Articles by R.J. DeLuke
Eddie Palmieri: Latin Jazz Standard-Bearer
by R.J. DeLuke
This article was first published on All About Jazz on October 8, 2003. Eddie Palmieri has enjoyed a long career presenting Latin music to the United States and to the world. It's his calling, for sure, but it may be more than that. You see, Palmieri feels that the music he brings--dance music with the excitement that comes from real Cuban-based rhythms first, and jazz or other flavors second--may be dying out. The baton for keeping ...
Continue ReadingRussell Malone: Guitar Master
by R.J. DeLuke
This article was first published on All About Jazz on February 29, 2016. “People make too big of a deal about being self taught. Because nobody is completely self taught," ruminates Russell Malone, one of the best loved jazz guitarists by both fans and critics. His sound is full and rich; his fingers fleet,the ideas springing from his head to his hands with speed and dexterity. But the origins of his style and the status he's achieved do ...
Continue ReadingAlbert "Tootie" Heath: Class Personified
by R.J. DeLuke
This article was first published on All About Jazz on March 9, 2015. Albert “Tootie" Heath is among the drummers who lived--and thrived--during what many call the golden age of jazz, the '40s, '50, early '60s. He's enjoyed the fruits of a varied and historic career, but never stayed put. Just kept working. He admires the musicians of today and the direction of jazz. The Philadelphia native extols hip-hop for its status in today's music world. On the ...
Continue ReadingCindy Blackman Santana: Rhythmic And Musical Force
by R.J. DeLuke
It's the 1980s in New York City. It's the place to be for musicians looking to make a name for themselves with hopes of finding steady gigs and recording dates. Drummer Cindy Blackman (long before her marriage to Carlos Santana) is there, fresh out of Berklee College of Music. She's there to meet people, get experience and learn as much as she can. But things are tough for most young musicians hoping to follow a dream. She's willing ...
Continue ReadingDave Holland Circa 1976
by R.J. DeLuke
Ah, College. Life, liberty and the pursuit of... well... among other things, the quest for jazz music, trying to expand my horizons regarding an art form that had entered my blood in high school, despite the prevelant sounds of the Beatles, Joe Cocker, Blood Sweat & Tears, Leon Russell, the Allman Brothers and Sly and the Family Stone et. al., that I had grown up with. The search for the sweet sound of surprise, as they called it. Whatever it ...
Continue ReadingFreihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival 2023
by R.J. DeLuke
Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival Saratoga Performing Arts Center Saratoga Springs, New York June 25-26, 2023 It seems routine over more than four decades to say that “this year's" edition of Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival was a good one. Maybe you said it last year, maybe you'll say it next year. That would certainly please festival producer Danny Melnick, who strives for consistency. Truth is, since its inception in 1978 (Melnick doesn't go back ...
Continue ReadingWayne Escoffery: Still Forging Ahead
by R.J. DeLuke
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 carry a strong career. But Escoffery is more than that. His career is multifaceted, documented by his own bands and CDs. He's ...
Continue ReadingEd Cherry: Always Groovin’
by R.J. DeLuke
"I liked the look of it--I like the sound--the feel," says renowned guitarist Ed Cherry about the guitar, an instrument he has been playing for more than half a century. He long ago became a first-rate player with a warm sound and joyous approach. He is also diverse. He's played a myriad of styles ranging from the driving bebop of Dizzy Gillespie (with whom he played for over a decade) to the free jazz explorations of Henry Threadgill ...
Continue ReadingBoris Kozlov: Mingus and Much More
by R.J. DeLuke
The music of Charles Mingus can be like the man himself—multi-faceted, intimidating, blusterous, marked by mood changes. Whatever it is, the world is better for it. And fans of music can still hear and feel it live via bands, from orchestra to small group, that perform his pieces all over the world. Those bands—Mingus Dynasty, Mingus Big Band and the Mingus Orchestra—were first put together and promoted by Sue Mingus, widow of the titan bassist/composer (and recently named ...
Continue ReadingRicky Ford: From Across the Sea
by R.J. DeLuke
Ricky Ford is a badass tenor saxophonist. Many will recall his fierce and strong playing on his Muse releases in the '80s. Others may be aware that he was a stalwart member of big bands like the Duke Ellington Orchestra under the leadership of Mercer Ellington and with Charles Mingus and later the Mingus Dynasty band. Those Muse disks, and releases on Candid Records, included monster players like Jaki Byard, John Hicks, Jimmy Cobb, Larry Coryell, Louis Hayes, ...
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