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Remembering All About Jazz's Dave Binder / John Kelman

Courtesy Rosemary Hancock
If you have a story that you would like to share about John / Dave, email it to us or post it in the comments section below.
Ian Patterson

John was my editor when I began writing for All About Jazz in 2006. He was thorough and even-handed, praising when merited and dishing out tough love when it was equally deserved. He instilled in me the idea that anything less than my best effort was a waste of time.
I had the great pleasure to meet John at the Penang Island Jazz Festival, Malaysia, in 2011. As keynote speaker John gave a presentation about the interweaving of musical cultures that has grown with the ECM labela label nobody knew better than John. His attention to detail, his enthusiasm and his incredible knowledge were inspiring, but it was also great to get to know him as a person. He was warm, open-minded and easy to get along with. We would Skype each other periodically thereafter, and our chats revealed a man of many interests and great humor.
When editing became too much for John, taking up too much of his cherished writing time I stepped into the breach, in turn editing his own writing. And boy could he write! Has anybody anywhere written more on the annual Punkt Festival in Norway than John Kelman? Or about Norwegian jazz in general? His refusal to take the short cuts never ceased to amaze me. Check out his review of Dutch guitarist

Jan Akkerman
guitarb.1946

Robert Fripp
guitarb.1946
I will miss chatting with John about North American and Irish politics and music of all stripes. I will miss his reviews of ECM albums, which were always on the money. I might not miss editing some of his longer submissions, but I am sure he would forgive me for that admission! Rest in peace, John. And thanks.
Alan Bryson


Lenny Breau
guitar1941 - 1984
A little bit of time passed and I interviewed with the band, The Ringers, that had three guitarists' guitarists out front:

Michael Landau
guitar
Wayne Krantz
guitar, electric
Jimmy Herring
guitarb.1962
John was funny, articulate, engaging, and insightfulwhat a blast it was to speak with him. I told him he should be doing radio, he laughed and said, "

John McLaughlin
guitarb.1942
You can listen to our conversation below (in the video section.
Nenad Georgievski

Chris May

Duncan Heining


Nils Petter Molvaer
trumpetb.1960

Charlie Haden
bass, acoustic1937 - 2014

Karin Krog
vocalsb.1937

Tom Harrell
trumpetb.1946

George Russell
composer / conductor1923 - 2009
Bruce Lindsay


King Crimson
band / ensemble / orchestrab.1969
Joseph Vella


Lyle Mays
keyboards1953 - 2020
John was the very first journalist to receive Lyle's (Grammy winning) final track. So, it was fitting that we took one of John's beautiful quotes from his review and posted it on Lyle's website when we announced its release (and John's quote still remains front and center on Lyle's site). I will never forget how honored John was that we used his quote.
From that moment on, we were fast friends and having lengthy Zoom conversations (since it was during the pandemic period) not only about Lyle and the Pat Metheny Group but also ECM recordings in general. Those conversations went beyond the recordings themselves and into deeper analysis and discussions about being a music professional and the state of the scene, et al. It was in these discussions where John revealed his ongoing health issues to me.
As hard as it got for him during the ups and downs, I always found that asking him about a delicious ECM album would offer a little window of relief whereby he could go off talking about something that clearly moved him into another zone where his illness was not allowed to be included. One such album that I recall we discussed in great depth was John Abercrombie's Characters from 1978. I can't listen to the album without remembering the masterclass he gave me about the recording. In fact, this album was the subject of a Rediscovery article John contributed to AAJ in 2015. Give it a read for John's ECM and journalistic chops are on full display.
Thank you, John Kelman!
Karl Ackermann

