Michael Ullman
The late Cedar Walton was part of some of the most potent bands in the history of jazz, most famously Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers.
This attractive, inexpensive box set dedicated to Claudio Abbado contains a rich gathering of lucid, colorful recordings, among the most accomplished modern performances of symphonies that are absolutely central to the repertoire.
When I saw him, he was rarely still on stage: a Billy Bang performance was something like a dance.
Over five extended compositions, composer and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith leads a new large ensemble, TUMO, creating a challenging but engaging world of sound that combines composed elements with strong soloists and group improvisation.
The best parts of this book of interviews come when Charles Mingus or his collaborators talk about the music.
Ten Freedom Summers is a masterful, supple series of compositions that has the gravitas of a major work that also, from time to time, it swings dramatically.
Pianist Donal Fox is a classical musician by training, and in style, with a yen for improvisation and, one might add, an unwillingness to let things be.
It turns out that it was more than just a rumor that saxophonist Charles Lloyd spent some of the ’70s playing with The Beach Boys.
No one would say that Terri Lyne Carrington’s versions of Ellington’s pieces are definitive, but they extend the legendary composer’s legacy in a personal and significant way.
Vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater’s exuberance proved contagious in this performance featuring a remarkable group of jazz all-stars under the genial direction of bassist Christian McBride.
Recent Comments