Bible Belt Jazz
George Kanzler reviews recent shows and the scene in Asheville, NC.
George Kanzler
Robby Ameen: Days in the Life
Although he’s been a leading drummer on the Latin pop and jazz scene for over two decades, this is the first album where Robby Ameen … Read More “Robby Ameen: Days in the Life”
Lori Bell: The Music of Djavan
Jazz flute and Brazilian music go all the way back to Herbie Mann’s pioneering work, recordings that predated even tenor saxophonist Stan Getz’s crossover hits. … Read More “Lori Bell: The Music of Djavan”
Mark Colby: Reflections
Stan Getz is tenor saxophonist Mark Colby’s stylistic model, and on previous recordings his debt to Getz has been obvious. It’s not a bad model-everyone … Read More “Mark Colby: Reflections”
Derrick Gardner and The Jazz Prophets: A Ride to the Other Side…
Despite the name, there are no prophecies here, nor is the “other” in the title a reference to futuristic or outside music. The inspiration for … Read More “Derrick Gardner and The Jazz Prophets: A Ride to the Other Side…”
Miles, Ornette, Cecil: Jazz Beyond Jazz by Howard Mandel
Author Howard Mandel assumes many roles here-elucidating critic and devoted fan, knowledgeable listener and Boswellian acolyte, evangelist and champion of the avant-garde-all taken on with … Read More “Miles, Ornette, Cecil: Jazz Beyond Jazz by Howard Mandel”
Harry Allen/Joe Temperley: Cocktails for Two
Tenor saxophonist Harry Allen may have been born in the mid-1960s, but his atavistic jazz heart is in the 1950s. Stretch that decade a little … Read More “Harry Allen/Joe Temperley: Cocktails for Two”
Maynard Ferguson: The Lost Tapes, Vol. 1
In 1967 and 1968, before his big pop hits of the early 1970s like “MacArthur Park,” Maynard Ferguson led a mostly British big band in … Read More “Maynard Ferguson: The Lost Tapes, Vol. 1”
The Jazz Image: Masters of Jazz Photography by Lee Tanner
Sometimes music isn’t enough by itself. We crave more information, more insights and more intimacy with the artists whose music we enjoy. It’s the same … Read More “The Jazz Image: Masters of Jazz Photography by Lee Tanner”
Jeff Healey: Among Friends
Jeff Healey broke out on the pop charts back in 1988, barely out of his teens, with the Top 5 “Angel Eyes” (John Hiatt’s, not … Read More “Jeff Healey: Among Friends”
Connie Crothers Quartet: Music is a Place
They may have started as members of the Lennie Tristano school of jazz, but the members of this highly evolved and polished quartet, as much … Read More “Connie Crothers Quartet: Music is a Place”
Swing @ Sea: Jazz Cruises
You don’t get to see two veteran octogenarian trumpet players trading licks very often, but there were Clark Terry and Snooky Young, riding out on … Read More “Swing @ Sea: Jazz Cruises”
Sean Jones: Roots
It’s not surprising that Wynton Marsalis recently chose Sean Jones as lead trumpet for the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Jones is a consummate musician with … Read More “Sean Jones: Roots”