Kristin Korb, That Time Of Year (Storyville) Winter holiday albums began showing up in the <Rifftides mailbox well before Thanksgiving. They’re still coming. It’s time to call some of them to your attention. From her assertive opening bass statement, Kristin Korb, her trio and an … [Read more...]

Trumpeter Tony Fruscella and tenor saxophonist Brew Moore were admired members of the generation that succeeded the pioneers of bebop. Lester Young was a direct influence on Moore's tenor saxophone style. Fruscella was less identifiable in terms of models, although it was clear that early Miles … [Read more...]

Jay Thomas With The Oliver Groenewald Newnet: I Always Knew (Origin) Thomas, a veteran master of brass and reed instruments, teams with Groenewald, the man he describes in his liner notes as “the perfect fit for me as an arranger.” With a band that includes ten of the Pacific Northwest’s … [Read more...]

Jim Wilke’s Jazz Northwest this Sunday will highlight musicians recorded decades apart in Seattle engagements. Here is his announcement. This Sunday's Jazz Northwest on 88.5 KNKX celebrates the release of new albums ranging from the Sixties to the 'teens from sessions that took place in … [Read more...]

Speaking Of Desmond Saxophonist, bandleader, arranger, composer and educator Bill Kirchner (pictured left) sent a message today about making members of a new generation aware of Paul Desmond: This morning in my New School Jazz History class, I was discussing Herbie Hancock. All of the students had … [Read more...]

Sam Leak, Dan Tepfer, Adrift (Jellymould) Pianists from opposite sides of the Atlantic met in a New York studio to collaborate in an engrossing performance of Sam Leak compositions as a suite called “Adrift.” Leak’s partner in recording the eight sections, or movements, was Dan Tepfer, a … [Read more...]

Paul Desmond was born in San Francisco, California, on November 25, 1924. Readers around the world tell me that they remember Paul every time his birthday and his 1977 death date roll around. This is the 13th year that" Rifftides" has celebrated " his birth. We customarily make Paul's" music a part … [Read more...]

This is a national holiday in the United States, important ever since the newly arrived Pilgrims and the native Wampanoag gave thanks in 1621. To Americans observing it, the Rifftides staff sends wishes for a Happy holiday. To readers in the US and around the world: thank you for your interest, … [Read more...]

Eden Bareket, Night (Fresh Sound New Talent) New York City is still the jazz capital of the world. For about a century, young musicians have gone there from nearly every country to be in the midst of the growth and ferment of music that is in a constant state of change and challenge. The baritone … [Read more...]

This afternoon it was 30 degrees out there, with a piercing breeze. Drivers were unruly, aggressive, rushing. The line at the gas pump was slow. I returned home, shivering, to a greeting from my wife. “It’s a lazy afternoon,” she said. Suddenly, the afternoon became lazy, with a long lunch, … [Read more...]

I don’t often post video of people talking. The best way to understand music is to listen—often—intensively—with concentration—without preconceptions. Today, we have a departure from " the Rifftides policy of letting the music speak for itself. Hal Galper is a pianist known to many of you … [Read more...]

Jim Wilke sent details about the program he has prepared for his next Jazz Northwest broadcast. The program will be a broadcast of the complete concert "Celebrating George Cables" from McCurdy Pavilion during Centrum's Jazz Port Townsend the last weekend of July. Pianist Cables has been a … [Read more...]

Charlie Haden & Brad Mehldau, Long Ago and Far Away (Impulse!) Charlie Haden (1937-2014) combined the solid tonal qualities of his bass playing with an audacious sense of harmonic adventure. Those qualities were ideal for the departures of Ornette Coleman’s quintet in the late 1950s. After … [Read more...]

Thanks to all of the Rifftides readers who sent comments on Roy Hargrove’s passing. In response, here is a video that may provide a bit of consolation. The European production company Zycopolis provides neither a date nor a location of this performance, and no identification of the musicians. The … [Read more...]

Trumpeter Roy Hargrove died of a heart attack in New York yesterday at the age of 49. Hargrove was one of a coterie of young musicians who came to prominence following the sudden superstardom of fellow trumpeter Wynton Marsalis in the 1990s. Record companies scrambled to find their own Marsalises. … [Read more...]

Kenny Werner, The Space (Pirouet) Rifftides listeners are not likely to need instruction about how to hear Werner’s music, but it may be helpful to keep in mind the liner-note quote he takes from his 2013 book Effortless Mastery. We do things from our conscious mind or we do them from the … [Read more...]

Well, sometimes recordings arrive, sit on the shelves a while and then start calling to the reviewer to pay attention. Randy Waldman, Superheroes (BFM Jazz) Along with his Los Angeles studio work, the veteran arranger and pianist Waldman has for years been Barbara Streisand’s arranger and … [Read more...]