Jeff Tamarkin is the former editor of Goldmine, CMJ, Relix, and Global Rhythm. As a writer he has contributed to the New York Daily News, JazzTimes, Boston Phoenix, Harp, Mojo, Newsday, Billboard, and many other publications. He is the author of the book Got a Revolution: The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane and has contributed to The Guinness Companion to Popular Music, All Music Guide, and several other encyclopedias. He has also served as a consultant to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, NARAS, National Geographic Online, and Music Club Records.
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Randy Napoleon’s reputation as a steadfast traditionalist with a predilection for well-defined, lyrical guitar lines has largely come via his work as a sideman over … Read More “Randy Napoleon: Common Tones (Detroit Music Factory)”
The title of Laszlo Gardony’s second consecutive solo piano album and fourth overall for Sunnyside bears the same name as that of the French national … Read More “Laszlo Gardony: La Marseillaise (Sunnyside)”
When Billy Cobham was scouting locations to record his new album, Crosswinds: Time Lapse Photos, it didn’t take him long to decide that Sweetwater Studios, … Read More “Inside the Recording of Billy Cobham’s Crosswinds: Time Lapse Photos“
“The complexity of playing simple” is what Billy Cobham calls that thing that happens when he sits down behind the drums. “How can I play … Read More “Billy Cobham: Blowin’ in the Crosswinds”
A boldfaced quote from the late Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa—“The role of the artist is to not look away”—adorns the inside cover of the … Read More “Randy Ingram: The Means of Response (Carrier)”
The Chinese game of mahjong may have been invented by Confucius more than 2,000 years ago or, possibly, sometime in the past few hundred years. … Read More “Jon Irabagon on Mahjong and Mezzo-Soprano Sax”
Although they’d played a handful of gigs together decades ago, Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava and American saxophonist Joe Lovano hadn’t undergone a proper co-leader tour … Read More “Enrico Rava/Joe Lovano: Roma (ECM)”
It’s always tempting to add a qualifier when listening to a prodigy: we say he is good “for his age.” True, Matthew Whitaker is only … Read More “Matthew Whitaker: Now Hear This (Resilience Music Alliance)”
This trio set by saxophonist Jeremy Udden might seem, on paper, to have been thrown together with little forethought. In his liner notes, Udden states … Read More “Jeremy Udden: Three In Paris (Sunnyside)”
The concept is simple and smart: Edmar Castaneda, master of the stringed llanera harp, and Grégoire Maret, equally adept on harmonica (a.k.a. mouth harp), meet … Read More “Edmar Castaneda/Grégoire Maret: Harp vs. Harp (ACT)”
Arvoles—it means “trees” in the ancient Ladino language—is something of a reining in after the expansive 1970, Cohen’s previous release. That one, released in 2017, … Read More “Avishai Cohen: Arvoles (Razdaz)”
It’s easy to write off Pieces of a Dream as just another smooth-jazz remnant, and a predictable one at that. On Another Note is the … Read More “Pieces of a Dream: On Another Note (Shanachie)”
There’s often a note of humor in the titles and artwork of arranger/saxophonist/composer Ed Palermo’s recordings (The Great Un-American Songbook featured several British Invasion-era tunes), … Read More “Ed Palermo Big Band: A Lousy Day in Harlem (Sky Cat)”
There’s purity in the clarity of a vibraphone and double bass, sans other instruments, working things out, a pair of distinctive, radically different melodic and … Read More “Michael Davidson & Dan Fortin: Clock Radio (Elastic)”
It’s useful, but not imperative, to read Scott Yanow’s liner notes in order to understand the concept behind The Seven Rays. They explain the titling … Read More “Jerry Bergonzi: The Seven Rays (Savant)”
With the momentum she’s built in the past several years, Sheléa Frazier (who goes by her first name professionally) could have taken the easy way … Read More “Sheléa: Pretty World: A Tribute to Alan and Marilyn Bergman (Breath of Life)”
Saxophonist Logan Strosahl has been nothing if not prolific since releasing his debut, Up Go We, on Sunnyside in 2015. That was a septet recording, … Read More “Logan Strosahl Spec Ops: Sure (Sunnyside)”
Their unsullied positivity and demonstrable zeal are inherent in the name of their band, Becoming Quintet. “We’re all young, we’re all trying to become something. … Read More “Becoming Quintet: Five One-Track Minds”
“This concert and music was inspired by, and is dedicated to, Jimmy Giuffre,” says a notation in the liner notes for Free Fall, featuring the … Read More “Lucian Ban & Alex Simu: Free Fall (Sunnyside)”
If you’re a vinylholic or CD-o-phile, you know the drill by now: This Saturday, April 13, more than a thousand independently owned record stores in … Read More “13 for April 13: JazzTimes Lists Its Picks for Record Store Day”
The way that the CD cover spells out “Randy Brecker Rocks” in bold white capital letters on a black background suggests that the renowned trumpeter … Read More “Randy Brecker & NDR Bigband—The Hamburg Radio Jazz Orchestra: Rocks (Piloo)”
Waves of Calm could not be more different from Jim Snidero’s previous two releases, and that’s deliberate. In 2016, he delivered MD66, a tribute to … Read More “Jim Snidero: Waves of Calm (Savant)”
Bucolic Orcas Island, part of the San Juan Islands chain off the northwest coast of Washington state, is hardly a jazz mecca. But for the … Read More “Remembering Willie Thomas (1931-2019)”
Had he accomplished just one of the following—creating and promoting the game-changing Jazz at the Philharmonic concert series; launching the Clef, Norgran and Verve labels; … Read More “Various Artists: Norman Granz: The Founder (Verve)”
When she was all of 12 years old, Mariel Austin witnessed the Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble performing Charles Mingus’ “Fables of Faubus” and knew … Read More “Mariel Austin: Big Band Booster”
The world’s religions have long provided jazz musicians with melodies to explore, and while Judaism has never been as pervasive an influence as Christian gospel … Read More “Jacques Schwarz-Bart: Hazzan (Enja/Yellowbird)”
Oasis is a trio recording that follows a quintet set that followed a solo effort. Throughout her two-decade recording career, pianist/composer Lisa Hilton has zig-zagged … Read More “Lisa Hilton: Oasis (Ruby Slippers)”
The 70-year-old Argentinean pianist and composer Carlos Franzetti delights in mixing things up. Over four-plus decades he’s recorded symphonic (most recently, 2017’s Luminosa and 2018’s … Read More “Carlos Franzetti: Ricordare (Sunnyside)”
Michel Legrand, the French composer, pianist, conductor, and arranger best known for scoring an estimated 200-plus films, died Saturday (Jan. 26) in Paris. The cause … Read More “Composer and Pianist Michel Legrand Dead at 86”
Joel Harrison has been down the Americana road twice before. In 2003 the guitarist released Free Country, which put a personal spin on tunes by … Read More “Joel Harrison: Angel Band: Free Country Volume 3 (HighNote)”
