Blog Archives - Page 8 of 9

Omer Klein Trio Releases ‘Fearless Friday’ (EPK + Video Clip)

We haven’t received this album yet but we’ve enjoyed Omer Klein’s work in the past so we figured this would be worth mentioning. The Omer Klein trio released its newest …

Becca Stevens Band Covers Frank Ocean’s “Thinking About You” (Video)

The Becca Stevens Band’s newest album Perfect Animal is now slated for an April 7th release on Universal Music Classics. We did cover the album back when we thought it …

Kenosha Kid Set To Self-Release ‘Inside Voices’

In Thomas Pynchon’s novel Gravity’s Rainbow, the Kenosha Kid is a maddeningly ambiguous figure: it might be a cowboy, or a dance, or a Sodium Amytal-induced hallucination (or all of …

Stream SFJAZZ Collective’s “Fire” Off ‘Live: SFJAZZ Center 2014, The Music of Joe Henderson and New Compositions’

The SFJAZZ Collective features some of the most gifted soloists, composers and bandleaders on the contemporary scene: alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón, bassist Matt Penman, tenor saxophonist David Sánchez, trumpeter Avishai …

The Seasons: February With Joshua Redman & Ben Wendel (Video)

Here’s the second installment of Ben Wendel’s “The Seasons” project (click link for details), fresh off the press. This time Wendel teams up with saxophonist extraordinaire Joshua Redman for a …

Kevin Olusola Covers Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me”

I was just absentmindedly going through my Facebook timeline when I stumbled on this extraordinary gem. Check out Kevin Olusola on cello, loop pedal, beatboxing and vocals cover Sam Smith’s …

Gilad Hekselman – “March of the Sad Ones” Live at the 2014 Django Reinhardt Festival (Video)

Gilad Hekselman’s 2013 album, This Just In, still kills. It’s one of those kinds of albums with sharp compositions and even sharper playing. Though we at Nextbop are constantly in …

Jason Moran And The Bandwagon At The Kennedy Center (Full Concert Video)

Since his groundbreaking entrance on the music scene in the late 90s, jazz pianist Jason Moran has proven more than his share of genius as a performer, even earning him …

Fallin’ Floyd – A Jazzy Animated Short

Here’s a cute animated short coming out of the Netherlands featuring a beautiful original jazzy soundtrack by Martin Fondse with Eric Vloeimans on trumpet. After a painful heartbreak, the lead …

Tomoko Omura Releases ‘Roots’

Tomoko Omura, originally from Shizuoka, Japan, began studying violin at a young age under the tutelage of her mother. She then moved on to jazz while studying at Yokohama National …

BADBADNOTGOOD & Ghostface Killah – Ray Gun ft. DOOM (Official Video)

BADBADNOTGOOD is going places. When we first heard of them three years ago, they were a relatively unknown band from Toronto doing Odd Future covers. I remember discussing with Anthony …

Aidan Carroll Set To Release Debut Album ‘Original Vision’

Bassist Aidan Carroll, originally hailing from Oklahoma City, had a vision when he was 8 years old. “When I was 8 years old, I had a vision and a feeling …

Jason Moran And Vijay Iyer Masterclass At NEC (Video)

It’s not often that two MacArthur geniuses get together, let alone to give a masterclass. Nonetheless, this is what happened last September at the New England Conservatory. Pianists extraordinaire Jason …

Lebanese Pianist Jad Salameh Releases Debut ‘Lucky Are The Ones With Voices’

“Sadness for a bird killed. No sadness for a fish killed. Lucky are the ones with voices.” -Saitō Ryokuu This saying by Ryokuu served as inspiration for Lebanese pianist Jad …

Marc Cary Set To Release ‘Rhodes Ahead Vol. 2’

Voted Rising Star-Keyboardist in this year’s 62nd Annual DownBeat Critics Poll, Marc Cary is back with a new opus following his critically acclaimed 2013 albums For The Love Of Abbey …

Introducing Slowly Rolling Camera

Hailing from Cardiff, Wales, Slowly Rolling Camera is an innovative group comprised of Dionne Bennett (lyrics, vocals), Deri Roberts (sound design, electronics, producer, trombone), Elliot Bennett (drums) and Dave Stapleton …

Guitarist Ant Law to Release ‘Zero Sum World’

English guitarist Ant Law is set to release his sophomore album ‘Zero Sum World’ on February 16th by way of Whirlwind Recordings. Law, a scholar of physics at Edinburgh University …

