By JazzTimes For the 2021 JazzTimes Expanded Critics’ Poll, an annual companion to last issue’s Year in Review section (which featured our choices for top 40 new releases and top 10 historical releases of 2021), our regular contributors participated in a survey based on our yearly Readers’ Poll. Winners are bolded; runners-up are listed below … Read More
by Rob Shepherd, Post Genre “Many artists can make great music. Very few can change the course of musical history. Cecil Taylor was one of the latter. By breaking apart conventions, both on and off of the bandstand, he opened up new realms and possibilities.” Listen to the complete feature interview here.
By Hannah Edgar, The Chicago Tribune If its title didn’t already tip you off, “Tenor Time” — out on jazz label AFAR Music this Friday — declares what it’s all about from the very first track. An uptempo rhythm section, flavored with sly chromaticism by pianist and AFAR founder and owner Richard D. Johnson, plugs … Read More
by Sonyi Lopez, Bronx Net “Birdland Jazz Club hosted a special week celebrating the 85th birthday of the iconic, 10x grammy award winning bandleader, arranger and composer of Salsa & Latin Jazz, Eddie Palmieri..” Watch the full news story here.
by Frank-John Hadley, Downbeat “Recording almost half of this jazz album remotely, singer-trumpeter Benny Benack III and pianist-conductor-arranger Steven Feifke put their enthusiasm for Christmastime and the eight days of Hanukkah to good use on wintry material played by a 16-piece band and smaller groups.” Read the full article here.
by Brett Callwood, LA Weekly “Grammy-nominated keyboardist, singer and songwriter Rachel Eckroth is in the midst of a super-productive career spell. The Arizona native, who had a six-year stint in L.A. between Phoenix and her now-home of Tucson, has just released a new solo album called The Garden. Not only that, but she’s the keyboardist in St. Vincent’s band, … Read More
by Bob Weinberg, Jazziz “Gonzalo Rubalcaba first glimpsed the New York skyline in 1993, when he was granted permission to travel from his native Cuba to attend a memorial service for Dizzy Gillespie. Ironically, Gillespie had been angling to bring the young pianist to the U.S. to tour with him, but had been repeatedly denied … Read More
by Ted Panken, Jazziz “Perhaps the most demanding function in today’s jazz ecosystem is the bass chair in the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, which Carlos Henriquez assumed in 2002, when he was 22.” Read the full feature here.
by Shaun Brady, Jazziz “In whatever language you speak, esperanza — “hope” in English — has been in distressingly short supply of late, between the turmoil of political divisiveness and the tragedy of a rampaging global virus. But that’s precisely why Negroni’s Trio decided to christen their vibrant 11th album Esperanzas (Sony Latin).” Read the full feature article … Read More
By Bass Player The upright bassist returns with a new compositional style inspired by visual arts and synesthesia, and explains her method for us. Read more here.
