Last month found New York hosting the 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. The House that Ruth Built was given the honor in its final season; next season the Yankees will play in a new home. The old stadium was opened in 1923 and has been witness to some amazing baseball history. And let's not forget that this is also the final year for Shea Stadium, the Mets' home since 1964. All this nostalgia makes you realize that, no disrespect to other cities, New York really is the capital of everything. Certainly jazz as we know it today could hardly exist without places like Village Vanguard or Carnegie Hall, or places lost to history like the Five Spot or Slugs. Music needs soil in which to grow and blossom and New York has been a lush field for close to a century. But location aside, musicians like saxophonist Benny Golson (On The Cover), who penned some of jazz' most enduring and endearing tunes; drummer Lenny White (Interview), whose career began with the jazz-rock of Miles Davis but has grown to encompass all styles, and fellow sticksperson Susie Ibarra (Artist Feature), a crucial element to the realm of the avant garde, have all made their mark both on New York and the world.
In alliterative articles this month, we have label and club profiles on Moserobie and the Metropolitan Room respectively. Coltrane disciple Azar Lawrence (Encore) makes a rare foray as a leader this month and bassist Mark Dresser (Megaphone) talks about telematics, a process by which international logistical boundaries no longer will prevent musical collaboration. Two festival reports from Montreal bookend our wrapup of the Vision Festival and despite August being a generally slow month as far as New York goes - still far beyond a good month for any other town - we have a full complement of CD reviews and concerts in our Event Calendar.
We are entering the dog days of summer and the second half of the baseball season. Take a break from brutal temperatures and underperforming teams with some jazz. We'll see you out there...
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