One of the hardest parts of our job is hearing the news of musicians who have passed. Jazz was built on the character and personality of so many musicians, each contributing his or her own thread to the tapestry, so that when one is lost, the weave seems a little thinner. Max Roach, one of the innovators of bebop, died last month and the outpouring of appreciation for his legacy has been significant. Another musician, perhaps not as well known but still deserving of accolades, is British trombonist Paul Rutherford, who also passed away in August. Some of our readers might have had a chance to see him for a very rare stateside appearance last summer at the Vision Festival. Please take some time to read through the testimonials we gathered from his friends and colleagues in our In Memoriam feature. In happier news, we are finally able to present as our cover someone we have been hoping for since our inception - guitarist John McLaughlin. Witness to some of the most exciting times in jazz, McLaughlin appears this month with a new electric band, something to anticipate eagerly. As part of two festivals going on this month, we offer features on trumpeter John McNeil (Interview, participating in the Festival of New Trumpet Music or FONT) and saxophonist Michal Attias (Artist Feature, appearing at the second annual Clean Feed Records Festival). We also highlight the artist-run label Barking Hoop (Label Spotlight), with drummer/composer Kevin Norton at the helm, who curates Sundays at Jimmy's this month, and the new Village hotspot Cachaa (Club Profile), an appealing room that is already making waves for its noteworthy booking and welcoming vibe.
We've expanded our page count to make room for a cornucopia of new CD reviews and a packed Event Calendar. We also continue our run of Festival Reports with reviews from Montreal, Copenhagen and Caramoor. As the fall begins, New York City's jazz scene just gets busier and busier. Get busy with it.
We sure will...
For more information contact All About Jazz.
