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Interview

Billy Taylor's Legacy

Source: AAJ Staff
January 8, 2011

To the Editor: Re “Billy Taylor, Jazz Pianist, Dies at 89" (obituary, Dec. 30): The arts world has lost a great friend in Billy Taylor, not just as a brilliant jazz pianist—which he was—but also as an educator, policy adviser and ardent spokesman for the arts. Some 30 years ago I had the privilege of working with him as we sought to advance the arts and arts education in our nation. He was fervent, gentle, thoughtful and highly effective, whether ...

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Interview

Interview: Junior Mance (Part 3)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
January 8, 2011

Pianist Junior Mance has a lot of church in his playing. But it's not purely the church of stomping gospel or frenzied revivals. Rather, Junior's playing channels both urban gospel and rural spirituals and hymns. What interesting about his quiet soul is that it garners both a physical reaction in listeners as well as self-reflection. Junior's more sensitive funk was honed under the tutelage of singers and soloists. Ever since, Junior's goal has been never to eclipse but to enhance ...

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Interview

RDIO COO Believes "Sense of Community" Will Differentiate Their Music Service from Rivals

Source: HypeBot
January 7, 2011

This is part two of my interview with Carter Adamson, who is the COO of RDIO. In this segment, Adamson talks about the challenges of raising awareness for a music service and keeping fans actively engaged. Hypebot: What elements have you considered adding to RDIO—not now, but down the road? Carter Adamson: Rdio will continue to be very aggressive in 2011, launching new geographies, adding support for more platforms and devices. In addition, we will continue to add more music from ...

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Interview

Interview: Junior Mance (Part 2)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
January 8, 2011

Many great jazz pianists of the '40s started out as accompanists. The process of backing a singer or instrumentalist forces you to anticipate space, experiment with harmony and keep swinging time. As a young, confident, sensitive pianist, Junior Mance understood this supporting role perfectly. After he left the Army in 1953, Junior was the house pianist at the Bee Hive in Chicago and toured with Dinah Washington before joining Cannonball Adderley's group. With Washington, Junior provided the brassy singer with ...

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Interview

Latin Jazz Conversations: Paquito D'Rivera (Part 2)

Source: The Latin Jazz Corner by Chip Boaz
January 8, 2011

Very few musicians set out to influence people through the power of their music; they simply follow the heights of their artistic passions. Influence can't really be forced or created, it arises as a result of an artist's work; there's not really a formula that can guarantee the impact of music. An intensely focused passion towards performance and the willingness to try new things helps grab people's attention. An extreme dedication to the art form further impresses an audience and ...

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Interview

A Jazz Legacy, Taylor-Made

Source: JazzINK by Andrea Canter
January 6, 2011

I only heard pianist and NEA Jazz Master Billy Taylor in one live performance—at the “Witness" concert at Ordway in St. Paul in early 2009. This program was part of the Vocalessence season, their annual celebration of African American history and culture. For the second half of the afternoon, Vocalessence welcomed the Billy Taylor Trio. A decade ago, Taylor wrote “Peaceful Warrior" in tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, performing with Vocalessence, so this was a reprise. At the time, ...

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Interview

RDIO COO Predicts a Groundswell of Interest and Subscribers in Online Music Streaming

Source: HypeBot
January 6, 2011

Recently, I spoke with Carter Adamson, who is the COO of RDIO. In this interview, Adamson talks about the challenges of raising awareness for a music service and keeping fans actively engaged. Hypebot: What are the challenges of raising awareness for RDIO in a cost-effective manner? Carter Adamson: It's difficult for new businesses to stand out when there is so much noise in the marketplace. And acquiring customers using traditional methods or online marketing can be very expensive. So we're ...

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Interview

Interview: Junior Mance (Part 1)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
January 6, 2011

Pianist Junior Mance has always been a natural. While still in his teens, he played and recorded with some of the most exceptional jazz stars of the late 1940s. What jazz greats admired most about Junior was his fearless confidence and fast hands. Back then, jazz pianists had to do triple duty. They had to be able to play fast and strong. They had to be able to solo brilliantly. And they had to be able to accompany the band's ...

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