Jazz

The Chaos Orchestra, a London-based 20 piece big band featuring the likes of Laura Jurd, Alex Roth, and Simon Marsh have announced a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to help with the costs of releasing their début album. Their goal is to raise £3000 by Wednesday 17th July. The perks range from a £12 donation, which allows you to pre-order the album, receiving it upon its release later this year through to the full £3000 donation which gets you a performance of 2 sets of music by the orchestra at your home or venue of choice. Donate HERE

Of all nature's wonders, the river is the one that can most readily encapsulate the passage of time in very human terms. In just a few miles a river moves from the first tentative steps of childhood to the brash, energetic, movements of youth and the meanderings of middle age before it disappears in its old age into the infinity of the ocean. It's a sobering thought. Ulia River Of Time, from British pianist John Crawford, moves part of the way along that path. It sparkles, bursts with energy and calmly meanders by turns, but never sounds old...

It's been a banner year for tenor saxophone trios. Not the most common lineup, this challenging ensemble has seen some terrific releases from musicians both famous and unsung, veterans and newcomers alike. Now Philadelphia saxophonist m: Odean Pope adds his superb contribution with Odean's Three...

The new generation of Norwegian tuba players keep challenging this under-rated instrument. Two years ago it was the trio of Martin Taxt, Kristoffer Lo and m: Robin Hayward who investigated the timbre characteristics of the tuba on microtub (Sofa Music, 2011) and last year Lo explored the tuba as a sound source for dark and intense soundscapes on Anomie (Gigafon, 2012). Now a less experimental yet highly creative tuba player, m: Lars Andreas Haug, on his third release as a leader, explores new possibilities of this low-end instrument...

It took a great deal of energy to make the long journey from the JAZZ LIVES headquarters in suburban New York, to The Mermaid Inn in South Philadelphia — cars and bridges and tolls and service areas and heated dialogues with my aging GPS and the kindness of friends.  But it was worth it.  The result of the trek was another opportunity to see Martin Oliver Grosz, the Trolloope of Tempo, and his lyrical, imaginative friends Danny Tobias, cornet; Ed Wise, string bass; Dan Block, clarinet and alto saxophone.  Here’s a sample. (The discerning cinematographers in the JAZZ LIVES audience may note that my musical heroes are an unusual shade of orange.  The Mermaid Inn was a cozy, friendly place lit in deep nocturnal hues.  What you see is the brightest image I could produce without added intrusive lighting.) I’M CRAZY  ’BOUT MY BABY: BEALE STREET BLUES: CRAZY RHYTHM: JUBILEE: Worth a trip from anywhere!  The only lapse I must note is that usually Marty invents imaginative names for his bands — the Orphan Newsboys, Destiny’s Tots, the Paswonky Serenaders.  No Homeric epithets, no Raymond Chandler monickers this time.  Marty Grosz and his Able Seamen?  His Swinging Mermen?  You’re on your own. May your happiness increase! Filed under: "Thanks A Million", Bliss!, Generosities, Hotter Than That, Ideal Places, Irreplaceable, Jazz Titans, Pay Attention!, Swing You Cats!, That Was Fun!, The Heroes Among Us, The Real Thing Tagged: Dan Block, Danny Tobias, Ed Wise, Jazz Lives, Lynn Redmile, Marty Grosz, Michael Steinman, The Mermaid Inn

By Stef The first sounds on this album come from the French horn played by Greek musician Elena Kakaliagou, a deep and dark wail arising from the depths of human emotion in a desperate cry to be heard, heartrending and beautiful, followed by the double bass of Thomas Stemkowski and the subtle piano touches of Ingrid Schmoliner, both from Austria. The three young musicians create a warm yet sad welcoming sonic environment. Once you've been welcomed, you get different aural vistas, with sounds emanating from the same instruments, but now unrecognisable, yet intense, vibrating around fast repetitive rhythm, that quietly dissolves once the horn makes its entry, an entry of silence and deconstruction of sound fragments trying to get a life and structure. On "Ti ine?", Elena Kakaliagou recites poetry in Greek. What she recites is ununderstandable to me, but in contrast to most poetry recited in a jazz or musical context, it sounds lyrical, intimate and beautiful, in sharp contrast to the bombastic declamatory style that I abhor. "-1°", the long center piece of the album sounds slow and sad, with some uncanny wails over light percussive sounds, no, it is extremely sad and extremely desolate, amazing what you can create with so few sounds. "Sandra" offers more recognisable instrumental voices, with the horn, the bass, the piano using their intended sound, offering a small waltz-like song, fresh and simple and beautiful, gloriously disrupted by the rattling strings on the piano on "Canidae", offering a torturous backdrop for the muted plaintive laments of the horn, interestingly surrounded by a lightly jumping walking bass. "ihobkanfoelagsehn" is a long slow piece circling around a tonal center played by the bass, with muted parlando-style horn, a strange dialogue interrupted - or complemented - by resonating piano chords. A young trio, with an unusual line-up, brings us remarkable music with a strong musical vision and voice. Subscribe

