Articles by La-Faithia White

Album Review

Billie Davies: Time to Cut Loose

Read "Time to Cut Loose" reviewed by La-Faithia White

by La-Faithia White
November 12, 2026

Award-winning jazz drummer Billie Davies, known for her cutting-edge approach to avant-garde and free jazz improvisation, explores new creative territory with Time to Cut Loose, a groundbreaking project that combines human musicianship with artificial intelligence. The recording revisits studio sessions originally engineered by Mike Davies at Dangerous Art Studios in New Orleans in 2020. Retaining the human elements of Davies' drums and acoustic piano, along with the expressive vocals of Raphaelle O'Neil, the project introduces virtual bass and guitar instrumentation ...

Album Review

Digba Ogunbiyi: Stay Still

Read "Stay Still" reviewed by La-Faithia White

by La-Faithia White
October 4, 2026

Timothy Digba Ogunbiyi is a Nigerian-born pianist, composer, and educator. Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, Ogunbiyi began his musical journey playing drums in church before eventually pivoting from engineering to pursue music. His musical foundation and Nigerian heritage are reflected throughout this project, where Yoruba traditions, African rhythms, jazz improvisation, and contemporary influences come together to create a deeply expressive musical journey. “Extinct Man"--Extinct: a practice or a way of life is no longer in use. Ogunbiyi opens the ...

Album Review

Cícero Lee: light / beyond

Read "light / beyond" reviewed by La-Faithia White

by La-Faithia White
July 28, 2026

Cicero Lee is a double bassist, composer and producer, with over two decades of a career in the Portuguese and international music scenes. His work unfolds between original works and collaborations in diverse contexts, bridging jazz with other musical languages. “Amazonia" opens with an orchestral drumroll before unfolding into a processional-style ballad. Ricardo Toscano's saxophone guides the melody with quiet authority while the rhythm section provides a steady and supportive foundation. On “Beyond Light," Toscano establishes a graceful, ...

Album Review

Darryl Alexander: Morning Calls

Read "Morning Calls" reviewed by La-Faithia White

by La-Faithia White
May 25, 2026

Jazz artist, producer, and composer Darryl Alexander Sr. began developing his skills as a musician in his school band playing trombone, tuba, and drums. Alexander began his recording career with his debut release titled Coast to Coast (1992) followed by 17th Street (1995), both on the Prestige jazz label. “Writing Our Story" opens with a slow, reflective tenor saxophone melody from Jeff Kashiwa. As Ken Karsh enters on rhythm guitar, the composition begins to unfold with a sense ...

Album Review

Jakob Dreyer: Roots and Things

Read "Roots and Things" reviewed by La-Faithia White

by La-Faithia White
March 2, 2026

Jakob Dreyer originally studying piano from age four, switched to bass at age 14. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Music and Drama in Hamburg, Germany, where he studied both classical and jazz. He then studied at the Amsterdam Conservatory before later establishing himself as an in- demand sideman in Germany for many years, working with national artists like Gabriel Coburger Sandra Hemper and Sebastian Gillen as well as international artists like Dusko Goykovich, Nils Landgren ...

Album Review

Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra: Golden Lady: CJRO featuring Tatiana LadyMay Mayfield

Read "Golden Lady: CJRO featuring Tatiana LadyMay Mayfield" reviewed by La-Faithia White

by La-Faithia White
November 23, 2025

Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra is one of the premier jazz ensembles in the region featuring top-tier musicians dedicated to honoring and expanding the jazz tradition. Golden Lady is a vibrant fusion of jazz, R&B, and gospel. The project also features original compositions, including LadyMay Mayfield's “Metamorphosis," “Hold Tight" by Bob Reynolds (a member of Snarky Puppy), and Jared Cathey's “Red Cedar Road." The project bursts open with “Hold Tight," an up-tempo, big band celebration radiating with energy. Driven ...

In Pictures

John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival Fourteenth Year

by La-Faithia White
October 6, 2025

A collection of photos from the John Coltrane International Jazz & Blues Festival in High Point, NC Saturday August 30th, 2025 featuring Snarky Puppy, Lizz Wright and Meshell Ndegeocello, The HeadHunters, Clint Holmes, Nnenna Freelon, Take 6, and the John Coltrane Youth Jazz Workshop. Labor Day weekend marked the kickoff of the fourteenth annual John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival in High Point, NC. The weather was picture perfect, with bright sunshine and comfortable temperatures. Returning to ...

Album Review

Billie Davies: Retrospectives (In The Key Of Jazz)

Read "Retrospectives (In The Key Of Jazz)" reviewed by La-Faithia White

by La-Faithia White
August 23, 2025

Retrospectives (In The Key of Jazz) showcases a body of work by drummer Billie Davies that was created over a six year period. The musicians answered her call, recording albums and performing on her acoustic or hybrid drum set from 2012 to 2018. These pieces of music have never been released and are all improvisations that happened during rehearsals and/or performances in between or leading up to her album projects in Hollywood and New Orleans. “Hollywood Boulevard From ...

Album Review

Shuffle Demons: Are You Really Real

Read "Are You Really Real" reviewed by La-Faithia White

by La-Faithia White
July 12, 2025

The Shuffle Demons are a Canadian jazz fusion band from Toronto. The band features a powerhouse ensemble of saxophonists Kelly Jefferson, Richard Underhill and Matt Lagan, anchored by the deep pocket of acoustic bassist Mike Downes and drummer Stich Wynston. The title track “X Marks The Spot" opens with an intriguing dialogue between bass and drums exploding into rapid-fire saxophone lines. Jefferson and Lagan exchange double-line runs, blending harmonies and layering multiphonics in a thrilling display of saxophone ...

Catching Up With

Chad Eby: A Closer Look at His Life, Work, and Tribute to a Legend

by La-Faithia White
June 20, 2025

Saxophonist Chad Eby has been a vital presence in the North Carolina jazz scene. Since 2006, he has served as Associate Professor in the Miles Davis Jazz Studies program at the university of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he plays a key role in shaping the next generation of jazz musicians. In addition to his work as an educator, Eby continues to perform and record, often collaborating with top-tier talent across the region. In recent years, he has led Chad ...