Steve Elman

Jazz Appreciation/Album Review — Carla Bley, 84 and Counting

December 5, 2020
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Carla Bley’s last three CDs are not a casual sequence, and hearing all of them together, as I did recently, provides a refreshing reminder of her greatness.

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Jazz Review/Interview: Duncan Heining Revises His Landmark Biography of Jazz Composer George Russell

December 2, 2020
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If you do not know George Russell, this book will bring you closer to one of the geniuses of American music. Read More

Jazz Survey: Chordless Drills – A Listener’s Guide to the Saxophone Trio

November 3, 2020
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Here is a personal selection of recordings in the saxophone trio format. These linear collaborations have been part of the jazz scene for at least seventy years now. The results are almost always illuminating and exhilarating, and a review of them offers a miniature history of saxophone styles.

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Jazz Album Review: “The Prospector” — A Saxophone-Bass-Drums Combination to Treasure

October 29, 2020
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Nothing detracts from the essentials here – three fine players in creative conversation.

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Arts Commentary: Meditations on Separation

September 20, 2020
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This is what I feel can add: the perspective of a native-born son of the Rochester metro; and a view from the bridge through jazz-colored glasses.

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Jazz Preview and Appreciation: Cécile McLorin Salvant Is Coming to Jordan Hall

January 23, 2020
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Cécile McLorin Salvant understands that she is heroic.

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Jazz Review and Perspective: Stan Getz (and Everyone Else) in 1961 – “Getz at the Gate”

October 1, 2019
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Saxophonist Stan Getz knew whom to listen to and whom to borrow from, and the repertoire for the 1961 Village Gate gig was particularly satisfying.

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Jazz Review and Appreciation: The Music Never Stops – Betty Carter Live (Again)

May 7, 2019
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A landmark concert from 1992 is a chance to rediscover Betty Carter’s greatness, to appreciate again how this artist was special to the very essence of her soul.

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Jazz Appreciation and Preview: James Carter — Life Begins at Fifty

March 13, 2019
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Whom can we thank at the Boston Symphony Orchestra for choosing James Carter to be the featured saxophone soloist in March 23’s concert at Symphony Hall?

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Jazz CD Preview and Survey: Years of Utter Beauty, Part 2

January 27, 2019
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Part one of this survey looked at one upcoming performance and five CDs where music takes the leading role. This post looks at the other side of the coin, where the words are the wellspring for the music.

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