Jazz Articles
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Marc Cary, Wayne Shorter, Betty Carter & Addison Frei
by Joe Dimino
Kicking off the 885th episode of Neon Jazz, we dive in with New York City pianist Addison Frei and the title track from his new 2024 album, Coin Flip. A talent with deep Kansas City roots, Addison sets the tone before we shift to Marc Cary, a mentor who's shared meaningful time and music with him over the years. From there, we round out the year in style, showcasing standout sounds from Melinda Rose, Frenchy Romero, Yannick Benoit, Nico Moreno, ...
Continue ReadingHoward University Jazz Ensemble 2024: A Return to Glory
by Jack Bowers
The Howard University Jazz Ensemble celebrates its golden anniversary in 2024 with the release of its annual studio recording, A Return to Glory, dedicated this year to Howard alumnus Chadwick Boseman, an acclaimed actor best known for his starring role in the film Black Panther and his masterful film portrayals of baseball star Jackie Robinson and soul singer James Brown. Boseman left us far too soon, at age forty-three, in August 2020. The album marks another historic ...
Continue ReadingNir Felder, Elephant 9, Richard D Ruttenberg, Trix, Evgeny Pobozhiy and T Square
by Len Davis
Nir Felder, Norwegian band Elephant 9, Richard D Ruttenberg, and Japanese bands Trix and T Square. Trifecta with Adam Holzman, guitarist James Leibow, and Russian guitarist Evgeny Pobozhiy. Playlist Nir Felder “Cold Heaven" from Nir Felder 3 (La Reserve) 00:00 Elephant 9 “Party Among The Stars" from Mythical River (Rune Gramophon) 07:14 Richard D Ruttenberg “Big Fat Willis" from Cold Fusion (Self Produced) 14:28 Trix “Grand Slam" from Parade (King) 21:42/li> Trifecta “Wacky Tobaccy" from The New Normal ...
Continue ReadingJulia Danielle: Julia Danielle
by Richard J Salvucci
Julia Danielle is a young Chicago-based singer whose debut album shows considerable promise. Aside from a limpid contralto voice, good time, and a dead-on resemblance in profile to Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (it cannot hurt), she is the epitome of effortlessness and good taste in her approach to the Great American Songbook. One ultimately suspects she will find her métier singing in the intimate setting of a small room backed precisely by the sympathetic support of the small band she ...
Continue ReadingWhy Steely Dan Can Never Really Be Yacht Rock
by Eric Pettine
This article was first published on All About Jazz on April 20, 2019. The website Really Smooth Music provides the definition of the term Yacht Rock as being “a variation of popular Soft Rock that peaked between the years of 1976 and 1984 (as featuring a) highly polished brand of soft rock that emanated from Southern California during the late '70s and early '80s. The term is meant to suggest the kind of smooth, mellow music that early ...
Continue ReadingMelissa Kassel & Tom Zicarelli Group: Moments
by Anastasia Bogomolets
Take a little bit of cool jazz, add boldly inventive vocals at times distinctly rooted in the realm of free jazz, gently sprinkle with bebop solos here and there, and season with heartfelt lyrics. Mix until smooth. Enjoy Moments by Melissa Kassel and the Tom Zicarelli Group. “I do not believe the studio always captures the essence of a live performance where everything is naturally spontaneous," Kassel notes. Yet, with this recording, she has undoubtedly achieved that goal. ...
Continue ReadingChristoph Dallach: Krautrock Origins from Schlager to Synthesizers
by Lawrence Peryer
Today, the Spotlight shines On author Christoph Dallach, who joins us to discuss his book Neu Klang: The Definitive History of Krautrock (Faber & Faber, 2024). Christoph has spent years tracking down the pioneers who spent the late 1960s in West Germany's basements and practice rooms, creating sounds unlike anything else in rock and roll.Through conversations with members of bands like Can, Kraftwerk, and Tangerine Dream, Christoph uncovers how these artists shaped a distinctly German sound in the ...
Continue ReadingNduduzo Makhathini at the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society
by Roy Strassman
Nduduzo Makhathini Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society Half Moon Bay, California November 3, 2024 As the waves gently lapped upon the shore beneath the setting sun on a lovely early November Sunday in Half Moon Bay, San Francisco, pianist, composer, bandleader and healer Nduduzo Makhathini and his trio took the stage at the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society seaside venue. Makhathini is a Renaissance man whose ken comprises not only music but ...
Continue ReadingValentina Ciardelli, Anais Drago, Riccardo Angelo Strano, Frank Zappa & More
by Ludovico Granvassu
Here is a segment of Mondo Jazz located somewhere between French and Frank... French as in the jazz scene Airelle Besson, Oan Kim and Yonathan Avishai hail from, and Frank as in Zappa. The playlist features a tribute to Zappa's genius by Valentina Ciardelli, Anais Drago, Riccardo Angelo Strano, as well as two of the countless gems unearthed by the 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition series of luxury re-issues of his music. Happy listening! Playlist Ben ...
Continue ReadingSly Stone: Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) - A Memoir (Paperback)
by Doug Collette
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin): A Memoir: (paperback) Sly Stone with Ben Greenman 336 Pages ISBN-13: 978-1250872265 Macmillan Publishing/AuwaBooks2024 Reading Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin): A Memoir, it' is hard to know who to compliment most (even if no additional content appears in the softcover edition). Is it Sly Stone for his rapid fire recollection or co-writer Ben Greenman for helping maintain some flow to the prose thereof? ...
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