Jazz

Jazz Critic Kevin Whitehead reviews "Shades," the new album by pianist Andrew Hill.

Jazz Critic Kevin Whitehead will review the new album by drummer Marvin "Smitty" Smith.

Jazz Critic Kevin Whitehead will review a reissue of the 1959 album, "Ellington Jazz Party." His review includes a discussion of the controversial biography of Duke Ellington by James Lincoln Collier, controversial because Collier alleges that true credit for many of Ellington's most famous tunes belongs to his band members.

Jazz Critic Kevin Whitehead will review a new album by clarinetist Bill Easley, and discuss the apparent resurgence of the instrument.

Jazz Critic Francis Davis will review "Birth of a Notion," the first album by Shadow Vignettes, a 25-member ensemble, led by Chicago-based saxophonist and composer Edward Wilkerson.

Few people are familiar with the Canadian guitarist, who doesn't often record. After listening to Greenwich's new, Coltrane-inspired album, jazz critic Francis Davis hopes he's resurfaced for good.

Jazz critic Francis Davis says John Carter's new album, Dance of the Love Ghosts, is both experimental and structurally sound; each "electrifying" track needs to be heard in its entirety.

The members of Sphere are heavily influenced by Thelonious Monk; some of them even performed with him. Jazz critic Francis Davis says their original compositions fall short of Monk's tunes, but the musicians' individual solos are outstanding.

Jazz critic Francis Davis reviews a 7-LP box set, The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz, which was just reissued with additional tracks. He says the selections, curated by fellow critic Martin Williams, are essential but predictable, and often dismissive of more forward-looking artists.

Only in his mid-thirties, Scott Turre is already a seasoned musician. Jazz critic Francis Davis says his latest album features Turre's newfound maturity as a soloist and arranger.