The demise of big bands in the 40s gave way to the 50s era of the solo vocalist. Mostly women, a few like Ella, Billie, Sarah, Dinah and Carmen need no surnames....
Doyen of Australian jazz, Donald (Don) Vernon Burrows, had been at the forefront of Australian jazz for over six decades. He was an excellent musician, playing flute,...
My appreciation of the esteemed critic Barry McRae (Jazz Journal, 17 May 2019) has certainly produced some interesting correspondence.
I observed in my piece that Barry’s book The Jazz Handbook certainly...
First of all, The Jazz Gallery is an 'art' gallery which will be given over to jazz concerts here and there.
Secondly, Sheila was performing with the Steve Kuhn Trio, with whom she has recently recorded for ECM. That is, basically, good. Kuhn is an able and spritely pianist who likes to throw in some romping, dissonant stride to piano compositions which are fugue-like and mannered. The piano was basically bad, but then again I don't expect Carnegie Hall to have good art. Kuhn, however, writes songs with lyrics and this is basically bad.
What was very, very good, however, was the remainder of Kuhn's band - Harvey Swartz and Bob Moses. Swartz and Moses (sounds like an insurance brokerage) are exemplary accompanists to a singer. Swartz walks his contrabass with a lively bounce, and Moses' brushwork is tasteful, stylish and swinging. Ms. Jordan seems to be constricted by a pianist and the highlights of her two sets occurred when Steve Kuhn laid out (quite literally, since there was no backstage...
