David Whiteis
David’s Contributions
01/04/12 Albums
Triumph of the Heavy, Volume 1 & 2
Marcus Strickland
Here’s a gutsy move: In an age of diminishing CD sales, and at a time when mainstream U.S. culture seems more fixated than ever on the lightweight, Marcus Strickland has released a two-CD set with the daunting title Triumph of the Heavy . The good new is...
11/10/11 Albums
Wet Paint
Andrew Sterman
The spiritual serenity we’ve come to expect from Andrew Sterman is pervasive here. However, also as we’d expect, the music is mostly devoid of self-indulgence or ethereal formlessness. Questing, rather than wafting, is the dominant motif. “Open Circle” sets...
10/24/11 Albums
It's About Damn Time
Wendell Harrison
Listen to the funked-up take on Clifford Brown’s “Dahoud,” or the hip-hop- and soul-flavored “Love Juice,” and one thing becomes clear: This set showcases reedist Wendell Harrison’s non-elitist aesthetics. He’s been criticized for this eclecticism, and occasionally...
10/18/11 Albums
The Story of Cathy & Me
Curtis Fuller
Curtis Fuller’s wife of 30 years, Catherine Rose Driscoll Fuller, died of lung cancer in 2010. In memory of their time together, trombonist Fuller assembled this set of musical sketches and spoken remembrances, enlisting the assistance of vocalist Tia Michelle...
09/18/11 Concerts
The 2011 Chicago Jazz Festival: Ambitious Programming
Randy Weston, Lovano/Coltrane/Liebman Summit, Cassandra Wilson among the highlights
09/06/11 Albums
Circle of Three
David Friesen
The “Three” are bassist-composer Friesen, tenor saxophonist John Gross and pianist Greg Goebel. The “Circle” represents their intricately wound musical interplay, of course, but it’s obvious that there’s also a higher significance—this is music of spiritual...
08/15/11 Albums
Beautiful as the Moon
Bobby Matos Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble
Percussionist Bobby Matos is the leader, but this is a full ensemble outing featuring equivalent contributions from Pablo Calogero (tenor sax and flute), Danny Weinstein (trombone and violin) and Theo Saunders (piano), along with Matos (timbales) and conguero...
08/04/11 Albums
Colors From a Giant’s Kit
Sir Roland Hanna
These selections were recorded during the 1990s and as late as 2002 by IPO’s Bill Sorin, before his label came into being. They showcase pianist Sir Roland Hanna, the label’s first artist, at the height of his powers. Hanna’s playing resonates with an authoritative...
07/23/11 Albums
Via
Storms/Nocturnes
Storms/Nocturnes—reedman Tim Garland, pianist Geoffrey Keezer and vibraphonist Joe Locke—originally evolved out of the septet Garland led on his Made By Walking project in 2000. This percussion-less trio format illuminates the interweaving voices’ subtleties...
December 2010 Albums
Tight Like This
Brad Goode
Trumpeter Brad Goode has restrained his more radical impulses this time out, but his delightful refusal to honor the hallowed barrier between traditionalism and modernism still results in a bracing creative tension. Sometimes Goode ambushes by stealth. He...
09/21/10 Concerts
Chicago Jazz Festival
Review of Nicole Mitchell, David Weiss, Henry Threadgill and other artists at annual free jazz festival in Chicago on Labor Day weekend in 2010
January/February 2010 Albums
21st Century Chase
Fred Anderson
The prototype here is “The Chase,” the 1947 Dexter Gordon/Wardell Gray workout that virtually defined “tenor battle” for succeeding generations. But this set, recorded at Chicago’s Velvet Lounge during Fred Anderson’s 80th birthday celebration, recasts that...
December 2009 Albums
Seize the Time
Ted Sirota's Rebel Souls
Ted Sirota’s agenda here is overtly political. “No powerful movement for change,” his liner notes tell us, “can succeed without an equally powerful cultural movement to inspire, lead and uplift the people.” To that end, this set includes compositions by...
November 2009 Features
Dee Alexander: Free As A Bird
Chicago-based vocalist Dee Alexander takes flight on Wild Is the Wind
10/01/09 Concerts
Chicago Jazz Festival
Windy City talent makes up for diminished star power at this 31st edition
October 2009 Albums
Historicity
Vijay Iyer Trio
New CD from Vijay Iyer Trio takes on Stevie Wonder, Leonard Bernstein, M.I.A., Julius Hemphill & Andrew Hill. And Vijay Iyer.
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ReportAbout David Whiteis
David Whiteis, an internationally published critic and journalist with over 25 years of experience writing about blues, jazz, and other essential issues, currently writes on a regular basis for JazzTimes, the Chicago Reader, Living Blues Magazine, Juke Blues Magazine (Great Britain), and other publications. He is the recipient of the Blues Foundation’s 2001 Keeping the Blues Alive Award for Achievement in Journalism. His recent book Chicago Blues: Portraits and Stories, was published by University of Illinois Press in 2006. He is currently working on a book about contemporary Southern Soul-Blues.