Morgan Enos on social media
Tone Poem is where composers and forms coalesce and commingle. The latest offering from the 83-year-old saxophone great mixes originals with tunes by Ornette Coleman, … Read More “Charles Lloyd & The Marvels: Tone Poem (Blue Note)”
Given that he was one of the primary architects of bebop—revered by Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Don Cherry, and so many others—it’s surprising to note … Read More “Ethan Iverson/Umbria Jazz Orchestra: Bud Powell in the 21st Century (Sunnyside)”
One of the most beguiling ambient tracks you’ll ever hear—one worthy of Eno, Fripp, or Glass—is buried in the soundtrack to the SNES video game … Read More “The 8-Bit Big Band: At the Top of Its Game”
How good can sax-and-piano duets get? If alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón and pianist Luis Perdomo hadn’t recorded their Jazz Gallery livestream from last September, we … Read More “Miguel Zenón & Luis Perdomo: El Arte del Bolero (Miel)”
Javon Jackson is part of a heritage that’s second to none. An alumnus of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers during their 1980s home stretch, … Read More “Javon Jackson: Déjà Vu (Solid Jackson)”
Tenor saxophonist Dayna Stephens hit the ground running in 2007 with The Timeless Now, featuring guitarist John Scofield, trombonist Nick Vagenas, pianist Taylor Eigsti, bassist … Read More “The Dayna Stephens Quartet: Right Now! Live at the Village Vanguard (Contagious)”
Ever feel insecure about listening to jazz? Like it’s over your head? Well, it’s not. And if you need proof of this, pick up Jeff … Read More “Jeff Gold: Sittin’ In: Jazz Clubs of the 1940s and 1950s (Harper Design)”
Alan Broadbent first made his name in 1975 with Irene Kral on her nocturnal piano-and-voice album Where Is Love? Since then, his most visible appearances as … Read More “Alan Broadbent Trio: Trio in Motion (Savant)”
Within the last 18 months, Chick Corea has released albums with an eight-piece Latin ensemble (Antidote with the Spanish Heart Band) and a trio (Trilogy … Read More “Chick Corea: Plays (Concord)”
Jazz is always experiencing booms and busts, but the crossover sphere feels uncommonly lively right now. Which doesn’t mean good, necessarily. Often when you mix … Read More “Terrace Martin/Robert Glasper/9th Wonder/Kamasi Washington: Dinner Party (Sounds of Crenshaw/Empire)”
On alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin’s new themed album of John and Alice Coltrane covers, Pursuance: The Coltranes, she doesn’t just pay homage to jazz’s most … Read More “Chops: Lakecia Benjamin and the Coltranes”
Alto saxophonist Jim Snidero is combing through his and his wife’s collection of Korean antiques in their Hell’s Kitchen apartment—a mouri jang chest with bamboo … Read More “Jim Snidero Explores South Korea”
Long before Robert Pinsky became the only three-time poet laureate in American history, he was an alto saxophonist and clarinetist who couldn’t hack it in … Read More “Chops: Poetry and Jazz”
Australian instrumental trio the Necks—pianist and organist Chris Abrahams, bassist Lloyd Swanton, and drummer Tony Buck—have never totally misfired, but their immutability and volume of … Read More “The Necks: Three (Fish of Milk/Northern Spy)”
Over a decade ago, Béla Fleck set across Africa to explore the roots of the banjo and experienced what he later called “a nonstop set … Read More “Béla Fleck and Toumani Diabaté: The Ripple Effect (Craft)”
When a bassist is also a bandleader, the results can be a mixed bag. Overzealous solos, too many overdubs, too much bass in general: it’s … Read More “Michael Janisch on Composing Bassists”
In 2020, the torch of an American jazz singer who died in 1978 is being carried—improbably—by a 23-year-old German. Erik Leuthäuser has made a few … Read More “Erik Leuthäuser and Wolfgang Köhler: In the Land of Irene Kral & Alan Broadbent (Mons)”
The co-writer of George Benson’s 2014 autobiography Benson is now making EDM versions of jazz standards alone in his Chicago apartment. “I don’t know who it … Read More “Chops: Alan Goldsher on Converting Jazz Classics into EDM Bangers”
Japanese jazz pianist Senri Oe was a stadium-scale pop star in the 1980s and ’90s, performing on lavishly designed stages with choreographed dancers and exploding … Read More “Senri Oe’s Second Act”