Ben Wendel’s “The Seasons” Project (Video)

Ben Wendel, saxophonist of famed Kneebody and sideman to Tigran Hamasyan and Taylor Eigsti (just to name a few), has just launched a new project entitled “The Seasons”. For the …

Blue Note Supergroup Our Point Of View At Le Poisson Rouge (Full Concert Video)

Ever dreamed of assembling the All-Madden team of contemporary jazz musicians? Well Blue Note Records beat you to the punch. Our Point Of View, comprised of Robert Glasper on keys, …

Dave King’s Rational Funk Instructional Videos

A few weeks ago, Dave King, drummer of the renowned The Bad Plus, broke the jazz Twitterverse (Did you get that Kim Kardashian reference? Did you?) by debuting a series …

Felix Pastorius Social Experiment at 2015 NAMM Bass Bash (Video)

Last week, we posted a set from the Felix Pastorius Social Experiment live in New York at APAP. It was a cool set and Felix Pastorius on bass with Chris …

Fresh Cut Orchestra – “The Mothers’ Suite – II: Mother’s Love” (Video)

Fresh Cut Orchestra led by trumpeter Josh Lawrence, bassist Jason Fraticelli, and drummer Anwar Marshall are a group whose music is as rife with love and affection as it is …

Tigran – ‘Mockroot’ Behind the Scenes Video

We’ve been waiting for pianist Tigran Hamasyan’s upcoming album, Mockroot, for a while now ever since he hinted about it last November when we saw him play in Austin with …

Vijay Iyer Trio Breaks ‘Break Stuff’ in San Antonio

Some note hovering between an F and an F# hovered over the Vijay Iyer Trio during their soundcheck before their performance Saturday, January 17th at San Antonio’s Carver Community Cultural …

Sound Prints – ‘Live at Monterey Jazz Festival’

Sound Prints, the quintet co-led by trumpeter Dave Douglas and saxophonist Joe Lovano, will be releasing its debut album, Live at Monterey Jazz Festival, on April 7. Douglas and Lovano …

Skerik, John Medeski, and Adam Deitch are DRKWAV

Saxophonist/arranger Skerik is one of those musicians who always seems to be up to something interesting. The same could also be said of the consistently flabbergasting pianist/organist John Medeski and …

Felix Pastorius’ The Social Experiment’s 2015 APAP Set

I didn’t get the chance to go to the Association of Performing Arts Presenters conference or the Winter Jazz Fest that ran concurrently in New York. I’ve never even been …

Jose James’ ‘Yesterday I Had the Blues’ Out This Spring

Coming after Jose James’ recent albums, While You Were Sleeping, No Beginning, No End, and Black Magic, with explorations into rock, electronic, R&B, soul, and funk in addition to his …

Nextbop’s Favorite Jazz Releases of 2014

We don’t like to say “best” around here. We’re limited people with limited knowledge, fans with a platform. There’s no way we have heard everything released this year or are …

Nextbop’s Favorite Everything Else Releases of 2014

Like any good lover of music, our tastes at Nextbop are wide. Some overlap, some shape others in regard to genre, but there’s a lot of music released this year …

Jochen Rueckert – ‘We Make the Rules’

There is nothing wrong with Jochen Rueckert‘s new album We Make The Rules. Rueckert is on the drums and is joined by a fantastic group of musicians – Mark Turner …

Mario Castro Quintet with Strings – ‘Estrella de Mar’

I had reservations at first. Any album that integrates a string section must do so with care. Are the strings the main attraction? An accent? A layer of a greater …

Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge – ‘Close to Picture’ EP (Download)

One of the best kept secrets of jazz today is how everyone in Punch Brothers is masquerading as a bluegrass musician. Oh, sure, they claim that they play bluegrass and …

“Paranoid Android”, “Granada”, and “Convalescent”: A Look at Brad Mehldau

Brad Mehldau is certainly one of the most influential pianists, and probably one of the most influential musicians on any instrument, of his generation. His solo piano and piano trio …

Once, Twice, Eight Times a (Golden) Lady – Eight Versions of Stevie Wonder’s “Golden Lady”

Among pop music writers, Stevie Wonder’s tunes are definitely some of the most often-covered by jazz musicians, and it’s not for nothing – they’re great tunes. I’ve looked at a …