Fiona Ord-Shrimpton

Kurt Ellenberger

Jakob Baekgaard

Michael Ricci once aptly referred to his effort as a music writer as "herculean." The amount of writing and listening he did was awe-inspiring, almost incomprehensible considering the high quality and thoroughness of his articles. In the end, he had to slow down because of illness, but as late as 2023, he posted an impressively detailed best of 2023 list that spoke volumes about his dedication to and love of music.
It was a love he passed on through his writing, and he had a style that was his own. His musical expertise was acknowledged by ECM, the label he knew so much about, but his tastes and knowledge were wide and deep, and many labels and musicians benefitted from his musical observations.
He excelled in any genre of music writing, but his reviews were especially impressive. A review is an ephemeral genre, but John's reviews remain the gold standard, closer to liner notes or an essay than a quick assessment.
Although he had a sharp analytical mind, his humanity shone through in the things he wrote and through his work you got a sense of his personality, a generous and dedicated person. Tellingly, John acknowledged all the things All About Jazz gave him, but it's hard to find another person who gave more to All About Jazz than John. He will be missed, but not forgotten.
Phillip Woolever

Victor L. Schermer

I never understood why he decided to have a pseudonym and sometimes wondered if he led a completely different life somewhere that we didn't know about. John (aka Dave), it was great to know you, and to be enriched by your understanding and analysis of the music.
C. Michael Bailey

Glenn Astarita

Through his words, Dave painted vivid portraits of the music's legends and rising stars. His reviews offered a captivating blend of knowledge and enthusiasm, transporting readers to the heart of the performance.
Dave's passion for jazz extended far beyond the written word. He was undoubtedly a champion for the genre, tirelessly promoting its rich history and captivating sounds.
All About Jazz will feel the absence of Dave's singular voice. But his legacy lives on in the countless articles that continue to inspire and educate. We offer our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.
Rest in peace, Dave. You will be deeply missed.
Jerome Wilson

Mark Sullivan


Soft Machine
band / ensemble / orchestrab.1966
Edward Blanco

Dave Kaufman

Dan Bilawsky

On a personal note, I can honestly say there's no one who was kinder or more helpful to me when I was trying to get my writing together relatively early on. His patience, editorial hand and guidance were invaluable. Prior to coming aboard at AAJ, I was pretty green. John essentially took me under his wing and helped me polish my prose and stretch to try to reach my potential. He always had helpful suggestions, making it clear when it was necessary to go granular or, conversely, when it didn't make sense to get into the weeds. John offered some great challenges"Why don't you try to write an album review where you don't actually mention any of the songs" is one that readily springs to mindand they always helped me grow.
No question was off limits with John. Whether I asked for a Nils Petter Molv?r album recommendation, how to go about some aspect of writing a press release, or simply wanted advice on a camera lens, he always took the time to share his knowledge and provide encouragement. I owe John a debt of gratitude. We never had the chance to meet in personour paths only crossed on the interwebs over the yearsbut I still felt like he was a steady presence, always right (t)here.
My condolences to John's wife, Rio; his friends, who numbered many; and all of the musicians and musical community members he so deeply loved... who loved him back. R.I.P. John.
Geno Thackara

Doug Collette

Robert Middleton

John wasn't just a reviewer he was a jazz journalist. I've never read more in-depth reviews than John's. Most were long, detailed, insightful, educational, and fun to read.
It was clear that John rarely wrote a review of an album he didn't like. He was very picky in his tastes. He not only knew what he liked, but he could tell you exactly why he liked it. It was very common for John to give albums 4 ? or 5-star reviews. After reading those reviews, I would get the album and listen even more closely to hear what John had heard.
He once told me that he didn't start writing a review until he had listened to the album at least four times (it may have been more!). He not only wrote in-depth about each album but also compared it to other albums by that artist or other artists, and commented about the talents and history of the sidemen. Each review was a mini-seminar on jazz. His knowledge of jazz wasn't just deep; it was vast.
John and his wonderful, passionate writing about jazz will be sorely missed. The only consolation is that his more than 2,800 articles published by All About Jazz can still be found on the site. Look 'em up today!
Long live, John Kelman!
Chuck Koton

