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...]

Concerned about the advance of the coronoavirus in many parts of the world, pianist Fred Hersch has announced his approach to providing, if not relief from the threat, a way to get it off your mind for a while. Below is the message from Hersch's web page. We realize that his message consumes more space than the average Rifftides post and trust that its size won't cause you a problem.   Mini Concert Every Day I hope everybody is safe and healthy and will remain that way. This is an … [Read more...]

Curious about the unannounced and unpromoted reissue of a Brent Jensen album eighteen years after its debut, I asked Origin Records chief John Bishop in Seattle about its reappearance. The CD is Jensen's The Sound Of A Dry Martini: Remembering Paul Desmond, first issued in 2002.  Mr. Bishop replied: "That record has been popular since it came out, with steady sales and a lot of action on Pandora still happening. Since Brent moved to Seattle, and Jamie Findlay's up here now too, he's made it a … [Read more...]

James Moody told me that his Georgia-born grandmother said one morning while looking through the newspaper, "Folks is dyin' what ain't never died befo'." The trend continues, as It always has and, if human suscsceptibility is a guide, always will.  Recently, the parade of departures resumed when the jazz world lost two giants in their nineties, McCoy Tyner and William O. Smith. Smith (pictured left) a clarinetist, composer, teacher and formidable arranger, was 93. Encouraged by the classical … [Read more...]

Jim Wilke continues his long-running Jazz Northwest broadcasts this weekend with a group headed by Marc Seales, one of the region's firmly established veteran pianists. In the announcement below, Jim tells you how to find the program: KNKX and Dimitriou's Jazz Alley are teaming up to present, on the last Monday of each month, a monthly series starring top jazz artists in the region. February's event featured the Marc Seales Quintet playing a program that mostly featured the pianist's … [Read more...]

Rebecca Kilgore, unfailingly musical in any setting, sings with contrasting accompaniments in a pair of recent releases. In one, concentrating on songs with winter themes, she is accompanied by a distinguished European quartet. A second album finds her alone with the harmonically resourceful and swinging Chicago guitarist Andy Brown. Arrangements by pianist Bernd Lhotzky and saxophonist Chris Hopkins make Winter Days At Schloss Elmau at once relaxed and adventurous. Kilgore and the quartet … [Read more...]

Rebecca Kilgore, unfailingly musical in any setting, sings with contrasting accompaniments in a pair of recent releases. In one, concentrating on songs with winter themes, she is accompanied by a distinguished European quartet. A second album finds her alone with the harmonically resourceful and swinging Chicago guitarist Andy Brown. Arrangements by pianist Bernd Lhotzky and saxophonist Chris Hopkins make Winter Days At Schloss Elmau at once relaxed and adventurous. Kilgore and the quartet … [Read more...]