Results for "Ugonna Okegwo"

Ugonna Okegwo

Ugonna Okegwo is one of the most distinctive and sought-after jazz bassists in the world. Critics across the globe have praised him for his rich tone, supple sense of swing, stylistic range and inventiveness. These qualities have not only earned him a place on the bandstand with jazz legends as diverse as Clark Terry, Benny Golson, Pharoah Sanders and Joseph Jarman--they have established him as one of the leading lights of a younger generation redefining jazz for the new century. "He is very individualistic, both in his soloing and accompanying. I love the way he plays in the ensemble,” says Tom Harrell, with whom Okegwo has worked for several years

Christine Jensen, Sonny Clark, Nina Simone and Others

by Jerome Wilson
February 7, 2024

This episode, as usual, goes all over the jazz landscape with current names like Christine Jensen and Marius Neset as well as classic figures of the past such as Sonny Clark and Nina Simone. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry ...

Electric Miles 2

By Charles Pillow Large Ensemble

Label: Summit/Mama
Released: 2023
Track listing: It’s about that time; Rated X; Shhh/Peaceful; Great Expectations; Yaphet; Agharta; Willie Nelson.

Like Minds

By Wayne Escoffery

Label: Smoke Sessions Records
Released: 2023
Track listing: Like Minds; Nostalgia in Times Square; Sincerely Yours; My Truth; Rivers of Babylon; Song of Serenity; Treasure Lane; Idle Moments; Shuffle.

Charles Pillow Large Ensemble Set To Release 'Electric Miles 2' on October 6th

August 25, 2023

Charles Pillow Large Ensemble Electric Miles 2 The follow-up to acclaimed saxophonist/arranger Charles Pillow’s, “Electric Miles” , one of NPR’s top ten CD’s for 2018, is a further exploration of Miles Davis’ early electric period, 1969-74, arranged for a large jazz ensemble. This time Pillows’ arrangements add 3 french horns in addition to the usual big ...

Wayne Escoffery: Like Minds

by Dave Linn
June 21, 2023

Wayne Escoffery was born in London and raised in New Haven, Connecticut. He began playing the saxophone at the age of 11, later studying at the Educational Center for the Arts in New Haven and the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. In the late 1990s, Escoffery started gaining recognition on the jazz scene with ...

Wayne Escoffery: Still Forging Ahead

by R.J. DeLuke
May 22, 2023

Saxophonist Wayne Escoffery has a long, ongoing association with the Mingus Big Band organization, including a Grammy for Mingus Big Band Live at Jazz Standard (Jazz Workshop, Inc., Sue Mingus Music, 2010). His career also includes a special relationship with trumpeter Tom Harrell, with whom he has played for many years. All that is enough to ...

Tom Harrell: Number Five

by John Kelman
April 24, 2023

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," they say, and since coming to HighNote in 2007, trumpeter Tom Harrell has lived by that old adage, utilizing the same quintet for its auspicious debut, Light On, and three subsequent recordings, culminating in 2011's outstanding Time of the Sun. Number Five continues Harrell's winning streak with the same ...

My Truth feat. Gregory Porter

April 14, 2023

Album: Like Minds
By Wayne Escoffery
Label: Smoke Sessions Records
Released: 2023
Duration: 07:55

Steve Slagle: Into The Heart Of It

by Dan Bilawsky
March 11, 2023

In a storied career that's produced more than 20 leader dates, there's little that Steve Slagle hasn't explored and accomplished. Yet here we are with a true first from the veteran alto saxophonist: A stunning bouquet of ballads. Inspired by lodestar outings from legends like John Coltrane, and driven by a desire to find a personalized ...