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The John Coltrane Centennial, Part 4: Late Recordings Including A Love Supreme
by Larry Slater
In this final hour of a centennial tribute to John Coltrane, we turn to his late recordings. Coltrane died at age 40, and in his last few years he expanded his musical output to.include gorgeous melodies, spiritual masterpieces and music that was free of any musical convention. Crescent highlights Coltrane at his most lyrical. Coltrane's magnum opus is, without question, A Love Supreme, which was recorded in a single session in late 1964. Both Directions at Once was ...
Continue ReadingJamey Haddad Quartet Featuring Helio Alves
by Daniel Peck
Jamey Haddad holds a singular position in the world of jazz and contemporary music. Haddad's musical voice transcends styles and trends, and the universal quality of his playing has attracted many international collaborations with artists including Yo-Yo Ma, Paul Simon, and Sting. Born of Lebanese descent, he is regarded as one of the foremost world music and jazz percussionists in the United States. A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, pianist Helio Alves combines the rhythmic complexity of modern ...
Continue ReadingThe Beatles—Future Perfect, Part 13
by Blue Note Portal
Chapters 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 Year 1969--Two Riders Ray had been driving cabs since he came back from Korea, and in that time he'd developed a sense that never wasted words on him. He didn't call it a gift. He called it paying attention, which was free and most people didn't bother with it.
Continue ReadingChapter 5: Art Goes Artie
by Larry Slater
Artie Shaw was an enigma. A self-taught, brilliant clarinetist blessed with movie-star good looks, he became one of the defining musicians of the Big Band era. Yet at the height of his fame, he walked away from the music business, leaving behind a legacy as fascinating as it was influential. In the early 1990s, Ted Hallock--a passionate jazz scholar and former Oregon State Senator--spent a week with Shaw recording an extraordinary series of in-depth conversations about music, life ...
Continue ReadingSummer Bummer 2026
by John Sharpe
Summer Bummer 2026 Trix, Antwerp Belgium August 28-29, 2026 Intro The 11th edition of the Summer Bummer festival more than lived up to the promise of the mouth-watering bill, presenting a wide variety of experimental music without fealty to any particular genre. While Summer Bummer inevitably tips its hat to the local Belgian improvised music scene, it is notable for bringing in projects not routinely heard elsewhere, including one world premiere. Trix--more often a rock ...
Continue ReadingJazz on a Summer's Day in Paris
by Mike Raggett
Paris sizzles in the summertime It was so hot the birds weren't singing. Or moving even. They too sat exhausted on the branches of the pine avenue in the Bois de Vincennes. Some were even trying to find shelter under the bonsai collection. Not the peacocks though. They had flopped under the heritage apple and pear collection. Others congregated in the willows hoping some cool air would be wafted from the lake. Pierre and Violette zigzagged through the ...
Continue ReadingAndy Sheppard: Salt Catchers
by Neil Duggan
Since discovering John Coltrane as a teenager, tenor and soprano saxophonist Andy Sheppard has forged a remarkable career, earning multiple British Jazz Awards, international acclaim and even a place in the UK pop charts. His musical range is equally impressive: alongside jazz giants George Russell, Gil Evans and Carla Bley, he has worked with artists as diverse as Baaba Maal, Runrig and John Martyn. Equally at home in a big band, solo setting or small group, Sheppard now ...
Continue ReadingJanel Leppin, YUGEN, Oscar Evans, Rich Halley
by Cheryl K.
During this week's two-hour program of jazz and improvised music--Ensemble Tuvalu; the quintet Slow Tiger; guitarist Nicolas Meier and World Group; YUGEN; bassist Oscar Evans; vibraphonist/composer Jalen Baker; and the trio of pianist Nicki Adams, saxophonist Michael Eaton, and drummer Francisco Mela.Playlist Jimmy Smith “Where or When" from Live at The Club Baby Grand, Vol. 1 (Blue Note) 9:18 Janel Leppin “Bohemian Caverns" from The Realist (Out of Your Head) 3:17 Ensemble Tuvalu “Manu Eva" from d'une rive ...
Continue ReadingIvan Valentini: Camera Funky
by Jack Bowers
Modena, Italy-based saxophonist Ivan Valentini's quintet traverses a wide range of styles on Camera Funky, from African-oriented themes to funk, rock, free and contemporary straight-ahead jazz. As Valentini wrote and arranged every number, the album's charisma rests for the most part squarely on his shoulders. Are those shoulders strong enough to carry the load? That depends largely on the listener's point of view, which should be informed by a number of factors. First, Valentini and his teammates are ...
Continue ReadingNew Music From Andy Sheppard, Rita Marcotulli, & Michael Benita Plus More
by Bob Osborne
This playlist pairs a diverse selection of new and forthcoming contemporary jazz releases with a pair of foundational live recordings. The first ten tracks highlight recent and current directions in improvised music--spanning modern piano trios, cross-cultural collaborations, and adventurous small-ensemble arrangements. Providing historical context, the final two tracks deliver classic live performances from John Coltrane and the avant-garde outfit Curlew.Playlist Andy Sheppard, Rita Marcotulli, & Michael Benita “This Too--Three Hills" from Salt Catcher (ECM Records) 00:00 Volkan Kaplan ...
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