John Patitucci’s Soulful Bass
In the late 1970s, John Patitucci heard Dave Holland’s Emerald Tears, one of the rare solo bass albums and an influential record for bassists of … Read More “John Patitucci’s Soulful Bass”
Matthew Kassel
Matthew Kassel is a freelance writer whose work has been published by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Slate, and The Columbia Journalism Review, among other publications.
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Before & After: Simba Baumgartner
Simba Baumgartner, Django Reinhardt’s great-grandson, is just 22, but he has already proven himself an adept practitioner of Gypsy jazz, the indelible style pioneered by … Read More “Before & After: Simba Baumgartner”
Carlos Henriquez: Before & After
For nearly two decades, Carlos Henriquez, 39, has been the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s bass specialist. In that role, he’s accompanied the band on … Read More “Carlos Henriquez: Before & After”
Joshua Redman Quartet: Come What May (Nonesuch)
Joshua Redman’s excellent new album marks a homecoming of sorts. The tenor saxophonist is joined by Aaron Goldberg on piano, Reuben Rogers on bass, and … Read More “Joshua Redman Quartet: Come What May (Nonesuch)”
Eric Reed: Everybody Gets the Blues (Smoke Sessions)
The title of Eric Reed’s new album has a double meaning—as in, everybody understands the blues, and everybody feels down from time to time. “Your … Read More “Eric Reed: Everybody Gets the Blues (Smoke Sessions)”
Jeanne Lee/Ran Blake:: The Newest Sound You Never Heard (A-Side)
In 1961, pianist Ran Blake and vocalist Jeanne Lee, both graduates of Bard University, put out The Newest Sound Around, an unsettlingly intimate compendium of … Read More “Jeanne Lee/Ran Blake:: The Newest Sound You Never Heard (A-Side)”
Myra Melford: Both Sides Now
On a New York evening in mid-autumn, the pianist Myra Melford, playing with her quintet, Snowy Egret, opened the first set of a two-night run … Read More “Myra Melford: Both Sides Now”
Sanah Kadoura: Back from the Brink
There’s a moment at the beginning of “The Power Of,” the second track on drummer Sanah Kadoura’s debut album, Hawk Eyes, when the hip-hop-inflected beat … Read More “Sanah Kadoura: Back from the Brink”
JazzTimes 10: Essential Albums of the 2000s
The 2000s were a particularly diverse decade for jazz. To name just three major factors in the music of that era, the influence of rock … Read More “JazzTimes 10: Essential Albums of the 2000s”
Eliot Zigmund: A Sideman Moves to the Front
“I was kind of worried that the first set would be underattended,” Eliot Zigmund deadpanned to a packed room at Smalls, the basement jazz club … Read More “Eliot Zigmund: A Sideman Moves to the Front”
Cécile McLorin Salvant: Wide Open Window
Above: Cécile McLorin Salvant. Photo by Mark Fitton. On a cool evening in late September, Cécile McLorin Salvant wafted onto the stage of the Metropolitan … Read More “Cécile McLorin Salvant: Wide Open Window”
Benje Daneman: Improvising on the Bible
Benje Daneman is slightly uncomfortable with the idea that you might hear his new album, a 10-part suite based on Biblical scripture, as explicitly religious. … Read More “Benje Daneman: Improvising on the Bible”
Chops: Living for the City
Jazz has changed a lot over the past hundred or so years, but at least one thing about it has remained a constant: New York … Read More “Chops: Living for the City”
Mary Halvorson: Reinventing the Identity of the Jazz Guitarist
On a recent evening at Jazz Standard in Manhattan, Mary Halvorson was hunched over her large hollowbody guitar, unleashing some alien sounds. Though her instrument—a … Read More “Mary Halvorson: Reinventing the Identity of the Jazz Guitarist”
Overdue Ovation for Sherman Irby
On a March evening at the Blue Note in Greenwich Village, the alto saxophonist Sherman Irby, wearing a charcoal suit, was unfurling a lithe solo … Read More “Overdue Ovation for Sherman Irby”
Kamasi Washington: Heaven and Earth (Young Turks)
The estimable tenor saxophonist Kamasi Washington has, over the past few years, earned a reputation as something of a seer. That’s partly thanks to his … Read More “Kamasi Washington: Heaven and Earth (Young Turks)”
Thomas Morgan: The Universal Answer
Since moving to New York almost 20 years ago, the bassist Thomas Morgan has appeared on more than 100 albums, establishing himself as one of … Read More “Thomas Morgan: The Universal Answer”
David Virelles: Mystery, History
On a mild evening in mid-October, the Cuban-born pianist David Virelles was channeling Thelonious Monk at Jazz Standard in Manhattan. The occasion was Monk’s centennial, … Read More “David Virelles: Mystery, History”
Camille Thurman: Double Threat
The singer-slash-horn player is a rare phenomenon in jazz, mostly because singing and horn playing are mutually exclusive. There are, of course, standouts, including the … Read More “Camille Thurman: Double Threat”