Mark Guiliana – ‘Beat Music: The Los Angeles Improvisations’ (Streams)

Looking on the other side of the coin, as we announced earlier this week, drummer Mark Guiliana is releasing a pair of albums on September 2– the personal My Life …

Our Favorites of 2014 So Far

As we have reached a little bit past the halfway point of the year, it’s about that time to look back on some of the releases of 2014 and highlight …

Montara: A Critical Analysis of Covers

Vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson’s 1975 album Montara is named for the town in California where Hutcherson lives just south of San Francisco. That helps to explain the sunny, vibe-y feel of …

Juan Pastor – ‘Chinchano’ (Album Review)

I heard a lot about Juan Pastor before I got a chance to finally hear his music. After listening to Chinchano, I can totally understand why he’s a favorite to …

Daniel Freedman’s “All Brothers” and Robert Glasper’s “G&B”

This time around I’ll look at a few different versions of some contemporary tunes, rather than older tunes. The first tune I’ll look at is Daniel Freedman’s “All Brothers,” off …

Meditations on Art of Cool Fest 2014

Recently, a fellow bar patron and photographer friend of mine said on Facebook that photographers should follow the Prime Directive– the guiding principle of Starfleet wherein one should not interfere …

Art of Cool Fest 2014 – The Rundown

Last weekend, the first ever Art of Cool Festival took Durham, North Carolina, by storm (in addition to an actual storm), marking a first ever event of this kind in …

JJA Talking Jazz Webinar: New Online Jazz Publications

Some time ago, Howard Mandel of the Jazz Journalists Association asked me to speak on a panel online as part of their ongoing Talking Jazz webinar series to speak about …

Pink Ride – ‘EP’

Back in the days when I was a teenager1, before I had status and before I had a lovely smartphone with physical keys, keyboardist Dylan Maida was a kid from …

Meditations on SXSW 2014

I spent months planning–organizing and promoting the Nextbop/Art of Cool day party, my own schedule of what I’d see, connecting with friends with whom I’d stay & my travel companion, …

Isotope: A Critical Analysis of Covers

Like Stanley Cowell, Joe Henderson is a fantastic musician who is somewhat overshadowed by his peers. The giants of saxophone – Coltrane, Rollins, Shorter – are rightly considered masters of …

Franklin Kiermyer – ‘Further’

There are times when I receive some odd, angular, challenging album and find it so off-putting it’s downright unlikeable. I find it to be some sort of problem with jazz– …

Gingerbread Boy: A Critical Analysis of Covers

“Gingerbread Boy” is a tune written by saxophone player Jimmy Heath that was played fairly heavily following its first appearance, then underwent some big changes up to the present day. …

InTheWoods – ‘Places’ (Album Review)

Anyone who decides to play the bassoon, I generally either ignore outright (sort of like my bias against the clarinet) or am so impressed that the boldness of the instrument …

Stan Douglas – Luanda-Kinshasa (Video) / Miles Davis ‘On The Corner’

Take it back to the early 1970s. Miles Davis has assembled a band of top-notch musicians to record a funky, in-the-pocket groove while he improvised over the top of it. …

Mehliana – “Just Call Me Nige (Live)” (Video)

The superduo of Brad Mehldau, likely one of the most influential jazz pianists of our time, and Mark Guiliana, hands down one of the best drummers around, are soon to …

Nextbop’s Favorite Jazz Albums of 2013, #9-1

As we reach the end of another season of year-end lists, I still find it just as difficult to find some thread to move through this year as when I …

Nextbop’s Favorite Jazz Albums of 2013, #20-12

One major reason why I so enjoy this time at the end of the year is not only to reassess what this past year has looked like musically, not only …

Nextbop’s Favorite Everything Else Albums of 2013, #10-1

I spent quite a while looking through our staff list to find some sort of theme for the music we liked this year, but try as I might, there was …

Nextbop’s Favorite Everything Else Albums of 2013, #18-12

The Everything Else lists don’t get nearly as much web traffic as our jazz lists do. Of course, this makes sense– this is a jazz and fringe jazz website. People …

Linus and Lucy: A Critical Analysis of Covers

‘Tis the season. You’ve heard it a million times, and damn if it isn’t one of the catchiest jazz melodies out there. Maybe this isn’t the most “sophisticated” or “advanced” …

Jitterbug Waltz: A Critical Analysis of Covers

“Jitterbug Waltz” is a tune from Fats Waller written (I am told by wikipedia) in 1942 and released as a 78 rpm single. On that single, Waller opens the tune …

