THIS MONTH OF LENT WE
BRING YOU BACK TO THE BLUES!
“THE GROOVE”
INTERVIEWS WITH THE ONE AND ONLY BOBBY RUSH WITH KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD
AS WELL AS A CHAT WITH
ZZ WARD
COVER EVERY SHADE OF BLUES
IN THE “INTERVIEW”
SECTION
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CLARINETIST KINAN AZMEH BRINGS
EXOTIC TONES AND MELODIES IN A JAZZ SETTING
IN THIS EXCITING “LIVE” RECORDING
https://kinanazmeh.com/kinan-azmehs-cityband/
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CHECK OUT THIS SIZZLING LATIN JAZZ GUITAR BY
RICHARD PENA:
https://www.richardpenamusic.com/the-latin-side-of-jazz-guitar
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RELEASES A PAIR OF SOULFUL DISCUSSIONS.
DIG IN DEEPLY!
https://tomteasleymusic.bandcamp.com/
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BRAZILIAN VOCALIST BIANCA ROSSINI
STRETCHES HERE WINGS AND FLIES ON HER LATEST RELEASE:
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CHECK OUT THIS SWINGING BIG BAND ALBUM BY
VOCALIST ROBIN SIMONE,
WHO WILL BE APPEARING FEB 6 AT
VIBRATO GRILL IN LA.
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SWINGING REEDS ARE FEATURED ON THIS HIP NEW RELEASE
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LENT, EASTER, PURIM AND THE NEED FOR SEASONS
Don’t you feel Spring already?
My middle school and high school students sure do!
I can tell when the seasons change, and the kids in my classes start getting completely antsy, the guys start discovering girls (and vice versa) and everyone has SPRING FEVER
This is how life is supposed to be.
For those religious minded (and EVERYONE is religious, that’s how we were created), the month of March reminds us of key historical events. Ash Wednesday begins Lent, the 40 day count off until Easter, where Christians begin preparing their souls for Palm Sunday, Easter and eventually Pentecost and Ascension Day. These events have been going on for thousands of years. It makes you feel like you’re part of a process of history.
Going back even further is Purim, the Jewish celebration, as recorded in the book of Esther. Once again, it is festivals like this that make us realize that we are part of a continuum, part of God’s unfolding story. This is not all there is, and aren’t you glad!?!?
For those of other religious values, there is always baseball’s spring training, where the pilgrims get ready for another season, going back about 150 years. Oh, boy, were tickets cheaper then!
The point is that no matter how hard we try in this computerized, mechanized age, you can’t change the natural seasons of life. The year has cycles, politics has cycles, our lives have cycles, growing and pruning plants and trees have their cycles. None of this can be rushed, and that is the joy of it.
We cannot alter the God ordained order of things.
This applies to music as well
No matter how hard we try to find shortcuts, nothing beats intonation, tone, clarity, melody, rhythm and pitch. No one has created a replacement for long tones, repeating a piece over and over again slowly until you get it down, and memorizing a melody perfectly, lyrics included.
That is why we love music-we know there is no way to “cheat” the system.
This month we have interviews with artists who have learned the blues the only way possible, by living them. This is why we believe certain artists and don’t believe others. It’s like picking out fruits and vegetables-you can tell which ones are organic.
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WE GET EMAILS:
George, thank you so much man! I really appreciate the stellar review, and your support for the Jazz Community as a whole! I know you listen to a lot of Jazz, so it really means a lot to me that you recognize how fresh what I’m going for is.
All the best,
Dear George,
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George,
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the GREAT write-up!
THE BEST TO YOU!!
John Klemmer
Hey George,
That’s a really terrific review, and it has your trademark insight, verve, and imagery. Thanks so much, man, for digging in to the music so deeply.
All best,
Denny Zeitlin