Articles by Matt Hooke
Raúl Molina: Live at Ecuador Jazz Festival
by Matt Hooke
Raúl Molina's Live at Ecuador Jazz Festival is a rare album that is more than just a collection of songs, it is a declaration of purpose. On his first live album, Molina carves out an artistic vision to blend Ecuadorian folklore with modern jazz music. The unique compositions on this record will establish him as a significant voice in Latin jazz for years to come. Many of the compositions on the album come from Molina's vision of creating a stable ...
Continue ReadingRamzi Aburedwan and Dal’ouna Ensemble at An Die Musik
by Matt Hooke
Ramzi Aburedwan and Dal'ouna Ensemble An Die Musik Live Baltimore, Maryland, USA October 21, 2024 Ramzi Aburedwan and Dal'Ouna Ensemble presented a unique set of jazz-touched Palestinian music at Baltimore's An Die Musik Live. The set was a showcase for each musician involved, with every song beginning with a solo by one of the performers before moving to the main melody. Aburedwan's bouzouk playing was the guiding force of the band,. He used ...
Continue ReadingScenes from the 2024 Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival
by Matt Hooke
The greatest gift any music festival can give a listener is the chance to think about a genre differently and the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival did just that between February 16 and February 18. Most concert goers attend a show to hear a specific artist they are already familiar with, but the beauty of a festival is that it can expose you to many different styles in the span of a weekend. Across several stages at the Hilton Hotel ...
Continue ReadingRemembering Saxophonist, teacher, and composer Carl Grubbs
by Matt Hooke
Saxophonist Carl Grubbs built a community around him everywhere he played, whether in 1970s Philadelphia where people gathered outside of his house to listen to his band practice, or in Baltimore where he mentored countless generations of musicians since the 1990s. Even as his health worsened over the past year, Grubbs continued to see students, determined to make sure jazz continued to the next generation. “How else can the music live," his wife of 40 years ...
Continue ReadingBrandon Born Quartet at An Die Musik Live
by Matt Hooke
One of the most exciting things about being a music fan is discovering an artist when they come into their own and contribute their own voice to the jazz tradition. The audience at An Die Musik got a taste of that feeling watching Peabody Conservatory student Brandon Born lead his first band at An Die Musik Live on November 21, 2023. The young bandleader and his quartet played a mix of original tunes and covers that showcased his versatility as ...
Continue ReadingRaul Midon at An Die Musik LIVE
by Matt Hooke
Raul Midon performed a solo set at An Die Musik LIVE in Baltimore on October 11, 2023 that showcased his artistic versality and ability to create a compelling show without a backing band. Midon's songwriting prowess showed throughout the evening as he transitioned from funk influenced songs to a Joni Mitchell inspired piano ballad. effortlessly. A highlight of Midon's set is how many different sounds he is able to create, from playing bongos and guitar at the same time, to ...
Continue ReadingScenes from the 2023 DC Jazz Festival
by Matt Hooke
An embassy may seem like an unusual place to kick off the 2023 DC Jazz Festival, but it made for a good indication of the international and collaborative atmosphere fostered by the annual event. The DC Jazz Festival opening night at the House of Sweden, the embassy for Sweden and Iceland, began with a speech by Icelandic ambassador Berdis Ellertsdóttir on the popularity of America's music in the Nordic country. The festival collaborated with other embassies across the ...
Continue Reading43rd Annual Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland, Part 2
by Matt Hooke
Part 1 | Part 2 After a year online and a year at the suburban Cain Park, the Tri-C JazzFest made a triumphant return to downtown Cleveland in 2022. The downtown location gave the music a wider audience than at Cain Park, as it was more likely that someone returning home from a baseball game or an afternoon at a bar could stumble upon one of the many bands playing at two outdoor stages. The festival comes less ...
Continue ReadingIbrahim Maalouf: 40 Melodies
by Matt Hooke
The age of 40, in America at least, is looked at with fear as the start of middle age. For many, it is a state of limbo; the knee pains say they are not young; however, that black hair says they are not old either. Many people buy a motorcycle or start an ill-conceived fling with a college sweetheart. Ibrahim Maalouf celebrated his fortieth with 40 Melodies, a work which features the trumpet player revisiting songs from his past and ...
Continue ReadingBranford Marsalis at The Ohio Theatre
by Matt Hooke
Branford Marsalis Quartet Ohio Theatre Cleveland, Ohio October 10, 2019Branford Marsalis is a jazz chameleon. Few saxophonists could go from playing his brother Wynton's straight-ahead outfit to pursing cross over opportunities with pop-star Sting and hip-hop legend Guru to now making music with Gabriel Prokofiev, the great-grandson of pioneering Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev.On October 10 at the Ohio Theatre, all these experiences came together for an experience that did not ...
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