Articles by Schaen Fox
Alberto Pibiri: Living His Jazz Dreamlife
by Schaen Fox
Alberto Pibiri is strongly influenced by Oscar Peterson as well as earlier virtuoso pianists, but has his own style. Happily, his lifelong goal was to settle here in the United States, but his kind of talent would shine and stand out anywhere. All About Jazz: Just where in Italy are you from? Alberto Pibiri: I'm from south Sardinia, the beautiful island below Corsica. My home town is called Cagliari. AAJ: When did you begin ...
read moreErkin Kydykbaev Keeps Jazz Alive in Central Asia
by Schaen Fox
An unintended consequence of Stalin's murderous dictatorship is that many Soviet citizens developed a fondness for jazz after he began punishing anyone caught listening to the forbidden art form. As a result, even today in the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan, a people with their own ancient musical traditions, enough interest in jazz survives that jazz is taught in at least one university. Jazz clubs have also popped up in the cities, and there is a yearly International Jazz-Bishkek Festival. ...
read moreJohn Clayton: Career Reflections
by Schaen Fox
John Clayton is as interesting to talk to as he is an artist of great talent and experience. The former has allowed him to interact with numerous major figures of his time as well as have long tenures performing with aggregations as diverse as Count Basie's band and the Amsterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. The latter gives him interesting perspectives on topics such as drugs and building a career in jazz. His busy schedule made successfully speaking to him difficult, but what ...
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