Featured Jazz Articles
London Brew At Barbican Centre
by Chris May
London Brew Barbican Centre, Main Hall London BrewLondon November 18, 2023 Three years later than originally planned, London Brew made it to the Barbican stage. The star studded ensemble's concert tribute to Miles Davis' Bitches Brew (Columbia, 1970) had been intended to mark the fiftieth anniversary of that album. But we all remember what hit the fan in 2020. Theatres and concert halls in Britain were closed and London Brew's Barbican performance was ...
read moreThe Most Exciting Jazz Albums since 1969: 2009-2011
by Robert Middleton
The six jazz thrillers for this week are widely diverse--from a big band outlier, a soaring two-sax front line and an expression of the ideas from an esoteric teacher. What they all have in common are their thrilling cohesiveness, gripping rhythms and compelling melodies. 72 Thrilling Jazz Albums, Part 7: 2009-2011 37 Infernal Machines Darcy James Argue New Amsterdam 2009 Thrilling jazz albums are rarely an accident; they emerge from dedicated jazz ...
read moreRon Carter & the Foursight Quartet at Barcelona Jazz Festival
by Giulia Bianchi
Ron Carter and the Foursight Quartet Voll Damm Festival Jazz Barcelona at Paral-el 62 Barcelona November 9, 2023 Ron Carter and his ensemble, the Foursight Quartet, recently performed on November 9th at the prestigious Voll Damm Festival Jazz Barcelona, a global benchmark for jazz music. The festival offers various activities that cater to music aficionados and enthusiasts alike. With contributions to more than 2,200 recordings to his name, legendary virtuoso Ron Carter is ...
read moreRecord Store Day Black Friday 2023: Jazz Releases
by Kyle Simpler
For many, Black Friday conjures up images of massive crowds battling each other to get their hands on marked down gift items at huge department stores. For record collectors, though, the scene is much less dramatic because Black Friday is one of two yearly Record Store Day drops. This is where limited run albums hit the shelves of many independent record stores. Although a variety of musical genres is represented, there are always some cool jazz releases to pick up. ...
read moreThe Most Exciting Jazz albums since 1969: 2006-2009
by Robert Middleton
If there were one word to describe these six thrilling albums, it would be “atmospheric." Each of them settles into its own unique and memorable soundscape. Stylistically, they are all very different, but if you listen closely to them, you'll quickly grasp their musical and emotional messages. They'll transport you to their rarefied worlds with their thrillingly listenable tales. 72 Thrilling Jazz Albums, Part 7: 2006-2009 37 Northern Lights Mike Mainieri NYC Records 2006
read moreMiles Davis And The Search for the Sound
by Doug Collette
Miles Davis and the Search for the Sound (graphic novel) Dave Chisholm 150 Pages ISBN: #9798886560428 Z2 Comics2023 Miles Davis and the Search for the Sound could not be a more appropriate title for Dave Chisholm's altogether riveting graphic novel devoted to “The Man With The Horn." The latter spent the better part of his career literally and figuratively hunting for novel forms of music that would challenge both himself and the musicians ...
read moreThe YouTuber: Andy Edwards
by B.D. Lenz
With the rise of the internet and social media, some new job titles have recently come into existence such as Influencer, Blogger, and YouTuber. And, just as these social media platforms inform the public's knowledge and opinions about everything else nowadays, they certainly have an effect on people's interactions with music. It's just as common now for folks to learn about music and musicians through viral videos and TikToks as it is through the traditional vehicles of the old music ...
read moreThe Most Exciting Jazz Albums since 1969: 2001-2005
by Robert Middleton
These six jazz thrillers from the first years of the 21st-century journey to wonderful and exotic locations with music that moves and grooves. All six albums feature influences from Middle Eastern, African, and Asian traditional music. They are all very visual in that they conjure up exotic vistas and locations, such as caravans and oases in the Sahara, weddings in India, snakey and danceable melodies, and dramatic sci-fi-like soundscapes. 72 Thrilling Jazz Albums, Part 6: 2001-2005 31 ...
read moreAllison Au's Migration Project: Transition, Trauma, and Transcendence
by Dave Kaufman
"Human beings are both fixed and wandering, settlers and nomads. Our history is the story of the nomad giving way to the settler but when people are unsettled, they have to migrate." (Ruth Padel, On Migration, 2013) Human migration has exerted a profound and far-reaching influence on the evolution of our civilization and the shaping of our cultural landscape. Much has been written about the Great Migration of the first decades of the 20th century, in which millions ...
read moreAmbrose Akinmusire and Bill Frisell at The Theatre at Ace Hotel
by Josef Woodard
Ambrose Akinmusire and Bill FrisellThe Theatre at Ace HotelLos Angeles, California October 14, 2023 In playing the imaginary match game, in which we speculate on jazz musicians who would and should get along beautifully, the conjoining of Ambrose Akinmusire and Bill Frisell could seem like a no-brainer. Thankfully, this particular partnering fait accompli has recently been accomplished and is going public. Akinmusire is releasing his Owl Song project with Frisell on Nonesuch--his first for that ...
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