Home » Jazz Musicians » Monte Croft
Monte Croft
Ed Cherry: Are We There Yet?
by Andrew Scott
In debates between Kenneth Miller, Richard Dawkins, and the late Stephen Jay Gould, the stay in your lane" boundaries that separate science from theology/philosophy become particularly porous, revealing the frequency with which individuals intellectually drift" in order to hold onto seemingly contradictory opinions of truth (empirical, scientific) and belief. Jazz, no less an ideology, has also become defined" through a series of maxims ("must swing," must contain the blues," must prefigure improvisation") that while articulating general truisms perhaps, ...
read moreEd Cherry: Are We There Yet?
by Pierre Giroux
February is appropriately recognized in the United States as Black History Month. The Cellar Music Group has been in the forefront of acknowledging the importance of Black musicians to jazz in America. With the release of Are We There Yet? by guitarist Ed Cherry, Cellar Music Group presents another release that is led by a Black artist. Cherry who has been a stalwart in the jny: New York jazz scene since 1978, has pulled together a tight band including vibraphonist ...
read moreBettye LaVette: Blackbirds
by Angelo Leonardi
Com'è accaduto a Sharon Jones anche Bettye Lavette ha incontrato il successo in età matura--o nel suo caso avanzata--ottenendo quei riconoscimenti che non ebbe negli anni d'oro della soul music. È stato l'album del 2003 A Woman Like Me, quando aveva già 57 anni, a darle quel successo che attendeva da tempo, aprendole un percorso ricco di soddisfazioni. Con una scelta personale, Bettye non s'è collocata nel filone neo soul o degli Oldies but Goldies del repertorio ...
read moreJimmy Heath: Love Letter
by Thomas Fletcher
Often nicknamed Little Bird," Jimmy Heath began on the alto saxophone acquiring this informal title by dedicating his studies to Charlie Parker and his wee stature. Although not a familiar name to many outside of the devoted jazz community, Heath would go on to pursue a remarkable 76-year career sadly passing away in January, 2020. A fabled musician to many tenor players, Heath presents us with his final testament, a collection of formative ballads. Enhancing the already prolific ...
read moreJimmy Heath: Love Letter
by Chris May
Love Letter is the final album to be made by saxophonist Jimmy Heath, who passed in January 2020 aged 93. It was completeted just a month earlier. The title is well chosen: the album is a love letter to jazz, a love letter to ballads, and a love letter to Heath's surviving family members, friends and audience. Soulful and luminous, it is everything one could hope for in the last will and testament of a jazz master. ...
read more