THIS YEAR MARKS THE 100TH BIRTHDAY OF JAZZ LEGEND, BASSIST, BAND LEADER, WRITER AND COMPOSER CHARLES MINGUS. IN CELEBRATION, THE VENERABLE 14 MEMBER CHARLES MINGUS BIG BAND HAS TAKEN UP RESIDENCY AT MANHATTAN’S DJANGO CLUB TO GIVE FULL BODIED RENDITIONS OF THE…
Category: Interviews
MARK LETTIERI: KEEPING MUSIC FRESH
ARE BIG BANDS BACK? WELL, YES, BUT THEY SURE DO LOOK DIFFERENTLY UNBELIEVABLY POPULAR, SNARKY PUPPY BOASTS A ROTATING TEAM THAT CAN RANGE UPWARD TO 18 MEMBERS ON THEIR HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL ALBUMS. THEY MAY NOT LOOK LIKE YOUR “TYPICAL” BIG…
RICK BRAUN-A SMOOTH RIDE
FOR 30 YEARS, RICK BRAUN HAS SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATED THE JAZZ FIELD WITH A CAREER THAT INCLUDES GOLD RECORDS, WELL ATTENDED TOURS AND SESSIONS WITH THE LIKES OF ROD STEWART, TINA TURNER, TOM PETTY AND SADE? SO WHY ISN’T HE ON…
LARRY CARLTON & PAUL BROWN: DUETS THAT SEARCH THE SOUL
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.Also, if two lie down together, they…
ELIANE ELIAS: MIRROR, MIRROR, ON THE WALL…
WITH HER LATEST ALBUM (MIRROR, MIRROR) UP FOR A GRAMMY, PIANIST ELIANE ELIAS CAN EASILY JUSTIFY ASKING THE FAMOUS QUESTION IN SNOW WHITE, “MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL, WHO’S GOT THE FAIREST ALBUM MOST OF ALL?” HAVING BEEN NOMINATED FOR 9 GRAMMYS AND …
BILL CHARLAP: BERNSTEIN, STANDARDS AND THE ART OF THE TRIO
THE JAZZ TRIO OF PIANO, BASS AND DRUMS HAS BEEN THE FOUNDATION OF JAZZ SINCE MODERN TIMES. PIANIST BILL CHARLAP HAS BECOME ONE OF IT’S MASTERS, AND HIS 20+ YEAR TEAM OF BASSIST PETER WASHINGTON AND DRUMMER KENNY WASHINGTON HAVE…
WAYNE ESCOFFERY: THE SOUNDS OF LEGENDS…
HOW DOES ONE KEEP THE MUSIC OF LEGENDS ALIVE, WHILE STILL RETAINING YOUR OWN IDENTITY? THERE ARE SOME ‘GHOST’ BANDS THAT ATTEMPT TO EMULATE THE EXACT SOUNDS OF A COMPOSER OR ARRANGER. THE COUNT BASIE ORCHESTRA AND EVEN THE LINCOLN…
MARIA MULDAUR: A 50 YEAR OASIS
THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A TENSION BETWEEN THINGS THAT ARE “POPULAR” OR “TEMPORARY” AND THOSE THAT ARE TIMELESS. AS THEOLOGIAN GK CHESTERTON RICHLY STATED, “THE TEMPORARY THINGS ARE ALWAYS ATTACKING THE PERMANENT THINGS”. MARIA MULDAUR HAS BUILT HER CAREER ON…
DAVE COUSINS: FRESH STRAWBS OVER 50 YEARS OLD
SOME STYLES OF MUSIC NEVER CHANGE AND BECOME TIMELESS. IT TAKES A CERTAIN TYPE OF ARTISTIC VISION TO CREATE A STYLE AND ULTIMATELY EMBODY IT. BACK IN THE LATE 1960S AND EARLY 1970S, DAVID COUSINS WAS ON THE VANGUARD OF…
JAZZMEIA HORN’S DEAR LOVE
FEW JAZZ ARTISTS ARE AS EXCITING TO NOT ONLY HEAR, BUT EXPERIENCE IN CONCERT AS JAZZMEIA HORN. SHE HAS ONLY RELEASED THREE ALBUMS SO FAR IN THIS EARLY STAGE OF HER CAREER, BUT EACH ONE HAS SHOWN A CREATIVE TRAJECTORY…