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Tania Grubbs: The Sound of Love
by John Chacona
Meet a person from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and you are likely to get a Chamber of Commerce-worthy commendation of their city's greatness. When it comes to jazz, the civic pride is more than warranted; the Steel City was home to immortals such as Earl Hines, Mary Lou Williams, Art Blakey and Kenny Clarke. Vocalist Tania Grubbs grew up just over the state line in Ohio, but she has lived and worked in The 'Burgh, as natives affectionately call it, for some ...
Continue ReadingBobby Selvaggio 11: Stories, dreams, inspirations: for my boy
by Mark Corroto
There is something special about the people of Northeastern Ohio. They take great pride in what is called “The Land." Cleveland sports fans may be the most loyal, whether they turn out for baseball's opening day in a snowstorm or cheer for an imagined Super Bowl game which has yet to materialize. They even root for stars such as native son LeBron James, who now plays basketball in Los Angeles. The same can be said of Cleveland's jazz musicians. From ...
Continue ReadingJames Johnson III: Full Circle
by Mackenzie Horne
Pittsburgh drummer James Johnson III has spent the past several years developing his songwriting style—the results of that development can be heard at length on the drummer's sophomore solo record, Full Circle. Full Circle is not only more subdued than 2014's Between ( James Johnson III), but it is also more stylistically uniform. This record is refreshingly minimalist in its approach which compliments the overall progressive theme of the record. The content and the execution of that content suggests that, ...
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