What I’ve learned from three years of research and listening is that the piano concerto is an ideal vehicle with which individual composers can experiment
George Russell
Music Commentary: The Problem of the Jazz Piano Concerto – Side A
When the jazz composer is the soloist, which is usually the case, he or she ironically revives one of the most venerable traditions in classical music.
Commentary Drill Down: George Russell’s “Living Time”
Fuse Jazz Critic Steve Elman is currently surveying works that illuminate the tradition of the jazz-influenced piano concerto. His series began with an examination of Chick Corea’s current recording, The Continents. In part two, he takes a look at eight works by jazz composers that precede the release of Corea’s work. This post is a […]
Book Review: Time, Beautiful and Cruel — The Story of Composer George Russell
In the best of all possible worlds, Duncan Heining’s biography will be the cornerstone of the edifice that time will erect to the memory of George Russell and his gift to music. Whether that will happen or not remains to be seen. In some ways, because of the vagaries of the book business, it’s up […]
Coming Attractions in Jazz: October 2009
For a genre that supposedly expired in the 1950’s, the big band’s vital signs seem remarkably robust here in Boston. By J. R. Carroll A welcome recent addition has been the compositions and arrangements of tenor saxophonist Florencia Gonzalez, which layer vivid sonorities and intricate counterpoint atop Afro-Uruguayan candombe and Argentinian tango. She brings her […]