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JD Allen

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Favorite Sessions

JD Allen Lets It 'Shine'

WBGO

July 7, 2009 • In this session, saxophonist JD Allen performs songs from Shine, his second consecutive trio recording featuring bassist Gregg August and drummer Rudy Royston. The songs all feature Allen's calling card: a forceful tenor saxophone that blows mightily.

JD Allen Performs In Studio For WBGO 7/07/09

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Take Five's Top 10 Jazz Records Of 2009

Vijay Iyer. Jimmy Katz hide caption

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Jimmy Katz

The Best Music Of 2009

Take Five's Top 10 Jazz Records Of 2009

December 6, 2009 • Looking back on the year in jazz, much of the focus naturally falls on young talents such as Vijay Iyer. Still, some of 2009's key records also evoked bygone jazz eras with such creativity that they might signal a new wave of New Orleans and Brazilian jazz.

First Listen: JD Allen Trio, 'Victory!'

JD Allen's new album, Victory!, comes out May 17. Crush Boone/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Crush Boone/Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: JD Allen Trio, 'Victory!'

May 8, 2011 • If you poke around enough, you can find the story of saxophonist JD Allen's internal demons, and the way he's triumphed over them to start a family and a moderately stable career in jazz. For many, though, his band's short, sweet, swinging music is winning enough on its own.

JD Allen Trio: Newport Jazz 2010

Erik Jacobs/NPR

Newport Jazz Festival

JD Allen Trio: Newport Jazz 2010

GBH

February 15, 2011 • The tenor saxophonist writes compact little themes that sound like they were plucked from the choicest parts of classic solos. Then he gives them to his trio, which swings like nobody's business.

JD Allen Trio: Newport Jazz 2010

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JD Allen Trio: Live In Denver

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Frank Stewart/courtesy of the artist

Toast Of The Nation

JD Allen Trio: Live In Denver

January 4, 2011 • The great saxophonist was introduced as "John D. Allen" on Toast of the Nation 1994. This year's broadcast features Allen as the leader of his own hard-charging trio, with special guests Ron Miles on cornet and Henry Butler on piano.

JD Allen Trio in Concert

28:30

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JD Allen Trio: Live At The Village Vanguard

JD Allen. John Rogers for NPR/johnrogersnyc.com hide caption

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John Rogers for NPR/johnrogersnyc.com

Live At The Village Vanguard

JD Allen Trio: Live At The Village Vanguard

WBGO

August 12, 2009 • The first album recorded live at the Vanguard was made in 1956. Noisy but soothing, simple but dense, tenor saxophonist J.D. Allen's trio is primed to confront jazz history's shadow on its home turf.

JD Allen Trio Live from The Village Vanguard 08/12/2009

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