Tag Archives: Jazz music

Phil Haynes, a drummer and composer who was born in Oregon, seems to be on my wavelength in 2025. Though he’s always been forward looking, lately he’s also found himself revisiting his past, particularly working with electric guitarists in the … Continue reading →

Bria Skonberg is a native of Chilliwack, in the Canadian province of British Columbia, but she’s currently a rising star on the New York jazz scene and at festivals everywhere. She’s best known as a trumpeter playing traditional jazz, but … Continue reading →

I think of myself as more of an acoustic jazz fan than anything, but I’m definitely a sucker for the jazz-rock fusion of my youth: Mahavishnu Orchestra, Bitches Brew-era Miles Davis, Return To Forever, Weather Report. Especially if it has … Continue reading →

I don’t think you’ll hear a better new album of straight ahead guitar jazz this year than Yves Brouqui’s Mean What You Say. Brouqui has been playing professionally since he began in Paris in 1986, and since a long stint … Continue reading →

I first discovered Freddie Hubbard in the mid-70s when he was playing slightly electrified jazz with a bit of soul and fusion and post-bop in the mix. Those recordings on CTI made me a fan, which I remain to this … Continue reading →

I haven’t heard much of jazz trumpeter Kenny Dorham’s music, and you probably haven’t either. It’s a pity because as many of his peers noted, he was the definition of underrated. He also died tragically young at the age of … Continue reading →

Though not much remembered now but by musicians and aficionados, Tadd Dameron (1917 – 1965) was one of the most influential composers, arrangers and pianists of the era that bridged big band swing and bebop, the 1940s and ’50s. American … Continue reading →

Chet Baker had a busy, up-and-down career as a jazz trumpeter and singer, and perhaps remains best known today as the king of cool jazz. I’m a huge cool jazz fan but don’t have much Chet Baker in my collection. … Continue reading →

I came upon this 2012 release just this year (2014), as Ortiz was embarking on a tour that included many U.S. stops. I find this music moving and challenging in equal measures. Ortiz, a native of Santiago, the second-largest city … Continue reading →

Somehow, this was my first knowing* exposure to the music of Kirk Knuffke, and it has rapidly become one of my current favorite albums. Super Blonde is a consistently engaging set of covers and standards played by a unique quartet … Continue reading →