Speak Like a Child: A Critical Analysis of Covers

Like ”I Have a Dream,” Herbie Hancock brought “Speak Like a Child” to the Miles Davis Quintet, unfortunately without ever recording a finished take. The rehearsals of this tune have …

Hey Joe: A Critical Analysis of Covers

This one probably doesn’t need much of an introduction. “Hey Joe” showed up on Hendrix’s 1966 The Jimi Hendrix Experience, though Wikipedia tells us that the song was registered for …

The Bad Plus Have An Elegant Adventure in Austin

It had been raining quite a bit in Austin lately. For much of September, really, South Texas had been getting some much needed rain to replenish the Edwards Aquifer and …

Flying Lotus: Electronic Jazz

Jazz artists covering non-jazz tunes is nothing new – John Coltrane doing “My Favorite Things,” Wes Montgomery, Soulive, Brad Mehldau, and countless others covering the Beatles’ catalog, The Bad Plus …

Blue Pepper: A Critical Analysis of Covers

The Far East Suite, recorded in 1966, is a highlight of the latter part of Duke Ellington’s career, written using the… mid-east… as an inspiration (with the exception of “Ad …

Green Chimneys: A Critical Analysis of Covers

After looking at an early Monk composition, ”Shuffle Boil,” and more recently at Freddie Hubbard’s “Red Clay,” I’ll look at another color-themed song from Monk this time around, Thelonious Monk’s …

Moontrane: A Critical Analysis of Covers

Woody Shaw’s “Moontrane” is a great tune by a great composer and musician. Why isn’t this song and this musician more heralded? I suppose because Shaw is a trumpet player …

“Wig Wise”: A Critical Analysis of Covers

“Wig Wise” first showed up on the amazing 1963 piano trio album Money Jungle, featuring Duke Ellington on piano, Charles Mingus on bass, and Max Roach on drums. To repeat: …

Who is @JazzIsTheWorst?

@JazzIsTheWorst might be the killingest jazz-related thing on the internet since jazz robots. It’s so killing, in fact, it has garnered followers such as Christian McBride, Nate Smith, and NPR’s …

The Rare “Shuffle Boil”: A Critical Analysis of Covers

Thelonious Monk is one of the most original pianists to have ever touched the keys. He was capable of making a song his own through his unique approach to the …

Countdown: A Critical Analysis of Covers

The next song I’ll write about is “Countdown,” the shortest song on John Coltrane’s Giant Steps album at just over 2 minutes long. “Countdown” is derived from Miles Davis’ “Tune-Up,” …

“Giant Steps” for Jazz Kind: A Critical Analysis of Covers

For my next essay, I’ll look at John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps.” Certainly not an obscure piece from an unknown performer’s catalog, but interesting in that (so far as I know) …

We Have a Dream: A Critical Analysis of Covers

A recent New York Times article by Andrew Bird described the way that a fragment of a melody that came into his head at an airport developed to become a …

For Your Consideration: Thundercat’s ‘Apocalypse’

It’s been two years since bassist Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner released his debut album on Steve “Flying Lotus” Ellison’s indie label Brainfeeder, The Golden Age of Apocalypse. In that time, Thundercat’s …

Meditations on SXSW 2013

As is customary for me when attending anything really, there are a lot of thoughts going through my head. This year’s South by SouthWest music festival in Austin, Texas, was …

No More “Is Jazz Dead?”

For 2013, I hope not to hear any “jazz is dead” arguments. The past few years have been rife with them, from systemic looks at the decline of the popularity …

Telegram to Jazz

Dear Jazz, STOP Ease up some. STOP. Your tendency to wear your heart on your sleeve at every shirk and insult has gotten off-putting. STOP. Every negative comment about you …

Jazz Is Dead, Long Live Jazz?

