Kevin Whitehead

Kevin Whitehead appears in the following:

Pianist Fred Hersch Scales Up The Intimacy On 'Begin Again'

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Hersch often works in small settings, either as a piano soloist, or in a duo or trio. But he amplifies his message on his latest album by teaming up with Germany's WDR Big Band.

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'The Balance': Abdullah Ibrahim Is Deeply Rooted Yet Sounds Like No One Else

Tuesday, August 06, 2019

The latest album from the 84-year-old South African composer and pianist showcases his work as a master composer of melodic mood pieces.

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'Jazz From Detroit' Offers A Mosaic Portrait Of A Larger Scene

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Mark Stryker covered jazz and its people for the Detroit Free Press for decades. He uses his reporter's eye and critic's ear to chronicle the musicians from the city who made their mark on the world.

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Pianist George Cables Is Both Carefree And All Business On 'I'm All Smiles'

Tuesday, July 02, 2019

Cables, who's experienced severe health problems recently, makes a comeback on a new album with his trio. The pianist's solos on I'm All Smiles reveal a deep sense of groove — and a mind at work.

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Saxophonist Stan Getz Delivers A Barrelful Of Tenor On 'Getz At The Gate'

Monday, June 17, 2019

There's nothing dated about a new 2-disc album that revisits Getz's 1961 nightclub recording at New York's Village Gate. Listening to it now, it's hard to overstate what a terrific tenor he was.

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Drummer Jeff Williams Matches Good Players With The Right Tunes On 'Bloom'

Thursday, May 30, 2019

The songs on Williams' new album have easy-to-follow contours, forward motion, set-ups and payoffs — features soloists can work with. The end result is the sound of a plan coming together.

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Branford Marsalis Revels In Jazz's Timeless Challenges On New Album

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Saxophonist Marsalis has been leading a quartet for the last 20 years, with only one personnel change; their new album, The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul, shows they're still going strong.

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Jazz Film 'Bolden' Mixes Fact And Fiction To Capture A Legendary Bandleader

Friday, May 10, 2019

Dan Pritzker's new film tells the story of Charles "Buddy" Bolden, a mythic jazz hero who burned so bright he burned himself out. Though striking and stylish, Bolden loses its grip in the final act.

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Herlin Riley's Swinging, Modern Style Shines On 'Perpetual Optimism'

Monday, April 22, 2019

The New Orleans drummer produces jazz with its own distinct character on his new album. Critic Kevin Whitehead says Perpetual Optimism is marked by Riley's upbeat nature and attention to detail.

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Jazz Trumpeter Tom Harrell Proves To Be A Thinking Person's Soloist On 'Infinity'

Monday, April 15, 2019

Group chemistry and deft composing make Harrell's new album a polished, inventive album that's worth checking out. Critic Kevin Whitehead says it's "really, really good."

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Betty Carter Concert Recording Captures The Singer At The Top Of Her Game

Tuesday, April 02, 2019

Carter had a late-career renaissance when she performed for New York's Jazz at Lincoln Center in 1992. Critic Kevin Whitehead says the recording showcases how much feeling Carter put in her singing.

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Pianists Born 100 Years Ago Prove: There's No One Way To Play Jazz

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Both Lennie Tristano and Herbie Nichols were active on the New York scene in the 1950s. Though worlds apart stylistically, their music demonstrates how the piano accommodates myriad personalities.

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Trumpeter Steph Richards Follows Her Horn's Lead On 'Take The Neon Lights'

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Richards is a musician who's attuned to her instrument's idiosyncrasies and pet sounds. On her new album, she's helped along by the collective sound environment created by her quartet.

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All The Parts Fit Together Like Clockwork On Allison Miller's 'Glitter Wolf'

Thursday, February 28, 2019

Miller's band, the sextet Boom Tic Boom, keep good time — and appear to have a good time — on their new album. "You can hear how much her crew enjoy playing this music," critic Kevin Whitehead says.

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'Newest Sound You Never Heard' Revisits The Music Of Jeanne Lee And Ran Blake

Monday, February 18, 2019

Lee, one of the premier singers of new jazz, mixes it up with pianist Blake on a newly reissued two-CD set featuring standards and straight-up jazz tunes the two recorded in Belgium in 1966 and '67.

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Line Between Good And Bad Taste Blurs On Oscar Peterson's 'Motions & Emotions'

Thursday, January 31, 2019

A 50-year old album by pianist Oscar Peterson and a studio orchestra has been reissued by the German label MPS. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead confesses to having mixed feelings about it.

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Eric Dolphy's 'Musical Prophet' Reissue Is Both Adventurous And Catchy

Friday, January 25, 2019

Seven months before his 1964 masterwork Out to Lunch! Dolphy recorded a pair of sessions with producer Alan Douglas. Critic Kevin Whitehead says this reissue is long overdue.

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2 New Albums Confirm Thelonious Monk's Genius As A Composer

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews two new interpretations of Monk's complete works: Monk's Dreams, by pianist Frank Kimbrough, and Work, by guitarist Miles Okazaki.

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Celebrating The Lives Of 6 Jazz Greats Who Died In 2018

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead remembers the musical contributions of Hugh Masekela, Jerry González, Roy Hargrove, Buell Neidlinger, Randy Weston and Vancouver Jazz Festival founder Ken Pickering.

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Jazz Pianist Kenny Werner Shines As A Solo Act In 'The Space'

Tuesday, December 04, 2018

Werner named his new album after his state of mind when he's improvising. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says Werner's piano sings with the voice of experience.

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