by Giovanni Russonello, The New York Times THE BAYLOR PROJECT at the Blue Note (Feb. 13, 8 and 10:30 p.m.). Jean and Marcus Baylor are a married couple whose buoyant, convivial music unites gospel, jazz and R&B. Ms. Baylor, a vocalist, was one half of the 1990s neo-soul group Zhané; Mr. Baylor started drumming in … Read More
by Jon-Lawrence Koloba, TIDAL Saxophonist Mike Casey puts out some of the best contemporary jazz we’ve heard in a long while. From the day he first picked up a saxophone in fifth grade, Casey’s love for jazz became inescapable. Beyond being nominated for “Best Jazz” at the CT Music Awards, Casey has performed alongside prominent … Read More
Take Five: Hear Norah Jones, Larry Coryell, Matthew Shipp, Mark Whitfield and Jesse Stacken by Nate Chinen, WBGO In this installment of Take Five, our weekly playlist, you’ll find fathers and sons, a couple of farewells, and more than one refurbished jazz standard. We’ll start with one of those, featuring a singer you may know, giving … Read More
by Dave Rogers, WTJU Mark Whitfield – Grace (Marksman Productions): Guitarist extraordinaire Mark Whitfield brings out the family for this gift of fire, melody and spirited technique and it truly is a family affair. In addition to dad, the group also includes sons Davis (piano, keys) and Mark, Jr (drums). “Honorary” family member Yasushi Nakamura … Read More
by Travis Rogers Jr, The Jazz Owl It was an amazing year of great music from astonishing musicians. So many great horn players and pianists, and so very many great debut albums. This was an extremely difficult year to choose favorites. Once again, these are my favorites for the year. I would not presume to … Read More
by Ralph Miriello, Huffington Post My best of Jazz List for 2016: Another year has passed and many would say 2016 was a very tough year for music, especially with the loss of so many influential musicians this past year. The music has always been remarkably resilient and this year is no exception, with many … Read More
by Kevin Johnson, No Treble Brandi Disterheft has returned with her fourth album as a leader, entitled Blue Canvas. With veteran pianist Harold Mabern and drummer Joe Farnsworth in tow, the jazz bassist/vocalist goes deep on a mix of classic and original tunes. “Aside from an array of classic standards from Clifford Brown, Bobby Timmons, … Read More
Best of Bandcamp Jazz: October 2016 by Dave Sumner, Bandcamp Daily If there’s one quality that unites this month’s recommendations from the Jazz aisle, it’s their philosophical (and stylistic) balancing between looking forward to the next step in the music’s evolution and an adherence to the roots of the music’s past. When a musician embraces the … Read More
Top 5 Jazz Songs – October 2016 by Paul Medrano, Archaic Pop #3 – Matt Ulery’s Loom/Large “The Peacocks” A precious world, out of time. This song (as well as the full album) reminds me of the universe at once baroque and futuristic of “Dune”, without tensions, only coated with sweetness. Magical. (extract from ‘Festival’)
Looming Large: An Interview with Matt Ulery by Kevin Johnson, No Treble Matt Ulery has just released Festival, an ambitious album that features three distinct musical formats. Billed as Ulery’s Loom/Large, the core of the album features his regular Loom quintet bookcased by a jazz orchestra and his “festival” band. While each band brings a … Read More
