We remember the life of Paul Desmond, who bequeathed us decades of memorable moments in American music. We lost a great musician, and I one of my dearest friends, when Paul died in his early fifties. He was born on November 25, 1924. From his earliest days in San Francisco through decades as Dave … [Read more...]

We" return, as promised, to further consideration of bassist David Friesen and his Circle 3 Trio's new double CD, Interaction. The album in fact highlights the work of two Friesen trios, with Portlander Joe Manis on tenor and soprano saxophone in both. The second disc, recorded at the Porgy and Bess … [Read more...]

Bobby Shew And Bill Mays, Telepathy It was a coincidence that could not have been more welcome if it had had been planned; One day, the mailwoman brought two new albums that feature pianist Bill Mays. One is a reissue that has an estimable bonus in the presence of trumpeter and flugelhornist … [Read more...]

On his Jazz Northwest broadcast this weekend, Jim Wilke remembers Ernestine Anderson, a singer who began making an impact in the music when she was a Seattle teenager. Her prominent recordings included "Don't Make Your Move Too Soon," which became omnipresent on jazz and other radio stations around … [Read more...]

Seeking consideration, albums arrive by the dozens. The reviewer must decide which ones will get his attention. Wearing a blindfold and searching randomly through the burgeoning stacks of incoming CDs (and occasional LPs), is not productive. So, we fall back on name recognition, listening experience … [Read more...]

The young Canadian drummer Harry Vetro has followed his debut album as a leader, Northern Ranger, with a shorter CD of four tracks. " The new album has a similar title, Eastern Stranger, but perhaps that won't create confusion among Vetro devotees. As in his first recording, the music reflects the … [Read more...]

  It may be too easy to take Louis Armstrong for granted. After all, he is one of the greatest musicians of the Twentieth Century. Perhaps we all conclude that we understand why. Then, along comes yet another reminder of the intensity, the sheer strength, of his musicianship. The most recent … [Read more...]

Until recently, it may have seemed that the singer and songwriter Anne Phillips had resigned as a performer. She had not. Those who remember her 1959 debut album, Born To Be Blue, may be delighted to know that her years below the radar as a writer, arranger, conductor and studio musician did nothing … [Read more...]

Who is your favorite singer from the Canadian province of Newfoundland? Don't have one? If you listen to Heather Bambrick, that could change. Ms. Bambrick is a nominee for the Juno Awards, Canada's equivalent of the Grammys. She is known in her country for singing with sensitivity about things that … [Read more...]

One of the highlights of the 2019 Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival was a concert by Hannah Svensson. Now, Ms. Svensson's new album, Places And Dreams, presents her along with the colleagues who backed her at Ystad. They include her guitarist father Ewan Svensson and her good friend pianist Jan Lundgren, … [Read more...]

The recent Rifftides review of the Richard Boukas-Louis Arques album of music by Brazilian composers drew this comment from guitarist and composer Boukas: The video you embedded is from our newest suite, A Dozen Choro Tributes. The suite will be premiered on November 8 in New York City as part of … [Read more...]

It is always sad to report the end of a major spot for jazz listening. In this case, the word is that Seattle's venerable Tula's is closing. The club has been a jazz fixture in the US Pacific Northwest for more than two decades. In this weekend's edition of his Jazz Northwest, Jim Wilke will … [Read more...]

Noah Preminger Group: Zigsaw: Music Of Steve Lampert " In his newest foray, to be released in early October, the adventurous tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger recruits Steve Lampert, a gifted composer who is one of Preminger's longtime New York collaborators. Ever on the frontier of … [Read more...]

Kerry Politzer, Diagonal: A Tribute To Durval Ferreira The pianist recruits several of her talented Pacific Northwest colleagues for this album of pieces by a Brazilian composer whose works were central to the rise of the music that became known as bossa nova. Ferreira's "O Gato," "E Nada Mais" … [Read more...]

  Dave Douglas is a trumpeter whose adherence to basic jazz values fully justifies the title of the new album he shares with pianist Uri Caine and drummer Andrew Cyrille in their unusual trio. Unusual? Yes. For one thing, there is no bass player to help with harmonic and rhythmic … [Read more...]