Articles by Mikayla Gilbreath
Clifton Anderson: Leading The Way
by Mikayla Gilbreath
Not since the heyday of Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey has the trombone enjoyed widespread acceptance as a band leader's instrument. With only a few exceptions, the last half century has seen trombonists slide from favor as leaders and become more commonly viewed as sidemen. Even genuinely notable artists like J.J. Johnson, Frank Rosolino, Bill Watrous and Slide Hampton never really gained the fame and notoriety afforded their predecessors of the 1930s and '40s. Some believe the trombone's ...
read moreRussel Blake: Transcending Expectations
by Mikayla Gilbreath
Nearly everyone would agree that music is one of the most significant and enduring art forms ever created by mankind, though most people still view it primarily as entertainment. An astute few seem capable of looking beyond music's obvious entertainment value, and among these is bassist Russel Blake. He views music as both a tool for healing the spirit, and as a means of removing the cultural barriers which divide us, by serving as mankind's universal language. Blake strives to ...
read moreCandy Dulfer: Prodigy Turned Pro
by Mikayla Gilbreath
It's an age-old question--What's the secret of success? For Candy Dulfer, arguably the most commercially successful female saxophonist ever, the answer seems to include first-rate musicianship combined with a healthy dose of stage presence. To those attending their first Candy Dulfer concert, she must seem somewhat of an enigma. When she first takes the stage, tall, blonde, and beautiful, Dulfer seems more fashion model than musician--until she starts to play. Her towering spontaneous solos immediately grab one's attention. Her aggressive ...
read moreNick Colionne: Making a Difference for the Future
by Mikayla Gilbreath
No one likes hearing dire predictions about the imminent demise of jazz as an art form. And yet it's hard to deny that jazz seems at times to be slowly fading into the background. The genre receives relatively scant airplay, and is frequently relegated to little more than footnotes in the annual Grammy awards show. Increasingly, jazz seems to be heard primarily as soundtracks for television shows, commercials and motion pictures. And we've all observed that most young people are ...
read moreAlphonse Mouzon: From Charleston Heights to Bel Air
by Mikayla Gilbreath
A fleeting glance at the cover of Alphonse Mouzon's CD Jazz in Bel-Air (Tenacious, 2008) gives one the impression that Mouzon was born into wealth, “with a silver spoon in his mouth." Listening to Mouzon's compositions and performance on the CD does nothing to dispel that impression. He delivers a live performance so polished and enjoyable that it would seem almost out-of-place in anything less than a top-notch venue. The use of earlier Mouzon compositions on television shows such as ...
read moreBob Blumenthal: Jazz: An Introduction to the History and Legends Behind America's Music
by Mikayla Gilbreath
Jazz: An Introduction to the History and Legends Behind America's Music Bob Blumenthal Paperback; 192 pages ISBN: 0061241792 HarperCollins 2007
Since 1969, when he first began writing about jazz, Bob Blumenthal has become not only a highly acclaimed writer but also one of the world's foremost authorities on jazz. He has contributed to numerous publications including Down Beat, The Boston Globe, Jazz Times, Rolling Stone and ...
read moreDemetrius "DJ" Turner II: Hope For The Future
by Mikayla Gilbreath
We've all heard comments about jazz being “the music of old men," and an art form with a questionable future. Then along comes young Demetrius “DJ" Turner II, whose performances have garnered the admiration of thousands, before he's even old enough to drive a car! Jazz enthusiasts lucky enough to hear him play such old school classics as “Take Five," “'Round Midnight," and “Georgia On My Mind" frequently comment that “he doesn't play like a kid--he plays like a man!" ...
read morePapa John DeFrancesco: It's All In The Name!
by Mikayla Gilbreath
A performer's public persona can sometimes be quite different from reality. So when I meet somebody for the first time, there's always the possibility that I'll come away from the meeting feeling surprised, or even disappointed. Well, I needn't have worried about meeting renowned jazz organist Papa John DeFrancesco. The only surprises were pleasant ones.
John DeFrancesco became Papa John probably as a means of distinguishing him from his son, Johnny. But something tells me that ...
read moreDr. Lonnie Smith: Organ Guru
by Mikayla Gilbreath
[Editor's Note: Mikayla's Totally Jazzed is a new column that will feature artist interviews and thoughts on jazz by saxophonist/student Mikayla Gilbreath. Despite her young age, she's managed to connect with a surprising number of well-known musicians, hosting a pre-concert reception at Sonny Rollins' 50th Anniversary Carnegie Hall Concert in 2007 that was attended by artists including Jimmy Heath, Lou Donaldson, Paquito D' Rivera, Joe Lovano, David Liebman, Dr. Lonnie Smith and Marion Meadows. At fourteen she's already a confirmed ...
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