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Take Five with Pianist Irving Flores
by AAJ Staff
Meet Irving Flores From his early beginnings as a child prodigy leading Orchestra Tamalipas to victory at the tender age of ten, to becoming a nationally treasured artist in Mexico, Irving's journey has been nothing short of legendary. Now based in San Diego, California, Irving continues to push musical boundaries and innovate within the jazz genre, contributing richly to its evolution and reaching new audiences through his performances and recordings. Irving's career is marked by notable collaborations and ...
Continue ReadingTake Five with Bassist Phil Ravita
by AAJ Staff
Meet Bassist Phil Ravita One of the Mid-Atlantic's most versatile and sought-after bassists, Phil Ravita leads Ravita Jazz and appears with many other jazz and classical ensembles and orchestras. He is also host of a weekly radio program on WMTB 89.9 FM. Tune in on Mondays at 8 PM EST. He has shared the stage with music legends Joe Coleman, Jimmy Heath, Bobby Shew, Claudio Roditi and Ruby Glover, appearing in countless clubs, concert halls, and festivals. He can be heard ...
Continue ReadingTake Five with Trumpeter Gregory Haubrich of Butter And The Genre
by AAJ Staff
Meet Gregory “Butter" Haubrich Gregory “Butter" Haubrich is a lifelong musician, songwriter and arranger whose sound bridges the soulful roots of jazz with accessible melodies and spontaneous storytelling. A trumpet player with a deep emotional range and a background that includes keys, harmonica and vocals, Butter brings both grit and grace to every performance. From rural Minnesota to the U.S. Navy School of Music, his journey has always revolved around creating music that moves people, whether on stage or through ...
Continue ReadingTake Five with vocalist Diana Hamilton
by AAJ Staff
Meet vocalist Diana Hamilton I'm an instinctive artist--meaning, I didn't choose to be a singer. Singing chose me. It began during a moment of deep torment when my three-year-old son, Nairobi, was subjected to racism at a daycare in France. I had never experienced such cruelty growing up as a Black child in the Bahamas. I wasn't prepared for the brutality of what I witnessed--not in a country where I had chosen to raise my child. One day, ...
Continue ReadingTake Five with pianist, composer Itamar Dahan
by AAJ Staff
Meet Itamar Dahan Itamar Dahan is a Brooklyn-based jazz pianist, composer, and producer originally from Israel. Known for his deeply lyrical style and bold harmonic language, he has performed with legendary artists including NEA Jazz Master Reggie Workman, Billy Hart, Omer Avital, and David Broza. A graduate of The New School's Jazz program on a full scholarship and a multiple-time recipient of the prestigious America-Israel Cultural Foundation (AICF) award, Itamar has quickly established himself on both the performance and production ...
Continue ReadingTake Five with Saxophonist/Singer/Guitarist Vanessa Collier
by AAJ Staff
Meet Vanessa Collier Vanessa Collier's sixth album Do It My Own Way was recently released on Phenix Fire Records. Recorded on analog gear with the musicians largely in one room, Do It My Own Way is sonically inspired by the classic Memphis soul sound of Stax and Hi Records, especially that of the Staples Singers. The second single “Wild As a Rainstorm," which dives deep into soul territory, powerfully gives advice to women and people who feel left out to ...
Continue ReadingTake Five with Singer, Guitarist and Pianist Martina Fiserova
by AAJ Staff
Meet Martina Fiserova Martina Fišerová is a New York-based singer, guitarist, songwriter and lyricist. Born and raised in Bohemia, Czech Republic, she graduated as a vocalist from the jazz-focused Jaroslav Ježek College, in addition to studying anthroposophical music therapy. She has performed alongside a number of prominent artists at music festivals and venues throughout Europe, as well as in Taiwan and Vietnam. Martina's debut release Clearing Fields (Blue Season, 2012), with her interpretation of jazz standards, originated from ...
Continue ReadingTake Five with Accordionist Nathan Koci
by AAJ Staff
Meet Nathan Koci Nathan Koci is a composer, performer, and music director working across a variety of styles and disciplines, from jazz to theater to dance to improvised and experimental musics. His album Solomon Diaries Vol IV & V (Adhyaropa Records, 2025) with clarinetist Sam Sadigursky is a modern take on Klezmer jazz. As an accordionist, he has performed and recorded with Sam Sadigursky, Guy Klucevsek, South African artist William Kentridge, Maira Kalman, the Michael Leonhart Orchestra, and ...
Continue ReadingTake Five With Clarinet And Composer Kinan Azmeh
by AAJ Staff
Meet Kinan Azmeh Hailed as a “virtuoso, intensely soulful" by The New York Times and “spellbinding" by the New Yorker, Syrian-born, Brooklyn-based genre-bending composer, clarinetist and improvisor Kinan Azmeh has been touring the globe with great acclaim. He has collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma, John McLaughlin, Daniel Barenboim and the New York Philharmonic, among others. Azmeh is the winner of Germany's Opus Klassik Award for his solo album Uneven Sky (Dreyer Gaido, 2019) and is featured on the Grammy-winning album Sing ...
Continue ReadingTake Five with violinist and ETHEL member Kip Jones
by AAJ Staff
Meet Kip Jones Kip Jones (violin) is known for his ebullient and innovative solo performances in a style he describes as “experimental folk." Kip is a member of the acclaimed ETHEL string quartet and can often be found performing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as its Ensemble-in-Residence. Kip is preparing to premiere Monk arrangements for string quartet and bass as part of ETHEL's upcoming March 13 th Carnegie Hall debut with Maestro Ron Carter. A modern musical ...
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