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Kasan Belgrave: Dual Citizen

by Paul Rauch
Detroit born and raised multi-reedist Kasan Belgrave offers his first album bearing a name with a tremendous legacy. His father, the late Marcus Belgrave, was a prime mentor to generations of musicians from Detroit, one of the world's great jazz cities. His impact as a jazz trumpeter, as a major contributor to classic Motown Records hits and--especially--as a mentor and creator of musical opportunity for young aspiring Detroit jazz musicians, is unique. While we may then classify the elder Belgrave ...
Continue ReadingMike Boone, Eric Lilley, Jenna McLean, Kasan Belgrave and more.

by Benjamin Boddie
Today's Music--Right Now! Fantastic music by Steven Feifke, Mike Boone, Eric Lilley, Jenna McLean, Kasan Belgrave, Pasquale Grasso, Alan Chaubert, Mafalda Minnozzi, Mark Grandfield, Ariane Racicot, Joe Alterman, Jackson Potter, Theoretical Planets, MTB, Liz Cole, Jeremy Pelt, Stephen Bryant, Mason Razavi, Fred Hersch, Claire Martin, Marina Albero, Ryan Middagh, Dave Stryker, Carl Allen and more. Playlist Steven Feifke Someday My Prince Will Come" from The Role of the Rhythm Section Vol. II (La Reserve/Bandstand Presents) 00:00 Mike Boone ...
Continue ReadingKasan Belgrave Takes Off

by Paul Rauch
As a jazz journalist, attending summer festivals is almost a rite of passage, a journey to a place where so many pieces of the international jazz community are gathered in one spot to sample, or to indulge oneself. Over the years, accompanied by repeated visits, the sights and sounds of the festival locations become clearer and more familiar, the vibe more encompassing. You come to realize that many festival sites become jazz deserts once the festival circus leaves town. They ...
Continue ReadingPlanet D Nonet: Blues to Be There

by Jack Bowers
The subtitle of Blues to be There, the Detroit-based Planet D Nonet's latest album (recorded in June and July 2022), is A Salute to Duke Ellington." As with almost any bow to the Duke, it encompasses a healthy measure of Billy Strayhorn as well. Ellington wrote or co-wrote thirteen of the album's persuasive numbers, Strayhorn five including the classics Take the 'A' Train" and U.M.M.G." As for Ellington, he is represented almost exclusively by lesser-known compositions, most ...
Continue ReadingThe Paxton / Spangler Septet: Ugqozi

by Chris May
Ugqozi is a celebration of modern, urban African music, especially that from South Africa, with which co-leaders trombonist John “Tbone" Paxton and percussionist RJ Spangler have been in love for decades. It is also an affirmation of the vibrant Detroit scene of which the multi-generational Paxton / Spangler Septet is a part. Actually, the band is not a septet. Depending on whether one goes by the sleeve credits or the press release, it is either an octet ...
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