No, this essay isn’t going to be another essay about the death of jazz. Rather, my title is meant to show the conflict, seemingly unending, that goes on in the …

Don’t Be Afraid, The Clown’s Afraid Too

When was the last time you heard a record that could barely hold it together? A record made by musicians who hated each other, or hadn’t showed for the rehearsals, …

Introducing the Remi Panossian Trio (EPK)

Somehow stumbled on this Remi Panossian EPK. The young (everything’s relative, lol, he’s about 30) pianist hailing from Montpellier, France, is about to drop his sophomore album with acolytes Maxime …

The Best Jazz Albums of 2012: #10-1

By the circumstances of our calendar, we culturally use the transition into the new year as a time to reflect. We reflect on how we have grown as people, about …

The Best Jazz Albums of 2012: #25*-11

This has been a particularly strong year for music. I feel like I’ve been saying it more and more but do you remember how you felt at the beginning of …

The Best Non-Jazz Albums of 2012: #10*-1

To be honest, these are the top ten non-jazz albums as voted by our staff, but since ties are a habit with this year’s lists, we’re going to start things …

The Best Non-Jazz Albums of 2012: #25*-11

I’ve always loved the collective of voices we have here at Nextbop. This international group of talents has always been a sort of inspiration to me, shining a light on …

An Interview with John Raymond

I’ve been a fan of up-and-coming trumpet player John Raymond for a while now, pretty much ever since he became a Nextbop artist. Recently, I had the opportunity to interview …

For Your Consideration: Kurt Rosenwinkel’s ‘Star of Jupiter’

Kurt Rosenwinkel doesn’t raise much of a ruckus. In fact, the last ruckus I remember him raising was a Facebook plea with musicians to stop raising ruckuses and get on …

(Free Download) Label Love Vol. 5 – Jazz Edition Compilation

The Label Love compilations always seem to come correct but their latest one is so squarely in the pocket. The collective made up of various music labels like Tru Thoughts, …

Yaron Herman Gives a TED Talk

Take a moment and get a piano lesson from Yaron Herman in the format where everyone seems to be learning stuff lately, TED Talks. Herman addressed the TEDxHelvetia Conference recently, …

Jazz Gallery Director Rio Sakairi Produces Benefit Album For Disaster Close to ‘Home’

It is with great honor that I wrote the biography for this project. Please take a moment to read about it and support. We can make a difference. — Angelika …

For Your Consideration: ERIMAJ’s ‘Conflict of a Man’

Houston-native drummer Jamire Williams gets around a lot. He’s part of Christian Scott’s quintet. He’s part of legendary organist Dr. Lonnie Smith’s current trio. He’s head of his own group, …

Marcus Miller: Suspending the Rules (Interview)

As Marcus Miller catches me up on a major project he’d been working on over the last couple years, he stops mid-sentence to give me some background, humbly explaining, “I …

Kassa Overall: Jazz, Hip Hop, Whatever Works, Just Let It Be

Kassa Overall stays busy. When the both of us could finally find the time to interview over the phone (mostly my fault over the past few months 1, but the …

Orrin Evans Releases ‘Flip the Script’

At an impressive nineteen albums in, pianist Orrin Evans sets out to do exactly as the title of his latest suggests. Flip The Script (Posi-Tone), out this month, refers not …

Gilad Hekselman – “March of the Sad Ones” and “The Bucket Kicker” (Video)

In a stop in Aalborg, Denmark, this past May, here’s video of an intimate performance of Gilad Hekselman’s yet unreleased compositon, “March of the Sad Ones”, and “The Bucket Kicker” …

The Stanley Clarke Band Does Jazz Right at the Carver

Stanley Clarke is able to bring out an interesting cross section of folks. I personally attended the Stanley Clarke Band’s June 2 performance at the Jo Long Theater of San …

The Modern Standard: What Is It?

Inspired by spring’s indecisiveness a couple weeks ago, I decided not to brave the wind and rain this particular day, but to do some season-inspired cleaning instead. Thumbing through my …

For Your Consideration: Esperanza Spalding’s ‘Radio Music Society’

A couple of weeks back I wrote up a capsule review for the San Antonio Current–the prototypical alternative weekly in town –on Esperanza Spalding’s latest record Radio Music Society. You …

Gil Scott-Heron’s ‘Last Holiday’

“One of the things that was evident to me way back when I’d gotten into John Coltrane’s music was that you had to keep reaching. I think when you stop …

How Do We Solve a Problem Like BBNG?

Most times when you see me, I will be wearing a hat. I don’t have nearly as many as I’d like, but I certainly have quite a few. Lately, I’ve …

Nicholas Payton Is Chillin’ On Our Nutz: How One Musician Misrepresented the Facts And Bullied the Jazz Narrative Off Course

Author’s Note: This is my last feature-length piece as a staff writer for Nextbop before taking an extended break from jazz. Payton’s Black American Music, or BAM, has been a …