Misterioso

Eric Boeren: All Ellington and 4Tet at the 30th TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival

By Laurence Svirchev, on June 7th, 2015

At the 2010 Vancouver Festival, Eric Boeren’s 4Tet of Michael Moore (reeds), Wilbert deJoode (bass), and Han Bennink (drums) glided through an early Ornette Coleman (1930-2015) repertoire segmented into six pieces. Each piece contained multiple compositions and interpretations that made the difficult music seem as easy to execute as understanding the elegant explanation . . . → Read More: Eric Boeren: All Ellington and 4Tet at the 30th TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival

Book Review: Jazz Child, A Portrait of Sheila Jordan by Ellen Johnson

By Laurence Svirchev, on March 1st, 2015

Special Notice: Sheila Jordan and Cameron Brown in Concert on Tuesday March 3 at the Ironworks, Vancouver, sponsored by the Coastal Jazz & Blues Society: http://www.coastaljazz.ca/sheila_jordan_and_cameron_brown

On August 27, 1962 a thirty-four year old Sheila Jordan stepped into Riverside’s New York Studio for the recording session of composer/pianist George Russell’s . . . → Read More: Book Review: Jazz Child, A Portrait of Sheila Jordan by Ellen Johnson

TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival Concert Review: John Korsrud’s Hard Rubber Orchestra June 20, 2014 Part I

By Laurence Svirchev, on September 9th, 2014

In an exemplary display of programming fortitude, the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival began its with a musical equivalent of the Big Bang: the opening set at Performance Works with 20 musicians in John Korsrud’s Hard Rubber Orchestra followed by 17 musicians in Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society. The Hard Rubber Orchestra played . . . → Read More: TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival Concert Review: John Korsrud’s Hard Rubber Orchestra June 20, 2014 Part I

Commentary & Book Review: Arrivals/Departures – New Horizons in Jazz

By Laurence Svirchev, on August 4th, 2014

Essays by Stuart Broomer, Brian Morton, and Bill Shoemaker about Musicians

Appearing at Jazz em Agosto 1984-2012

Publisher: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon Portugal, www. musica.gulbenkian.pt/jazz

Becoming Knowledgeable about Jazz

Becoming knowledgeable about jazz is a sly proposition. You have to hear . . . → Read More: Commentary & Book Review: Arrivals/Departures – New Horizons in Jazz

Looking for Carl

By Laurence Svirchev, on June 20th, 2014

There are times when we wish for what could be and mourn for what is lost. It takes time to become reconciled with the loss of a person who so personified the spirit of making the music come alive. When we lose an important person in our lives, their memory lingers on so strongly that . . . → Read More: Looking for Carl

The Roots of the Blues: Randy Weston & Billy Harper

By Laurence Svirchev, on April 14th, 2014

An Essay on Randy Weston and Billy Harper’s Roots of the Blues, a CD on SunnysideRecords.com

by Laurence Svirchev

To get an idea of the breadth and depth of Roots of the Blues, take a look at a map of Africa. Geographically, the compositions cover the rivers Nile and . . . → Read More: The Roots of the Blues: Randy Weston & Billy Harper

“ZEP TEPI” Randy Weston and His African Rhythms Trio (2006): CD Review and Commentary:

By Laurence Svirchev, on October 5th, 2013

©Laurence Svirchev

With Zep Tepi Randy Weston demonstrates why he continues to be one of the elite musicians of the international stage. He has seen every change in the jazz world from the end of the swing and big band era, right through the be-bop period and the periods of free . . . → Read More: “ZEP TEPI” Randy Weston and His African Rhythms Trio (2006): CD Review and Commentary:

CD Review: Dortmund Variations, Evan Parker & Georg Graewe

By Laurence Svirchev, on September 22nd, 2013

Dortmund Variations is a recording of a 2010 improvised concert between Evan Parker and Georg Graewe in Dortmund, Germany. In three spontaneous compositions, simply titled Dortmund Variation 1, II, and III, Parker and Graewe’s music-making is a series of immaculately-conceived preternatural confluences. Their communication at a . . . → Read More: CD Review: Dortmund Variations, Evan Parker & Georg Graewe

Concert review: Benoît Delbecq-François Houle-Marc Ducret TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival 2012

By Laurence Svirchev, on February 14th, 2013

Benoît Delbecq delivered his introduction to the trio gig with his usual charm, grace, and wit through his huge handsome smile by recounting his history of working with François Houle and Marc Ducret. But never before had they played as a trio. When he told the Iron Works audience it . . . → Read More: Concert review: Benoît Delbecq-François Houle-Marc Ducret TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival 2012

The Curious Story of “Kojo no Tsuki” -or- Thelonious Monk & “Japanese Folk Song”

By Laurence Svirchev, on December 27th, 2012

We were sitting at the dinner table when the cell phone alert started playing “Japanese Folk Song” by Thelonious Sphere Monk. ChengYing laughed and said, “Why do you have that Japanese movie music on your mobile phone”? I could only answer, “Huh? Monk doing movie music? It’s just a . . . → Read More: The Curious Story of “Kojo no Tsuki” -or- Thelonious Monk & “Japanese Folk Song”