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By Lucy Galliher
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What finer virtuoso musicians could one imagine than Cedar Walton on piano, Javon Jackson on tenor sax, bassist Buster Williams and legendary drummer Jimmy Cobb? The Iridium Jazz Club was full to capacity on an early spring evening in 2010, with these four all-star jazz masters there to display their craft. The club changed the tables around, putting them at angles to the stage, so that now everyone has a great view of the bandstand.
The set I heard was bluesy and relaxed, which was a fresh and pleasant surprise against the hustle and bustle of New York City. They played some great song selections, ranging from Coltrane’s “John Paul Jones” to well-known standards (“All the Things You Are,” “Old Folks” and “My Shining Hour”).
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By Lucy Galliher
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The Village Vanguard is celebrating its 75th Anniversary this month, February of 2010, and Lorraine Gordon is still at the helm! This week she brought in a talented, award-winning group of young musicians to perform at the renowned jazz club, the Gerald Clayton Trio. Gerald Clayton (best known for playing with Roy Hargrove) was on piano, Joe Sanders - bass, and Justin Brown was the drummer.
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By Lucy Galliher
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Pianist/Composer Emilio Solla and the “Tango Jazz Conspiracy” came to the Jazz Standard on a night in February, 2010, rejoicing in the release of their new CD, Bien Sur! It was a pretty packed house on a Tuesday night, as a lot of people enjoy Argentinean tango and jazz, along with good food from Blue Smoke Restaurant.
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By Lucy Galliher
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Live Jazz at Creole Supper Club. Jazz continues to be a strong force in New York City, and for five years, Creole’s owner Kevin Walters, has brought fabulous jazz acts to Spanish Harlem. On the night of December 12, 2009, I went to Creole, and heard a group called Doug Carn and the Black Jazz Legacy Band, which featured vocalist Kathy Farmer. Creole has a full southern-style menu, and often hosts private parties in addition to its live music tradition. There was a birthday party in progress on this night, and the festive mood helped add to the holiday atmosphere. Cover charges vary from night to night, and well-known musicians sometimes stop in to jam with the house band.
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By George W. Carroll
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Here's a formula that always works: Jazz guitarist Royce Campbell and alto sax living legend Phil Woods.................This is the quadratic equation of jazz brought to fruition. These two exceptionally gifted players are musical savants in their own right, but they bring to both jazz music and this particular CD project a zest and verve for their chosen movie song oriented collaboration.
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By George W. Carroll
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A cut above........Jazz pianist Mike Longo, a true master of the horn line as it were, has an immense capacity to build a fascinating, energetic undercurrent of harmonic-meloic interest to 'catch' his listeners. He plays his piano with a tonal texture that is both delicate and subtle, yet strong and passionate in its intensity.
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By George W. Carroll
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Commentary: Everyone has their musical heroes. I have three! For every big band I’ve ever formed in my 57-yrs as a journeyman composer, singer, jazz pianist, and CD Producer, I consider Thad Jones my mentor by default. Thad was a visionary. If you play any of his prior records or have the pleasure to play some of his big band arrangements, (I have many of Thad’s charts in my big band book) it’s as though his music is always both played/composed this morning. This is the rationale for my statement above.
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By Lucy Galliher
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Ron Carter brought a magnificent trio to the Blue Note – himself on double bass, Mulgrew Miller on piano and Russell Malone on guitar - and I went to hear this group perform at the end of their weeklong residency on November 1, 2009. This combination of instruments is very cool and crisp, without drums, vocals or horns, and made for a different kind of jazz experience.
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