Hearsay
September 2004 By Janine Coveney
Frayne Lewis
Producer, and songwriter Frayne Lewis plays the bass guitar. But if listeners expect a bass-centered instrumental experience on his debut album, Frayne (OmTown), they've got another thing coming. "At home, yeah, I'll play bass all day, but for a whole album...
September 2004 By John Murph
Steve Lehman
Steve Lehman wants his music to groove without repetition. Given that groove often implies repetitive rhythms and riffs, that doesn't seem like an easy task, but the 25-year-old alto saxophonist is committed to finding that master groove with a minimum of...
September 2004 By Ron Wynn
Lafayette Gilchrist
Baltimore pianist Lafayette Gil-christ summarizes his musical approach this way: "I got this from David [Murray] and he got it from Ornette [Coleman]: 'Jazz is the teacher and funk is the preacher,' and that really drives me." That's evident by the teeming...
July/August 2004 By Gwen Ansell
Louis Mhlanga
Guitarist Louis Mhlanga's story might almost be the story of the instrument he plays. The lanky, soft-spoken player is a South African, but he was raised in Zimbabwe ("Listening to rock 'n' roll and Jimi Hendrix," he says, "and a lot of Congolese music...
July/August 2004 By John Murph
Pyeng Threadgill
It must be in the genes. How else can you explain Sweet Home: The Music of Robert Johnson (Random Chance), the adventurous debut from singer-songwriter Pyeng Threadgill? The daughter of jazz explorer Henry Threadgill and Christina Jones, the celebrated dance...
July/August 2004 By John Murph
John O'Gallagher
John O'Gallagher has a thing for mathematics. If the title of the alto saxophonist's new disc, Abacus (Arabesque), doesn't clue you in, talk to him about some of his inspirations. He'll get all Brainiac-like on you, citing such heady material as the "golden...
July/August 2004 By Christopher Loudon
Matt Dusk
No matter how huge the reality TV bubble becomes, it's a safe bet that American Jazz Idol will never be part of any network's primetime schedule. No, the closest we're ever likely to get is The Casino, currently airing on Fox stations, with 24-year-old pop...
July/August 2004 By Janine Coveney
Eric Darius
With his first nationally distributed CD, Night On The Town (Higher Octave), 21-year-old alto and tenor saxophonist Eric Darius will show listeners worldwide what those around the Tampa Bay area already know: The University of South Florida student has the...
June 2004 By John Murph
Jason Lindner
Everything in my career is very delayed as far as what the public at large catches," laments pianist Jason Lindner. He's referring to the rather untimely release of his second solo disc, Live/UK (Sunnyside), which was recorded three years ago while he was...
June 2004 By Brian Soergel
Bobby Lyle
In the compartmentalized world of jazz CDs, you rarely hear an album that fully embraces both smooth jazz and the purest straightahead swing. But some players have their hearts in both camps. For instance, pianist Bob James plays smooth grooves in Fourplay...
