A lovely collection of folk jazz, Keren Ann sings softly each song and puts much sensitivity into the lyrics. This CD will have a wide appeal to a large audience. There…
11 Nov
American Vanity by Eric Hofbauer
Tuesday, 11 November 2003
Published in
Folk Jazz - CD Reviews
One immediately senses Hofbauer's strong talent. He delivershis solo work with a smooth edged guitar style.......Delivering hisrenditions & solo work with melodic invention…
05 Nov
Wild Rice by Paul Bourdeau & Shane Simpson
Wednesday, 05 November 2003
Published in
Folk Jazz - CD Reviews
Wild Rice, the new duo release by guitarists Paul Bourdeau and Shane Simpson is an interesting CD. Bourdeau and Simpson (both exceptional players) play a fusion of jazz and…
The Days of Awe is an interesting project from bassist David Chevan with Frank London and the Afro-Semitic Experience. The CD's nine pieces are each prayers written …
15 Oct
Gypsy Swing by Harmonious Wail
Wednesday, 15 October 2003
Published in
Folk Jazz - CD Reviews
The iconoclast Django Reinhardt’s bigger than life persona was unmatched only by his music. Gypsy guitar, or gypsy jazz, as it is equally identified, introduced a new jazz …
Sometimes a reviewer’s patience is richly rewarded, sifting through a bunch of discs on a regular basis, separating the dross from the decent and the gems.... however, this…
Three years in the making, K.J. Denhert’s "Girl Like Me" offers a satisfying blend of first-rate originals and some unexpected covers.Described on the CD as an urban fol…
This might sound like heavy baggage to heap upon a relatively ‘new’ name (he's not all that new, really -- EH's played w/ Cecil McBee, Charlie Kohlhase & James Moody), but …
What makes Deidre Rodman’s brand of mellow bebop stand apart/away from the pack is her tunes: they have an uncomplicated, folk-oriented simplicity & directness, a gentlenes…
I have to admit that I was tempted to send this recording back to the editors of jazzreview.com. I signed on to review jazz recordings and my initial response was that this…
16 Jul
Songs Without Words by Johann Helton
Wednesday, 16 July 2003
Published in
Folk Jazz - CD Reviews
Johann Helton in Songs Without Words is an acoustical treasure that celebrates the diversity of the human experience. Helton plays layers of acoustic and bass…
Friday, September 12, 2003, Little Rock Arkansas. I was not going to review this release. June Carter Cash was obviously ill while she was recording Wildwood F…
Wooden Guitar is a collection of five tracks by four contemporary acoustic guitarists, all of whom confound the concept of easy musical boundaries, with the one comm…
22 Apr
Old Fashioned Love by John Fahey & His Orchestra
Tuesday, 22 April 2003
Published in
Folk Jazz - CD Reviews
Though he was far from being a household name, the late John Fahey (1939-2001) was one of the finest and most unique acoustic guitarists America has ever produced. Duke Ell…
Terje Sundby has appeared on many recordings over the past few years. This experience has led to the release of his first recording as leader. His Norwegian roots are evide…
09 Apr
Shifra Tanzt - Jewish Jazz Ensemble by Mark Weinstein
Wednesday, 09 April 2003
Published in
Folk Jazz - CD Reviews
Mark Weinstein was in the 1960s better known as a trombonist when he played w/ Herbie Mann and various Latin-Jazz ensembles before leaving the music for academia. Now he’s …
Bill Smith - also known as William O. Smith - is one of those "beyond category" [thanks for that phrase, Duke] musicians: he’s played/improvised with Dave Brubeck, electron…
18 Feb
Into The Cauldron by Mike Marshall / Chris Thile
Tuesday, 18 February 2003
Published in
Folk Jazz - CD Reviews
That problem with labels, again.... these two musicians have backgrounds in bluegrass and that relatively new (the late 70s or so) fusion genre (or sub-genre, depending on …
13 Feb
Midnight Minyan by Paul Shapiro
Thursday, 13 February 2003
Published in
Folk Jazz - CD Reviews
While many of the neo-Klezmer scene bring jazz (and funk, etc.) into Klezmer (that old-world funky music that mixes Central European Jewish/Hebraic folk melodies n’ motifs …
30 Sep
CHORALE by Simone Guiducci Gramelot Ensemble
Monday, 30 September 2002
Published in
Folk Jazz - CD Reviews
Guitarist Simone Guiducci's music defines its own world, but it also reflects the one in which we live. Like playwright-actor Dario Fo, whose literary gramelot, Mistero Buf…
