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...]

Really brief, indeed, because during and since the Rifftides" staff's return from the Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival, albums hoping to be reviewed have arrived by the dozens (not an exaggeration). Here, we begin to consider a few of them. Rondi Marsh The Pink Room The Pacific Northwest singer … [Read more...]

The word "all-star" does not appear in Jim Wilke's description of this weekend's Jazz Northwest program, but the band supporting singer Michael Mayo fits the all-star category. Here is Jim's preview paragraph: "Vocalist Michael Mayo won many new fans with his performance at the 2019 Jazz Port … [Read more...]

Earlier this week at The Seasons, an acoustically blessed performance hall in Yakima, Washington, alto saxophonist Logan Strosahl and pianist Nick Sanders demonstrated the like-mindedness that makes them one of the most riveting duos in jazz. Sanders (on the left here) traveled to the Pacific … [Read more...]

In the 1980s the singer Lisa Rich seemed on her way to a long and successful career. She was featured with symphony orchestras and her recordings received enthusiastic reviews from critics including Leonard Feather in" The Los Angeles Times. " She was on the Jazz Times national airplay chart for … [Read more...]

In the wake of the Ystad Jazz Festival in Sweden, the distinguished Swedish jazz journalist Jan Olsson sent a " photograph of the late saxophonist and clarinetist Bob Wilber and his wife, British singer Pug Horton, at the Stockamöllan Swing Fesival in June 2013. Wilber (1928-2019) died earlier this … [Read more...]

Looking ahead to your radio listening this weekend, Jim Wilke alerts us to a special edition of his Jazz Northwest. He traveled to the Port Townsend Jazz Festival to capture this concert. Jim Levitt's photo captures (left to right) George Cables, Chuck Deardorf, Terell Stafford, Matt Wilson and … [Read more...]

  We have learned that the superlative clarinetist and soprano saxophonist Bob Wilber died at his home in England earlier this month. He was 91. Wilber studied with the New Orleans reed pioneer Sidney Bechet and spent decades extending the Bechet legacy. Unusual among those who specialize in … [Read more...]

The 2019 Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival encompassed far more concerts than it would have been possible for anyone to attend. Here are impressions of some of that I managed to hear. And, just to remind us of Ystad's physical attractiveness, here's a photo taken from a window of my hotel room, complete … [Read more...]

Departure for Sweden is delayed a day. Let's use the pause to mention some of what I'm looking forward to at the Ystad Jazz Festival, in addition to the charming medieval town itself. We don't have time for more than a couple of mentions and preview videos, but I must tell you that I'm anticipating … [Read more...]

Recent Listening In Brief Preparing to leave for Sweden to report on the Ystad Jazz Festival, we call your attention to two of the dozens of piano trio recordings that have appeared fairly recently. Yoko Miwa Trio, Keep Talkin' (Ocean Blue Tear Music) A professor at the Berklee School of … [Read more...]

The time-consuming non-Rifftides project we told you about earlier this month has wrapped up and we are moving on to other matters. When certain permissions have been approved, that project's overseers will announce it. I think it's safe to predict that many of you will be pleased to know about it. … [Read more...]

Bob Sheppard, The Fine Line (Challenge) The veteran saxophonist and flutist Bob Sheppard has worked with a cross-section of other major jazz artists including Freddie Hubbard, Billy Childs and the Akiyoshi-Tabackin big band. He has also been a major player in the film and television studios of … [Read more...]

Rifftides is taking a break because the staff is at work on an extensive freelance writing assignment. The assigner is awaiting clearances of various kinds, so I cannot disclose the nature of the project. Suffice it to say that many readers are likely to find it of interest. When final permissions … [Read more...]

The man often called the founding father of bossa nova, died today at home in Rio de Janeiro. Joao Gilberto was 88. Along with Antonio Carlos Jobim, Gilberto pioneered the form that became a phenomenon of popular music in the early 1960s. With varying degrees of authenticity, bossa nova was adapted … [Read more...]

George Cables, I'm All Smiles (High Note) When George Cables was the pianist in the late saxophonist Art Pepper's quartet, Pepper gave him a nickname that has endured: "Mr. Beautiful." Anyone coming to Cables for the first time by way of this superb trio album will have no difficulty … [Read more...]

New jazz albums seem to appear every hour on the hour, and the best a struggling young blog can do is notify you when something catches the ears of the staff. We'll mention a couple of new releases, realizing that it's impossible to hear…much less review…everything the postman and the delivery … [Read more...]