Sammy Stein


Barb Jungr
vocalsb.1954

Davey Payne
saxophoneb.1944

Daniel Bennett
saxophoneb.1979

Peter Brötzmann
woodwinds1941 - 2023
John published articles that would normally not find a home, using Scumbles as the vehicle. He told me he had faith in my writing, understood what motivated me, and would support that. It was incredibly encouraging.
My point is that Dave Binder/John Kelman took a chance on an unknown writer and allowed me freedom while supporting my stumbling steps into music journalism. He was brave enough to take a chance and saw the potential that at the time I could not. I also realized a few years later that John had me confused with another successful writer in the beginningsomething I shall forever be grateful for. If he ever realized it, he said nothing and continued to support my work for AAJ. People like John come around every so often and somehow know how to offer consistent support without pushing and his vision for AAJ struck me as one that not only saw the platform growing but also supporting a huge array of music-related areas. I think he succeeded.
Mike Jacobs

Joshua Weiner

Matt Hooke

John was also an incredibly prolific writer. He will be missed. I wish I had a chance to meet him in person and tell him how important he was to me and countless other writers that he inspired. Before he passed, he was working on a book on King Crimson, combining his countless All About Jazz stories and other reporting. I look forward to reading it once it's released.
Esther Berlanga-Ryan

Jeff Fitzgerald, Genius

But I digress.
I expected pushback. I expected a thousand furrowed brows, castigating me for daring to dust the precious American institution of Jazz with a thick coat of silliness and irreverence. I did not expect those faces along AAJ's Mount Rushmore (including Michael Ricci, C. Michael Bailey, Carl Hager, and John Kelman), to laugh along with me.
John Kelman (a.k.a. Dave Binder, a.k.a. Pope Urban IX) particularly understood my underlying belief that to take anything too seriously is as much a crime against it as dismissing it entirely. As an editor, he deciphered my peculiar style and did not attempt to impose order on my jailbreak wordplay. In the simplest terms, he got me.
If my character voicethe Geniusis difficult, my regular self is even worse. I'm an introvert, a recluse; for most of the past 14 years, my sole form of communication with the outside world has been Facebook. John and I (and his wife/muse/crew chief Rio) have been friends for most of that time. We have followed each other's struggles with our vocations and avocations, our health issues, our enthusiasms and frustrations. I saw in him a kindred soul, a fighter, an obstinate cuss who'd never let his own human frailties win.
Though his body finally failed him, Dave did not lose. He has transitioned to the next world and rests in eternal comfort; he is survived in this frail mortal frame by his immense and immutable body of work, by the love and friendship he fostered, by the gift of self he gave without measure.
I will remember Dave with a jaunt through the ECM catalog and, in a manner befitting a Canadian, a pint of Molson. You may each remember him in your own preferred fashion, perhaps with some King Crimson about whom he elucidated with such brilliance that the band itself would have been inspired to write a 20-minute song about it which Dave would have then been compelled to write about even more brightly thus creating an infinite cycle of review/recording that would eventually culminate in a singularity whereby Robert Fripp would explode in an infinite cloud of verbs.
Rest well, Dave, and know that you left the music better than you found it.
Michael Bloom

Scott Bluebond
_Scott_Bluebond_and_Pat_Metheny.jpg)

Jeff Berlin
bass, electricb.1953

Jack Bruce
bass, acoustic1943 - 2014

Yes
band / ensemble / orchestra
Pat Metheny
guitarb.1954

Michael Brecker
saxophone, tenor1949 - 2007
James Hale

Turns out I had known him since about 1971, the year I saw him playing Allman Brothers Band covers with a young band that played at my high school.
Tags
AAJ Staff
Nenad Georgievski
Chris May
Duncan Heining
Bruce Lindsay
John Kelman
Dave Binder
Karl Ackermann
Joseph Vella
In Memoriam
Remembrance
Bill Bruford
Michael Ricci
Ian Patterson
Fiona Ord-Shrimpton
Kurt Ellenberger
Bill Milkowski
Jakob Baekgaard
Phillip Woolever
Victor L. Schermer
C. Michael Bailey
Glenn Astarita
Jerome Wilson
Mark Sullivan
Dave Kaufman
Dan Bilawsky
Geno Thackara
Doug Collette
Robert Middleton
Chuck Koton
Declan Colgan
Michael Bloom
Mike Jacobs
Sammy Stein
Alan Bryson
Deena McNichol
Big Band in the Sky
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