Michael Stephans, Experiencing Ornette Coleman (Rowman & Littlefield) When Ornette Coleman (1930-2015) became prominent in the late 1950s, critics almost invariably described him as “iconoclastic.” In his invaluable history and appreciation of the alto saxophonist, Michael Stephans … [Read more...]

Dave Brubeck & Carmen McRae, Tonight Only (Columbia) What would the Rifftides staff do without readers who keep us informed and on track? The always-alert Svetlana Ilicheva sent a note from Moscow about Tonight Only, a 1961 encounter of the Dave Brubeck Quartet and Carmen McRae. It was … [Read more...]

Lisik and Allen, 50 Years At The Village Vanguard (SkyDeck) Dave Lisik and Eric Allen tell the story of The Vanguard Orchestra and its predecessors. In a huge book illustrated with hundreds of images, they trace the orchestra from its creation by Thad Jones and Mel Lewis through decades of music … [Read more...]

The Complete Blue Note Hank Mobley Fifties Sessions (Mosaic) Mobley (1930-1986) personified what was right with the music and wrong with the culture in jazz in the 1950s. The resonance of his tenor saxophone sound and his gifts of melodic inventiveness and harmonic acuity made him a consistently … [Read more...]

To the best of the <em>Rifftides</em> staff’s recollection, this is the first time the blog’s Monday Recommendation has been a stand-alone video. The choice was inspired by the stellar makeup of the band involved, the enjoyment the musicians found in playing one of Benny Golson’s … [Read more...]

Fred Hersch, Good Things Happen Slowly: A Life In and Out of Jazz (Crown Archetype) Hersch tells his life story with power and resoluteness as natural as his piano playing. Left by his affluent parents to largely invent himself, he adjusted to his urgent musical impulses and, with difficulty, to … [Read more...]

I Called Him Morgan, A Film by Kasper Collin (FilmRise) Swedish filmmaker Kasper Collin’s documentary recounts the exhilaration and tragedy in trumpeter Lee Morgan’s short life. He tells the story of Morgan’s rapid rise, his wife Helen rescuing him from the ravages of addiction, and his … [Read more...]

Gary Peacock Trio, Tangents (ECM) If the seasoned listener heard “Blue In Green” and the love theme from “Spartacus” first, the trio’s evocative approach could lead him to anticipate a collection inspired by the legacy of Bill Evans. But the album ranges further and wider. Peacock’s … [Read more...]

Michelle Lordi, Dream A Little Dream (Michelle Lordi.com) Ms. Lordi is a Philadelphian who for the most part remains in her native city and works with a cross-section of excellent musicians. She has superb taste in songs from times when stage, screen and radio encouraged quality popular music. In … [Read more...]

John Patitucci, Irmãos De Fe (Newvelle Records) Bassist Patitucci’s love affair with the music of Brazil is beautifully expressed in this collaboration with percussionist Rogério Boccato and guitarist Yotam Silberstein. A veteran of the Los Angeles jazz milieu, Patitucci caught the Brazil … [Read more...]

Bill Charlap Trio, Uptown Downtown (Impulse) Pianist Charlap’s trio dazzles the listener from beginning to end of this album. He, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington do not bowl us over with flurries of technique, speed and high volume. They do it with musicianship, subtlety … [Read more...]

Tommy Smith, Embodying The Light: A Dedication To John Coltrane (Spartacus Records) Fifty years ago in the aftermath of John Coltrane’s death, it would have seemed unlikely that a definitive tribute to the saxophone master would someday come from a Scottish tenor player. Yet, so universal is … [Read more...]

Jeroen de Valk: Chet Baker, His Life And Music (Aspekt) de Valk has revised his 2000 biography of the trumpeter. The new version includes a comprehensive index that is helpful to readers. It has a selection of new photographs of Baker on the bandstand, with family, and in times of trouble growing … [Read more...]

Bill Evans, Another Time, Resonance For years, it was thought that drummer Jack DeJohnette’s only recorded appearance with the Bill Evans trio was at the 1968 Montreux Jazz Festival. Then in 2013, producer Zev Feldman discovered that five days after Montreux, Evans, DeJohnette and bassist Eddie … [Read more...]

Jean-Pierre Leloir, Jazz Images (Elemental) Jean-Pierre Leloir, who died in 2010, left a remarkable legacy of photographs from his work in the years when France was a destination for, and in a few cases home to, many of the world’s principal jazz musicians. The technical perfection of … [Read more...]

Mat Walerian, Matthew Shipp, Hamid Drake, Jungle: Live At Okuden (ESP-Disk) His adventurism ranges far and he occasionally makes harsh sounds, but Polish reed artist Mat Walerian ultimately projects a calming effect not often found in avant garde music. The album is from the concert that produced … [Read more...]

Georgia Mancio, Alan Broadbent, Songbook (Roomspin Records) Pianist and composer Alan Broadbent has found his lyricist. Further good news: in their Songbook, Georgia Mancio sings her words to Broadbent’s songs with taste, feeling and faultless intonation. Their collaboration began after the … [Read more...]

Fay Claassen, Luck Child (Challenge) With exceptions, the Dutch singer departs from her incomparable interpretations of standard songs to explore contemporary pieces. They include the title tune written by guitarist Leni Stern, originally an instrumental called “Sandbox.” Sentimental and … [Read more...]