiom of jazz-Matthew Shipp, on piano, and William Parker, on bass. Shipp met Parker 15 years ago and expressed a desire to play with him. Shipp's desire was fulfilled and they have played together numerous times in various group situations ever since. Despite the difference in their age, Shipp commands his instrument with finesse and sophistication that begins to match Parker's m
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When you haven't exactly warmed to an artist's latest album, it might make you a little wary about checking them out live. But those who think with a 'glass-is-half-full' attitude would've been in great luck had they been in the audience for this Joshua Redman Band show. The heat generated from that stage was unexpected, at least when based on the cool, detached vibe of Redman's latest disc, "Timeless Tales (For Changing Times)", but what a pleasant surprise to brighten up a dark, rainy March ev
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There was magic in the air as the Georg Graewe Quartet rendered me slack-jawed, stupefied and speechless - k.o.'d me after one set! Can't even really recall what happened during that last hour. But that first hour! Fifty-five minutes, to be exact - one improv. Straight through 55 minutes! I just wanted time to stand still. Like a freight train packing a load of dynamite; rolling freneticism from the start that never let up. Flying piano hands (courtesy Berliner Graewe) climbing all over each oth
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Been listening to the left speaker on my "stereo". The right speaker's connection comes and goes; great source of frustration. 'Til recently. Been listening to a variety of things - funk, pop, much jazz. Kinda all over the place from minute to minute, but one common theme - a strange, never before felt openness to the possibility that anything can happen - and I hope it does. Neil Finn's summer release "Try Whistling This" most in my ears these days. Of all songwriters, he is most consistent
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Every year during the last week of June, thousands of music lovers descend upon the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in upstate New York to enjoy a great weekend of jazz. This year was no exception, with an estimated 25,000 expected to attend daily. Although the name of the event has changed a few times over the years, (such as the Kool Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Saratoga, and Saratoga Jazz Festival), it's still a weekend get-a-way that's looked forward to by northeasterners from sever
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On March 13, the third night of his European tour, Mike Stern performed at the Hnita Jazz Club in Heist-op-den-Berg (Heist on the mountain) near Antwerp, Belgium. Performing with Mike were, Bob Franceschini (sax), Lincoln Goines (electric bass) and Richie Morales (drums). Looking terrifically young for his 46 years, Mike stepped on stage and, picking up his Yahama Pacificia, led the quartet in a composition, Play, from his latest Atlantic release of the same name. This slightly funky, upbeat
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Jazz guitar has evolved over the decades and its evolution has created a myriad of styles. On Saturday night, at the Pabst Theatre as a part of the Hal Leonard Jazz Series, we were privileged to enjoy the stellar guitar work of two major jazz stylists. Similar to last years' pairing of Cyrus Chestnut and Tommy Flanagan, a young lion demonstrated brilliance but the master craftsman displayed that rare jazz wisdom in his approach and execution only capable of an elder practitioner. The Mark Whi
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Last night’s performance of Jemeel Moondoc’s decade-long project, "Jus Grew" Orchestra, mesmerized the capacity audience in Bezanson Recital Hall at UMass Amherst . This orchestra works within the context of "free jazz", yet, upon listening, you can hear its roots. Its roots are imbedded in Moondoc’s deeply sincere assimilation of the best of jazz band music, specifically that of Ellington and Mingus, and more broadly of individual artists, like saxophonists Henderson, Ayler, and Jackie McLean.
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On Friday evening, March 31, 2000 at the Rhinebeck Performing Arts Center was the US premiere performance of the J Band. The J Band is Joe McPhee on reeds, Joe Giardullo on reeds, and, from France, Jerome Bourdellon on flutes and reeds. Special guest performers were Dominic Duval on bass and from Italy, Luciano Pagliarini on alto saxophone. Jerome Bourdellon initiated the first set with a solo on bass flute. The muted tones he produced projected an altogether feathery character, which had int
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Deep in the Hudson Valley, in a wisp of a town called Rosendale, the J Band (Joe McPhee, Joe Giardullo and Jerome Bourdellon all on reeds and Dominic Duval on bass) performed the music I have been anticipating for a long time. The instruments were picked for the space. The space was intimate. The sound was all-embracing. The images of the four playing I will remember for a lifetime. This gig took a less formal shape than the concert at Rhinebeck a week earlier. The group had been playing stea
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I am going to depart partially from my normal observation about the last two concerts I attended because my points of view are changing. And although I might give you sometimes a technical description of what I heard, that description will be underwritten with a total abandonment of thought. This music, this vanguard jazz is concerned with an ultimate awareness. Each musician involved has to be so totally at one with what is being played, that the sound that is produced has not an explanation
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When Peter Brotzmann's Die Like a Dog Quartet played the Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor, MI on April 21, you needed to see the group's leader change from his saxophone to a clarinet because the change in sound was not immediately apparent. For the first ten minutes of the ensemble's performance trumpeter Roy Campbell Jr. was not playing and the audience was able to observe from the look on his face to his talk with bassist William Parker that this was due to frustration with technical prob
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Closing the 11th Annual Magic Triangle Jazz Concert Series at UMass Amherst was a performance by trumpeter, Baikida Carroll, and his quintet. The members are Erika Lindsay, tenor sax, Steve Colson, piano, Michael Formanek, bass and Pheeroan Ak Laff, drums. This concert distinguished itself by being based on Carroll’s composed music. Improvisation took place but did not lend itself to the forefront of the music making. The inspiration that the concert left behind was minimal. Exchanges between
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The Steve Turre Sextet descended on the Pabst Theatre stage and delivered an evening of jazz not soon to be forgotten. Plentiful were the reasons that made this a memorable show. Articulate and infectious describes both the music and Mr. Turre's commentary between numbers. An All-Star band flexed their musical muscles throughout two sets of hard-driving jazz. Extremely democratic leading the band, Turre may have spent less time soloing than anyone else in the group. Everyone took multiple solos,
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The house was packed on Sunday, May 7, at the Iron Horse, Northampton,Ma., to hear Brad Mehldau's trio, with Larry Grenadier on bass and Jorge Rossy on drums . The evening glistened with endless music. That is the way Mehldau plays the piano. The first time I heard Mehldau was with the Josh Redman quintet. Since Mehldau has gone out on his own, having recorded 4 trio CDs, one studioand three live dates at the Village Vanguard, he has blossomed. His piano playing is exquisite. And I feel free
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Musicians of 13 different nationalities, within a total of 28 bands, performed at the annual Jazz à Liège at the Palace of Congress Center in Liège, Belgium. Headlining the 2-day event was Scott Hamilton, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Charles Lloyd, the W.D.R. Big Band with blues guitarist, Robben Ford, and Jeanne Lee with the Brussels Jazz Orchestra. Straight ahead, swinging and always fresh, Scott Hamilton took the stage with Brian Lemon piano, Dave Green - double bass and Steve Brown drums. I was a
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