Following the recent Rifftides review of Gretta Matassa's new album, I came across a video that she made when she was in Los Angeles for an engagement. Her longtime bassist, the Seattle veteran Clipper Anderson, was on board. Her other sidemen for the occasion were pianist Mike Garson and drummer … [Read more...]

Greta Matassa, Portrait (Origin) Greta Matassa has never stopped performing extensively or touring with her widely admired quintet, but it has been years since she has made a new recording. The singer's first album since 2011 is a reminder of the rare depth of her musicianship and her ability to … [Read more...]

  The young Scandinavians of the Eka Trio combine the relaxed sensuosity of trends in Nordic music with their underlying commitment to the adventurousness that goes to the heart of jazz. In the album that they call "O," the trio and two guest artists craft a collection of fourteen pieces … [Read more...]

Thomas Cunniffe's excellent weblog Jazz History Online has managed to find the performance by Paul Desmond and his Canadian quartet originally broadcast in 1975 by the Canadian Broadcasting Company. That is good news for listeners who continue to follow the alto saxophonist's career after the … [Read more...]

  During her years in Seattle, trumpeter Samantha Boshnack developed impressively as a player eager to take musical chances. At the same time, she often hiked the Pacific Northwest's mountains, many of them volcanoes with explosions in their pasts, in the case of Mount St. Helens, a … [Read more...]

Occasionally, Rifftides presents something from the blog's archive. The staff got together to discuss Bud Powell and agreed that if there is even a slight chance that someone, somewhere, has yet to hear Powell, we have a responsibility to correct that. To begin, then, let's go back nearly a decade … [Read more...]

Since he moved from California to New York several years ago, Alan Broadbent has expanded his multifaceted ways as pianist, composer and conductor-arranger for major singers including Diana Krall, Natalie Cole, Sheila Jordan and the British discovery Georgia Mancio. New York Notes finds Broadbent … [Read more...]

A jazz version of "June Is Busting Out All Over"? you might ask. Who would think of such a thing? Finding the right tempo might be possible, but how about those Richard Rodgers harmonies? " Well, Bill Holman-or maybe it was Stan Kenton-thought it would work. From the period, presumably in the … [Read more...]

No sooner had I started to idly wonder what's happening in one of my favorite former hometowns than Terri Hinte sent a message reminding me of a new album by the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. The CD is a tribute to one of the city's most beloved musical heroes, the late Allen Toussaint, composer of … [Read more...]

If only they were still with us, two major artists would be celebrating their birthdays this weekend. They were Peggy Lee (1920-"­"­2002) and Miles Davis (1926-1991). She was of major significance in popular music and he in jazz, but their wide appeal to audiences of many kinds makes it difficult to … [Read more...]

The staff gauged the rate at which the postwoman is depositing new releases in the Rifftides mailbox and decided that we should pick up the pace of telling you about some of them. This will be the most recent of many doomed attempts to let you know about a flood of jazz albums that seems only to … [Read more...]

Rifftides reader Orsolya Bene writes, "Listening to jazz on the radio after finishing chores. "North Of The Sunset," by Thelonious Monk was just playing. Now, it's the Denny Zeitlin trio. The radio guy must be channeling you." If so, he is welcome aboard. Ms. Bene's message comes after hours of … [Read more...]

Denny Zeitlin Solo Piano: Remembering Miles For the most recent of his annual solo concerts at the Piedmont Piano Company in Oakland, California, pianist Denny Zeitlin's subject was Miles Davis. The recital before the Piedmont's customary audience of close listeners covered several eras of the … [Read more...]

Permit me to tell you how my yesterday went. It went badly. Here's why. I prepared a Rifftides post that included a video. After the preliminary work and I was ready to post, I got a "video unavailable" notification. I settled on another post, put it together and got a second "video unavailable" … [Read more...]

The exact date is uncertain, but we know who was with Hubbard in this L.A. all-star band: Freddie Hubbard, featured trumpet soloist. Saxes & Flutes: Bud Shank (alto), Bill Perkins (tenor), Bob Tricarico (baritone sax). Trumpets: Chuck Findley and Gary Grant. Trombone: Bill Watrous. Horn: … [Read more...]

Jim Wilke, impressario of " Jazz Northwest, alerts us to another show in his venerable broadcast series, complete with information about his star visitor and how to find the program. Jim features another major musician whom he recently recorded. " The program features a celebrated " drummer who has … [Read more...]