Bossa nova icon Sergio Mendes has credited the great success he’s enjoyed in his career…
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Mel Tormé – Comin’ Home Baby! (Atlantic)
Not exactly a youngster at age 37, Mel Tormé had long established himself as a…
Nduduzo Makhathini: By Way of South Africa
Pianist Nduduzo Makhathini doesn’t view his status as the first South African musician to sign…
Lakecia Benjamin: A Tip of the Sax
At first, alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin was ambivalent about recording a Coltrane tribute album, but…
Charles Lloyd: Rolling Right Along
On March 15, 2018, Charles Lloyd celebrated his 80th birthday with an epic yet intimate…
Artemis Shines Bright at Carnegie Hall
By the time Artemis, an all-star ensemble, dug deep into the blues while trading solos…
Bird Is the Word: Quotes By and About Charlie Parker
“I can play all I know in eight bars.” —Charlie Parker “You could look…
Does Charlie Parker Still Matter?
There’s no shortage of commentary proclaiming the significance of the meteoric genius Charlie Parker. Born…
Bobby Watson, Gary Bartz and Vincent Herring: Chairmen of the Bird
Vincent Herring’s concept for the live recording Bird at 100 (Smoke Sessions) was simple: gather…
Pureum Jin: Keeping It Real
Just off Barcelona’s bustling commercial strip known as La Rambla sits the Plaza Real, a…
Securing the Vote: Karrin Allyson
In December, at a private event in Singapore, former President Barack Obama said, “I’m absolutely…
Within a Room of Gold: Michele Rosewoman
Standing on the tiny stage of Manhattan’s Zinc Bar in November, the dozen or so…
Kengchakaj – Lak Lan (Next Level)
“Sneha,” a haunting ballad first recorded in Thailand in the mid-1960s, has become an iconic…
The DIVA Jazz Orchestra – DIVA + The Boys (MCG Jazz)
Although the DIVA Jazz Orchestra only began recording for the MCG Jazz label in 2014,…
Dopolarians – Garden Party (Mahakala Music)
In an age of strictly defined stylistic directions in jazz, Dopolarians ventures into decidedly “inside-outside”…
Joe McCarthy and the New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band – Upwards (Zoho)
Dizzy Gillespie’s keen interest in melding 1940s bebop with Afro-Cuban music was spurred by his…
Jonathan Kreisberg – Capturing Spirits — JKQ Live! (New for Now)
New York City-born guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg wowed South Florida audiences while attending the University of…
Valery Ponomarev Big Band Live — Our Father Who Art Blakey: The Centennial (Summit)
The 2019 centennial birthday of master drummer Art Blakey has inspired a number of tributes,…
Sunny Jain – Wild Wild East (Smithsonian Folkways)
With Wild Wild East, drummer Sunny Jain — who grew up the son of Indian…
Johnny Griffin-Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis Quintet – Ow! Live at the Penthouse (Reel to Real)
For pure hipness, the Johnny Griffin-Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis Quintet stands among the jazz elite. They…