David Whiteis is a critic, journalist, and author based in Chicago. He is the recipient of the Blues Foundation’s 2001 Keeping the Blues Alive Award for Achievement in Journalism. His books include Southern Soul-Blues (U. of Illinois Press, 2013) and Chicago Blues: Portraits and Stories (U. Of Illinois Press, 2006). He is currently at work completing a book on contemporary Chicago blues and a co-written autobiography of the late soul singer Denise LaSalle.
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A feeling of pent-up force pervades “A Great Cloud of Witnesses,” the opening track of saxophonist Gregory Tardy’s latest disc. Pianist Keith Brown, bassist Alexander … Read More “Gregory Tardy: If Time Could Stand Still (WJ3)”
Trumpeter Derrick Gardner is an alumnus of the 1990s-era, Frank Foster-led Count Basie Orchestra—a connection that’s immediately evident in the voicings and blends he has … Read More “Derrick Gardner & the Big dig! Band: Still I Rise (Impact)”
The Black Art Jazz Collective, co-founded in 2012 by saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, and drummer Johnathan Blake, is “dedicated to celebrating African American … Read More “Black Art Jazz Collective: Ascension (HighNote)”
This previously unreleased March 1959 studio session captures the Jazz Messengers in a period of transition. Benny Golson had departed; Wayne Shorter had not yet … Read More “Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers: Just Coolin’ (Blue Note)”
Trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah and percussionist Francisco Mora Catlett, both veterans of the Sun Ra Arkestra, co-lead this session, which features members of Mora Catlett’s AfroHORN … Read More “Diaspora Meets AfroHORN: Jazz: A Music of the Spirit/Out of Sistas’ Place (Ahmed Abdullah/Monique Ngozi Nri)”
The Ghana Jazz Collective (saxophonist Bernard Ayisa, keyboardist Victor Dey, Jr., bassist Bright Osei, and drummer Frank Kissi) are an Accra-based contingent whose weekly sessions … Read More “Benjamin Boone with the Ghana Jazz Collective: Joy (Origin)”
Even when guitarist Tomas Janzon is in full flight, his music is welcoming—he sounds as if he wants to invite us in, rather than intimidate … Read More “Tomas Janzon: 130th & Lenox (Changes)”
This set was recorded at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara, California on March 15, 2018, in celebration of the saxophonist/flutist’s 80th birthday. Lloyd’s band … Read More “Charles Lloyd: 8: Kindred Spirits (Live from the Lobero) (Blue Note)”
Neither as “traditional” or as “beyond” as the title might indicate, Tradition and Beyond is nonetheless an affectionate and uplifting tribute to roots, as well … Read More “Ernesto Vega: Tradition and Beyond (Blackwood & Sound)”
The title might just as easily have been Old Freedoms Reimagined. Lee Konitz, who in 1949 as a member of the Lennie Tristano Quintet helped … Read More “Lee Konitz Nonet: Old Songs New (Sunnyside)”
Is it necessary for jazz to be “challenging” or “complex” in order to be considered “good”? Pianist Roberto Fonseca blazes few new trails here, despite … Read More “Roberto Fonseca: Yesun (Mack Avenue)”
Billie Holiday tributes can get pretty lachrymose, but Chicago’s ebullient Dee Alexander is not one to throw a pity party. Here, as is her wont, … Read More “Metropolitan Jazz Octet: It’s Too Hot for Words– Celebrating Billie Holiday (Delmark)”
Dream Shanti is the latest project to evolve under the aegis of woodwind player Jeff Coffin, a former member of Béla Fleck & the Flecktones … Read More “Dream Shanti: Music in Our Dreams (Ear Up)”
Recorded at the 2018 Newport Jazz Festival, this set finds saxophonist James Carter picking up where he left off in Chasin’ the Gypsy, his 2000 … Read More “James Carter Organ Trio: Live from Newport Jazz (Blue Note)”
Sounds of Liberation was a young musical collective based in Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood in the early 1970s. Their music, an innovative but accessible blend of … Read More “Sounds of Liberation: Unreleased (Columbia University 1973) (Dogtown)”
OGJB—Oliver Lake, Graham Haynes, Joe Fonda, and Barry Altschul—characterize themselves as a “leaderless” quartet. In that spirit, the compositions featured here serve as sketches to … Read More “The OGJB Quartet: Bamako (TUM)”
“Serious play” may be a cliché by now, but it exemplifies the spirit that dances through this set. Apropos to the title, the emphasis is … Read More “Michael Eaton: Dialogical (Destiny)”
This four-movement suite, which both invokes and honors the 400-year history of African-American people from the arrival of the first slave ships in 1619 to … Read More “Avery Sharpe: 400: An African American Musical Portrait (JKNM)”
The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, formed by percussionist Kahil El’Zabar in the 1970s, is among the most venerable carriers of the legacy of Chicago’s Association for … Read More “Ethnic Heritage Ensemble: Be Known (Spiritmuse)”
JC Sanford first formed Triocracy, with its distinctive lineup of trombone and two reeds, in 1998. The current edition, featuring trombonist Sanford along with Andy … Read More “JC Sanford’s Triocracy: Pyramid Scheme (Shifting Paradigm)”
A powerful spirituality illuminates Tom Harrell’s work, but that doesn’t mean that there’s anything pretentious or dogmatic going on. An irrepressible sense of play also … Read More “Tom Harrell: Infinity (HighNote)”
If ever there was an ideal candidate for a jazz tribute, it’s Muhammad Ali. His boxing style was jazz poetry in motion, of course, but … Read More “Craig Harris: Brown Butterfly (Afro Future Concept)”
If, as critic Larry Kart has postulated, jazz is “a form of self-enactment in sound,” then this “enactment” must become ambiguous, even contradictory, as the … Read More “Greg Ward Presents Rogue Parade: Stomping Off from Greenwood (Greenleaf)”
This six-track EP showcases both the versatility and musical depth of bassist Dezron Douglas, whose ensemble includes tenor saxophonist Stacy Dillard, altoist Lummie Spann, trumpeter … Read More “Dezron Douglas: Black Lion (self-released)”
Keyboardist Rafael Zaldivar invokes traditional Afro-Cuban spirituality in both his music and his message, but his thematic scope is far-ranging. His keyboard work is devoid … Read More “Rafael Zaldivar: Consecration (Effendi)”
This is serious play at its most elegant and satisfying. Cyrus Chestnut takes on fare ranging from original compositions through the works of Mozart, Ravel, … Read More “Cyrus Chestnut: Kaleidoscope (HighNote)”
Peace, definitely. Warriors, not so much. At its best, a feel of relaxed jubilation warms this set. Saxophonists Jure Pukl and Godwin Louis dance with nimble … Read More “The E.J. Strickland Quintet: Warriors for Peace (Jammin’ Colors)”
This is pianist Chucho Valdés’ long-awaited followup to his landmark 1972 recording Jazz Batá, a trio album—piano, bass, and bata (a drum of Yoruba origin … Read More “Chucho Valdés: Jazz Batá 2 (Mack Avenue)”
It’s become relatively common for jazz artists to incorporate elements of hip-hop into their work, but the fourth studio outing by trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire is … Read More “Ambrose Akinmusire: Origami Harvest (Blue Note)”
According to many who witnessed them in action, King Oliver and Louis Armstrong were so locked into one another on the bandstand that they could … Read More “Steve Coleman and Five Elements: Live at the Village Vanguard, Vol. 1 (The Embedded Sets) (Pi)”