08 Sep
Balafon Dance by Khan Jamal Quintet
Sunday, 08 September 2002
Published in
Folk Jazz - CD Reviews
Veteran modern jazz artists, saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc and trumpeter Roy Campbell lend surefire support here. Yet, vibist and African balafon performer Khan Jamal clearly …
LUCKY CHARM is precisely that! A lively collection of jazz folk and swing, performed by a lady with talent to spare in the guitar and vocals department, this collection deb…
Rob Burger is a King of the Keyboards, a multi-keys whiz kid who plays in the eclectic folk/jazz/tango Tin Hat Trio and whose resume includes the Oranj Symphonette, Bill Fr…
20 Jul
Le Magus by Ori Kaplan Shaat'nez Band
Saturday, 20 July 2002
Published in
Folk Jazz - CD Reviews
The music of the Middle East - of both Arabic and Jewish origins - and jazz have made for some enjoyable amalgams. Yusef Lateef, John Coltrane, Oregon, Herbie Mann and even…
16 Jul
Calistrophy by Burton Greene's Klez-Thetics
Tuesday, 16 July 2002
Published in
Folk Jazz - CD Reviews
Chicago-born pianist Burton Greene was/is on of the Grand Daddies of the early NYC avant/free jazz scene - he led his own groups as well as playing with Albert Ayler, Patty…
11 Jul
Balafon Dance by Khan Jamal Quintet
Thursday, 11 July 2002
Published in
Folk Jazz - CD Reviews
Khan Jamal is a Philadelphia-area vibist who’s been associated with the avant/free scene in the 1970s (his own recordings and w/ Byard Lancaster and R. Shannon Jackson), wh…
Well if I am to be perfectly honest I must admit that I was only vaguely familiar with Ben Allison and his work before I reviewed this CD. It has been my loss. Ne…
29 May
This Is The Afro-Semitic Experience by Warren Byrd / David Chevan
Wednesday, 29 May 2002
Published in
Folk Jazz - CD Reviews
Every now ‘n’ again one hears proof - or is it reinforcement? - of the fact of vital jazz activity in cities in these United States that aren’t NYC or LA or even Chicago. T…
26 Apr
Looking Back by Phillips Grier & Flinner
Friday, 26 April 2002
Published in
Folk Jazz - CD Reviews
Skill and joy are in amply evidence on Phillips, Grier & Flinner’s sophomore release on Compass Records, Looking Back, the much-anticipated follow-up to their 1999 s…
17 Apr
The W.E.S. Group by The W.E.S. Group
Wednesday, 17 April 2002
Published in
Folk Jazz - CD Reviews
The photo that graces W.E. Smith’s album reveals a lot about the man and his music. It is a photo taken early in the last century of a wooden-planked sheet music shop reple…
NYC-based bassist/composer Ben Allison, when not leading his own bands, plays in The Herbie Nichols Project, the band/collective dedicated to the little- or un-heard music …
19 Mar
Wild Garden by Josefine Cronholm and IBIS
Tuesday, 19 March 2002
Published in
Folk Jazz - CD Reviews
On her debut recording as a solo artist, Cronholm and her group Ibis are featured throughout. This is a simple yet haunting recording with much depth and variation.The t…
02 Mar
Open Wide by Jen Chapin and Stephan Crump
Saturday, 02 March 2002
Published in
Folk Jazz - CD Reviews
Singer-songwriter Jen Chapin and bassist Stephan Crump make their recording debut as a duo on "Open Wide."Performing 10 original compositions by Chapin, the pair deliver…
For anyone who has ever attempted to play an archtop acoustic guitar, they know what a demanding beast she can be. This writer had one (inherited through two generations) a…
Ralph Towner is a superb contemporary guitarist, one of the few to focus entirely on acoustic playing. While inconsistent - his 1974 album Solstice is a dark, wintry wonder…
05 Feb
In Montreal by Charlie Haden & Gismonti Egberto
Monday, 05 February 2001
Published in
Folk Jazz - CD Reviews
Way back in ’89, the Montreal Jazz Festival featured a tribute to Charlie Haden, where the legendary bassist performed with many of his colleagues like Paul Motian, Don Che…
09 Sep
Achirana by Vassilis Tsabropoulos
Saturday, 09 September 2000
Published in
Folk Jazz - CD Reviews
The best ECM records over the years have been those that straddle a very fine line, never seeming too ethereal, but also never turning so chaotic and avant garde that the l…
After a number of listening sessions, I'm still confused by this release. It's often difficult enough for an artist to satisfy musical genre purists on their own (i.e. Jazz…