Sometimes it takes a while to catch up. Case in point: Carla Bley's, Andy Sheppard's and Steve Swallow's Life Goes On. ECM released the album on Valentine's Day. But the Rifftides staff (blame me) somehow managed to overlook what would ordinarily have been a quick and enthusiastic response to a nifty album. Swallow is all but certifiably one of the leading bassists alive, Bley has been at the apex of jazz composition and arranging for much of her life, and the British tenor saxophonist Sheppard … [Read more...]

Several Rifftides readers have expressed concern that this blog has appeared infrequently of late and asked if the staff are all right. We are fine. Thank you for asking. Back to business: John Scofield brings together a pair longtime colleagues for a new collection reminding us that his range and flexibility are among the greatest of any guitarist. With drummer Bill Stewart and bassist Steve Swallow (Swallow, left, and Scofield pictured) the repertoire of Scofield's new all-star trio … [Read more...]

Michelle Lordi,'s Break Up With The Sound  (Cabinet Of Wonder) runs an eclectic course from Hank Williams's heart-tugging country classic "I'm So Lonesome" to songs by Ms. Lordi herself,  plus pieces by Cole Porter and members of The Beatles. It is popular, mostly American, music that maintains C&W earnestness without sliding into the heart-on-the-sleeve sentimentaility that constricts so many of today's mainstream country performances. Lebowsky and Newman's "The Wayward Wind" kept Gogi … [Read more...]

Some time ago, I wrote on Rifftides, "The Czech Frantisek Uhliř is one of the greatest bassists in the world. He works frequently in the trio of his countryman pianist Emil Viklicky, another great European player about whom most Americans know little. I just ran across a brief note I made when I was in Prague twelve years ago (now, more like 25 years ago), helping American economists teach market economics to Czech journalists newly released from communism." June 10, 1993: Went to Agartha … [Read more...]

Mosaic Records reports that the first release of Paul Desmond--The Complete 1975 Toronto Recordings has sold out. The seven-CD set features the former Dave Brueck Quartet alto saxophonist  with his prized Canadian rhythm section of guitarist Ed Bickert, bassist Don Thompson and drummer Jerry Fuller. Mosaic's Michael Cuscuna says that he expects the next batch of pressings to be available by the end of May. When after 17 years together the Brubeck Quartet disbanded, Desmond vacationed in the … [Read more...]

Matthew Shipp: The Piano Equation (Tao Forms) The dictionary defines equation as "the act of making equal." In his engrossing new solo album, pianist Matthew Shipp creates eleven new pieces of music in which the equality of his powerful hands is important to the venture's success, but not as important as the fertile imagination that guides his music-making. For the past three decades, Shipp has been a formidable collaborator on recordings with Joe McPhee, Whit Dickey, Marshall Allen, David S. … [Read more...]

Lee Konitz died today in a New York City hospital. He was 92. Known primarily for the individualism of his  alto saxophone work, Konitz in his later years also played soprano saxophone. Using aspects of phrasing, rhythm and tonal quality adapted from the great tenor saxophonist Lester Young, Konitz in the 1940s developed into one of the most distinctive soloists in jazz. His mid-forties recordings with pianist and composer Lennie Tristano influenced dozens of musicians who wanted to develop … [Read more...]

Perhaps a good way to buoy spirits in this dispiriting time is to call your attention to music that gives the Rifftides staff a lift...in hopes that it may do the same for you. Pianist and composer Ethan Iverson's recent collection Common Practice has moments that are helpful in that regard. Iverson put together a quartet that includes himself, bassist Ben Street, drummer Eric McPherson, and  guest artist Tom Harrell at a peak of imagination and inventiveness that is stunning even by that … [Read more...]

Canadian drummer Ernesto Cervini's Tetrahedron manages to meld elements of contemporary electronica with references to developments in the six decades since John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" innovations and Ornette Coleman's free jazz turned the music in new directions. Cervini enlists electric bassist Rich Brown, the daring New York guitarist Nir Felder and alto saxophonist Luis Deniz. From the album's one standard, "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise," through five stirring tunes by Cervini and … [Read more...]

Each year, the Jazz Journalists Association recognizes musicians, writers, broadcasters and others who have made important contributions to the health and success of jazz in their parts of the United States. Here are the new honorees. For the list of 2020 heroes and their biographical sketches, scroll down and click on the names of the heroes who interest you. You're likely to find at least one whom you know, or know about. Ann Arbor, MI: Deanna Relyea Atlanta, GA: Gwen Redding … [Read more...]

The death this week of Ellis Marsalis recalls dozens of enounters with him when he was one of New Orleans' premier jazz musicians. Long before Ellis became famous as the father of Wynton, Branford, Jason and Delfeo, he established himself as a nonpareil pianist and educator. I remember hearing the the young Marsalis when he was  a key member of alto saxophonist Al Belletto's sextet in the 1960s and being spellbound  by the intricacies he and Belletto wove in their performances together. Marsalis … [Read more...]

Asked about his intriguing new album, west coast trumpeter Dick Titterington talked about the project's genesis during a Christmas party. Their bandleader had asked each musician to write a new composition for the occasion. Titterington says that the trio enjoyed one another and the resulting interplay so much that they expanded the Christmas encounter into material for an entire album. The CD, Horn Art Works: 14 Pieces, has emerged on the HeavyWood label at … [Read more...]