Articles by Mark Holston
Buenos Aires International Jazz Fest survives fiscal crisis
by Mark Holston
Buenos Aires International Jazz Festival Buenos Aires November 14-18, 2019 As the days flew by this past October, it was still impossible to pin down specifics for the upcoming annual Buenos Aires International Jazz Festival. The dates of the event, which has historically taken place in mid-November, remained elusive. The talent line-up was a mystery. Billboards promoting the festival, usually on prominent display in subway stations and on the streets of this metropolis, were ...
Continue ReadingBack to Brazil: Part Three
by Mark Holston
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 A singer who needs no introduction, Eliane Elias sculpts a predictably sensual soundscape on Love Stories (Concord). The nine-track project features a string orchestra and lush arrangements by Rob Mathes, unobtrusive rhythm section chores by a cadre of Brazilian percussionists, and the steady hand of bassist Marc Johnson. The slinky French film opening track, “A Man and a Woman," establishes a mood of 1960s-era relaxed romanticism that prevails throughout most ...
Continue ReadingBack to Brazil: Part Two
by Mark Holston
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Part Two of this series on recent Brazilian-influenced releases continues with further discussion of the Samba Jazz genre. The style's heyday, from the early to mid-1960s, produced what Brazilian music critics consider to be landmark recordings. The early champions of the instrumental and more jazz-oriented version of Bossa Nova included such pioneers as pianist Sérgio Mendes and his Bossa Rio Septet; baritone saxophonist Moacir Santos; drummers Dom Um Romão, Milton ...
Continue ReadingBack to Brazil: Part One
by Mark Holston
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 The recent passing of Brazilian music icon João Gilberto at the age of 88 invites us to reflect on the music revolution he was influential in sparking over six decades ago. The singer and guitarist, partnering with composer Antônio Carlos Jobim, announced the arrival of a distinctly new style with his 1958 recording of Jobim's “Chega de Saudade," and the new Brazilian sound, dubbed Bossa Nova (the “New Thing," among ...
Continue ReadingBuenos Aires International Jazz Festival
by Mark Holston
Buenos Aires International Jazz Festival Buenos Aires, Argentina November 14-19, 2018 Over the course of its 11-year history, the annual Buenos Aires International Jazz Festival has taken Monk's “Straight, No Chaser" creed to heart. When it comes to programming, few festivals in the world can match the Argentine event for its choice of headlining musicians who, while in most cases are not household names, are widely recognized for their distinctive artistry and improvisational skills. Consider that ...
Continue ReadingCool nights, hot music at Jazz al Parque, Bogotá
by Mark Holston
Country Club Park Jazz al Parque Bogotá Bogotá, Colombia September 22-23, 2018 As outdoor concerts go, the scene couldn't be any more welcoming than the former country club and polo grounds that serve as home base for Bogotá, Colombia's annual Jazz al Parque. Bordered on two sides by upscale condominiums, the venue lies in the shadow of a nearby range of the Andes. The meticulously-manicured grounds skirt the vintage horse stables that recall the ...
Continue ReadingBuenos Aires International Jazz Festival 2017
by Mark Holston
Buenos Aires International Jazz Festival Buenos Aires, Argentina November 15-20, 2017 Mid November in Buenos Aires is a special time of the year. True to the meaning of the city's name, the air is crisp and fresh and blossoming jacaranda trees bathe the greater metropolitan area in a dazzling shower of purple hues. And, for lovers of jazz in all its forms, the annual Buenos Aires International Jazz Festival stages an extravagant six-day program of concerts, ...
Continue ReadingAJAZZGO Festival in Cali, Colombia
by Mark Holston
AJAZZGO Festival Cali, Colombia September 12-17, 2017 September is jazz festival month in the South American nation of Colombia. Four major cities--Bogotá, Medellín, Cali and Barranquilla--and Pasto, a smaller provincial municipality--stage well-oiled multi-day events stocked with international and regional jazz talent. The five festivals work collaboratively to bring major artists to the country, allowing them to perform in more than one locale on the same tour. Yet each festival is known for its own stylistic orientation. ...
Continue ReadingPanama Jazz Festival 2017
by Mark Holston
Panama Jazz Festival Ciudad del Saber, Republic of Panama January 10-14, 2017 In terms of the number of marquee musicians it features over the course of five days, the annual Panama Jazz Festival is far from being in the big leagues of similar events in Latin American. That, however, only tells part of the story. Where the PJF stands head-and-shoulders above most music festivals is in terms of the emphasis it places on education, offering dozens ...
Continue ReadingBuenos Aires Jazz Festival 2016
by Mark Holston
Buenos Aires International Jazz FestivalBuenos Aires, Argentina November 23-28, 2016 The Buenos Aires International Jazz Festival is slowly but steadily becoming one of the elite events of its kind. The recently-concluded 16th edition of the annual series of concerts, clinics and films was more stylistically-expansive than in past years. The six day run of daily presentations in venues ranging from concert halls to neighborhood cultural centers and jazz clubs provided opportunities--many without charge--to experience everything from ...
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