Articles by C. Andrew Hovan
A Muse Renaissance: Reissues from Roy Brooks, Kenny Barron, and Carlos Garnett
by C. Andrew Hovan
The independent jazz label has long served as a bellwether for the music's highest artistry, ever since the advent of the long-playing record. Labels such as Verve Records, Blue Note Records, Prestige Records, Contemporary Records, and Riverside--each a modest operation led by passionate entrepreneurs--were devoted to documenting the sound of their era with fidelity and purpose. As rock and other modern styles began to overshadow mainstream jazz in the early 1970s, producer Joe Fields emerged as a tireless advocate for ...
Continue ReadingA Savoy Revival: New OJCs from Hank Mobley & Yusef Lateef
by C. Andrew Hovan
Although the Concord Music Group acquired the legendary Savoy Records archives in 2017, the catalog has seen little reissue activity since. Founded in 1942 by Herman Lubinsky, Savoy earned distinction for documenting rhythm and blues, gospel, and jazz over several decades. The label captured many of bebop's pioneering voices--Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, Kenny Clarke, and Dizzy Gillespie, among them--on a series of landmark recordings. By the mid-1970s, Savoy endured a turbulent stretch of shifting distribution deals, first aligning ...
Continue ReadingMelvin Rhyne: Tomorrow Yesterday Today
by C. Andrew Hovan
A disciple of some of the earliest jazz organ practitioners, such as Jackie Davis, Milt Buckner, and Wild Bill Davis, jazz veteran Melvin Rhyne's major claim to fame has been the five years he spent with the renowned Wes Montgomery in the early '60s. Yet this is really only a fraction of the story for the 67-year-old organist. Much like the proverbial hibernating bear, Rhyne kept a low profile throughout the '70s and '80s and he even told writer Pete ...
Continue ReadingKenny Drew: Kenny Drew Trio
by C. Andrew Hovan
One of many American jazz musicians who made Europe home beginning in the early 1960s, pianist Kenny Drew is best remembered as the pianist on John Coltrane's seminal Blue Train--when he is remembered at all. Over the course of his career, Drew forged notable associations with Dexter Gordon and Jackie McLean, and recorded nearly 50 albums as a leader, most prominently Undercurrent (Blue Note, 1961) and Dark Beauty (SteepleChase, 1974). Passing away at the relatively young age of sixty-four, one ...
Continue ReadingPrestige Rara Avis: Kenny Burrell and Frank Wess
by C. Andrew Hovan
Over the past decade, music lovers and jazz collectors have enjoyed a wealth of opportunities thanks to the ongoing vinyl renaissance. Back in the 1980s and '90s, Fantasy Records became a favorite among enthusiasts with its Original Jazz Classics series, reissuing nearly a thousand titles from its vast catalog, which included Prestige, Riverside, and Contemporary. After going dormant for a time following Concord's acquisition of the vaults, Craft Recordings revived the OJC imprint in 2023 with a slate of meticulously ...
Continue Reading46th Annual Tri-C JazzFest
by C. Andrew Hovan
46th Annual Tri-C JazzFest Playhouse Square Cleveland, OH June 26-28, 2025 Jazz festivals occupy a precarious space these days. Pressured by financial constraints, too many have drifted toward booking artists with only a passing connection to the jazz tradition. Cuts to both public and private funding have only compounded the difficulty of producing large-scale music festivals. This year's Tri-C JazzFest wasn't immune to those realities. Several of its outdoor performances veered into genres ...
Continue ReadingLee Morgan: Here's Lee Morgan
by C. Andrew Hovan
While Craft Recordings' new OJC reissue series has largely drawn from its treasure trove of Prestige and Riverside titles, the label recently expanded its scope to include two standout jazz albums from Chicago's historic Vee-Jay Records. Founded in 1953 by husband-and-wife team James Bracken and Vivian Carter, Vee-Jay was not only one of the earliest Black-owned and woman-owned labels but also a remarkably eclectic imprint. Known for its blues releases--and even some early Beatles records--Vee-Jay also documented top-tier ...
Continue ReadingOJC Piano Greatness: Thelonious Monk & Bill Evans
by C. Andrew Hovan
Having been a source of quality reissues back when vinyl was still king, it is fitting that the Original Jazz Classics series has returned now that the vinyl renaissance continues to carry on full-force among the music-buying public. Now in its second full year of releases, Craft Recordings continues to mine its impressive back catalog for reissues that cover a good deal of ground while offering quality and value to boot. Thelonious Monk Thelonious Himself
Continue ReadingOJC Odds & Ends: From Cal Tjader to Mal Waldron
by C. Andrew Hovan
Once the vinyl renaissance confirmed that record labels could bring in a steady income just by tapping their holdings, they began combing their archives to fuel a steady stream of reissues. With a catalog of more than 1.2 million songs, Concord Records was uniquely positioned to capitalize on this resurgence. Its Craft Recordings subsidiary has emerged as a standout in the field, not only for curating meaningful and historically significant releases, but also for doing so with a consistent commitment ...
Continue ReadingKurt Elling and Peter Erskine at the Michigan Theater
by C. Andrew Hovan
Kurt Elling Celebrates Weather Report featuring Peter Erskine Michigan Theater 49th Performance of the 146th UMS Season Ann Arbor, Michigan April 11, 2025 With two Grammy Awards to his name and a long list of press accolades--including holding the top spot in the DownBeat Critics and Readers Polls for over a decade--vocalist Kurt Elling could easily rest on his laurels. But instead, he continues to push creative boundaries, embarking on projects that many would ...
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