By Don Heckman The jazz encyclopedist is at it again.  Scott Yanow, who must have reviewed every jazz recording released since 1975, when he turned 21, has published his eleventh jazz book. Not to mention the myriad of magazine and newspaper reviews, bios, press releases and more that he has written along the way. Following in the pattern of  his previous books, The Great Jazz Guitarists:The Ultimate Guide is filled with detailed information.  But this tome is an even more remarkable accomplishment than such Yanow works as as his previous books on Swing, Bebop, Jazz Singers, Afro-Cuban Jazz, Trumpet Kings and Jazz on Film. In it, Scott includes biographies, musical commentaries and comprehensive recording data about his subjects, managing to assemble an extraordinary amount of information about an equally extraordinary number of guitarists. He opens with a thoughtful essay about the role of the guitar — and the banjo, as well — in the history of jazz.  Next up, he offers five far-reaching, all-inclusive guitar player segments: - “The 342 Great Jazz Guitarists” - “44 Other Historic Guitarists” - “175 Other Jazz Guitarists on the Scene Today” - “They Also Played Jazz Guitar” (including such multi-instrumentalists as Bobby Hackett and Bobby Sherword, and such genre-crossover players as Willie Nelson and Peter Frampton). - “Jazz Guitarists On Film” In total, it all adds up to just about everything one could ever want to know about the guitar in jazz — from its earliest role to the present, from the banjo to Pat Metheny’s Pikasso Guitar.  In short, like all of Scott Yanow’s previous books, The Great Jazz Guitarists: The Ultimate Guide is a vital reference source, one that belongs in the library of every serious jazz fan.

Distinguished vocalist, recording artist and interpreter of the Great American Songbook Martha Lorin will appear at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal Sunday May 26 accompanied by legendary musical director Paul Smith for an evening of lush standards, it was announced today by producer Michael ...

Blogger's block is kicking my butt, so I'm going to try to keep things going by offering some interesting links.First world problem: the post-modern music snob.Aquarium Drunkard celebrates Alice Coltrane.Stream a live set from Chris Potter from the Village Vanguard.Jeremiah Cymerman's podcast sports an in-depth interview with trumpeter Nate Wooley.The New York Times charts the surprising collaboration between Pat Metheny and John Zorn.Send comments to Tim.

Pat MartinoPat Martino(606 Club, 22nd May 2013. Review by Rod Fogg) Back in the early days of downloads I picked up two Pat Martino albums for the price of one. It was a bit of a punt, as I knew his music only by reputation. They were "Hombre" and "Strings" both from 1967 - his first two albums – and something of a bargain. “Hombre” featured the classic soul organ line up of guitar, organ and drums, beefed up by bongos, congas and occasional flute. “Strings” added exalted company – Joe Farrell on tenor and Cedar Walton on piano. Both albums consisted mostly of Martino's own compositions. There was a soulfulness about the writing; unison riffs, guitar melodies in octaves, free flowing bop-style solos - and great "fat jazz" tone. I have returned to them many times – they're that good.Throughout the 70s Martino averaged a couple of albums every year. Then in 1980 a career-ending brain operation called a halt. Except that despite amnesia, he learned to play again and resumed his career in 1987 with the comeback album "The Return". There’s plenty of live stuff on Youtube if you want to check him out – he’s everywhere on the guitar and there’s nothing about his playing to suggest that he was ever in anything other than perfect health.At the 606 last night he was few months short of his 69th birthday, on a European tour with Pat Bianchi (Hammond B3) and Carmen Intorre (drums); the classic line-up. I love jazz Hammond players; it’s like watching a cartoon octopus at the controls of a crazy Heath-Robinson machine. Pedal-board walking bass, comped chords, unison heads and inspired soloing – it’s all happening. And Bianchi doesn’t disappoint, nor does Intorre. These guys take fast tempos without breaking a sweat and cool grooves are suitably deep and slick.The set was mostly standards – Footprints, taken slowly, Oleo, taken fast. Charlie Christian’s Seven Come Eleven, Miles’s Blue in Green and All Blues, a couple of Wes Montgomery tunes, Full House and Twisted Blues, and Martino originals Catch and Mac Tough. Martino blends old-school jazz tone with a modern sense of harmonic adventure – in amongst all this cool post-bop grooving, whether fast or slow, there are some seriously contemporary chord/scale relationship things going on that take his solos to the edge. Yet there’s a strong melodic sense that holds everything together.The 606 is a great, intimate venue for music like this and there was a heart-warming glow about the room by the end of the gig, with gratitude expressed from both audience and performers. This was the first night of a 40-artist twelve-day festival to celebrate the club’s 25th anniversary of re-locating to Lot’s Road. Day one, without doubt, was something special.