Music
Village Voice poll
My colleague Francis Davis has instituted a new jazz critics’ poll at the Village Voice. The results are here; Francis’s overview essay is here. Well worth a look. Note: There’s a typo on my ballot. Liberty Ellman’s album is listed as Ophiuchus (Butterfly Pi). The correct album title is Ophiuchus Butterfly. The record label is Pi.
Still Life With Commentator
My review of the Vijay Iyer/Mike Ladd multimedia production “Still Life With Commentator,” which ran for four nights last week at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, is now online.
Two more duo CDs
In my year-end summary I included a list of duo CDs. I carelessly omitted two: Dave Douglas & Martial Solal, Rue de Seine (CamJazz)Beautiful trumpet duets with the French piano maestro. Includes a dreamy solo-Solal rendition of Douglas’s “For Suzannah” — which sounded entirely different when Dave and the quintet played it this Tuesday night at Jazz Standard. It’s rare
Behearer.com
My good friend and colleague Nate Chinen has a piece in today’s NY Times about the new site Behearer.com — an interactive, alternative jazz canon-building initiative focusing on the too often ignored music of the post-Vietnam War years. The back story involves lengthy web discussions between Dave Douglas, Ethan Iverson, Darcy James Argue, Steve Smith and others. Geekdom at its
Six Picks: December 2006
My monthly list of recommended CDs, as published in All About Jazz-New York, December 2006: Hank Jones/Christian McBride/Jimmy Cobb, West of 5th (Chesky) Rob Reddy’s Gift Horse, A Hundred Jumping Devils (Reddy Music) Wadada Leo Smith & Adam Rudolph, Compassion (Meta) Dan Weiss Trio, Now Yes When (Tone of a Pitch) Wilkerson/Mitchell/Bankhead/Ra, Frequency (Thrill Jockey) Anthony Wilson Nonet, Power of
The year in review
The Jazz Journalists Association critics’ roundup for 2006 is now online. My entry is here. Also, the year-end edition of All About Jazz-New York is in the clubs as well as online. Our special year-end spread is available for download as a pdf. Because I can’t help myself, and because so much excellent music came out in 2006, I thought
A concert review
Pianist Marilyn Crispell played a concert at Miller Theatre on October 21. She was joined by tenor saxist Joe Lovano, bassist Mark Helias and drummer Paul Motian. My review is now online.
Six Picks: November 2006
My monthly list of recommended CDs, as published in All About Jazz-New York, November 2006:Gil Goldstein, Under Rousseau’s Moon (Half Note) Mark Helias and Open Loose, Atomic Clock (Radio Legs) Hugh Marsh, Hugmars (Cool Papa Records) Luis Perdomo, Awareness (RKM)Michele Rosewoman, The In Side Out (Advance Dance Discs) John Taylor, Angel of the Presence (Cam Jazz)