Interview News

Interview: Phil Ramone (Part 4)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
November 12, 2010

In 1967, Phil Ramone began engineering a string of Dionne Warwick's hits by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. If Bacharach and David were America's equivalent of Lennon and McCartney (perhaps even bigger by some accounts), then Phil was akin to George Martin. But unlike the Beatles, there was no overdubbing. Instead, everything was recorded at once, and Phil had to deal with immediacy and nuance. Bacharach's music was complex, requiring careful miking to capture not only the dramatic string and ...

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Latin Jazz Conversations: Jovino Santos Neto (Part 2)

Source: The Latin Jazz Corner by Chip Boaz
November 12, 2010

Whether similarities are readily apparent on the surface, musical styles share common roots from around the world. We hear an end product that has reached our ears after many different connections with established traditions. We tend to forget that these finely shaped musical products developed through a number of interactions, mostly because we don't obviously see or hear it. Musicians travel though, and they come into contact with countless other artists throughout their lives. Each encounter leaves a mark upon ...

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Lorraine Gordon on Chucho Valdes

Source: Voll-Damm Festival Internacional De Jazz De Barcelona
November 11, 2010

We asked Lorraine Gordon, owner of New York's legendary Village Vanguard, who has presented Chucho Valdés on many occasions, to recommend his highly anticipated concert in Barcelona (with the Afro-Cuban Messengers) on November 17th at the historic Palau de la Música. Here is her answer. On November 1st, in New York City, the great Chucho Valdés made an appearance at the Village Vanguard. Chucho played to two packed houses -at 9 p.m and 11p.m.- and made the new Steinway piano ...

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Interview: Phil Ramone (Part 3)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
November 11, 2010

Recording engineer and producer Phil Ramone had three things going for him when he set up A&R Recording in 1959. First, he was a trained classical musician who could hear what most of his peers could not. Second, he was passionate about making records that sounded more vivid and dynamic than everything else on the market. And third, he was fortunate to have come in contact with the right people at just the right time—notably Atlantic's recording engineer Tom Dowd ...

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Latin Jazz Conversations: Jovino Santos Neto (Part 1)

Source: The Latin Jazz Corner by Chip Boaz
November 11, 2010

For many modern musicians, jazz is not the first port of entry—they actually travel through several different styles before settling into jazz. A number of musicians start instrumental studies firmly rooted in classical music, building technical and artistry skills. While classical music may seem like a totally different world than jazz, they both occupy the art music space, making it a small leap from classical to jazz. Even more artists get their musical interests kickstarted through rock and pop, following ...

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Cool, Hip and Funny

Source: Ken Franckling's Jazz Notes
November 10, 2010

I interviewed singer-guitarist John Pizzarelli for a profile that will be in the December issue of Hot House in conjunction with a mid-month (December 14 to 18) run with his quartet at Birdland in Manhattan. As is usually the case with these encounters, John had far more to say than space allows in the magazine. I'll add a link when the piece is published in the online edition. Here's one such JP gem, part of his discussion about the fun ...

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Interview: Phil Ramone (Part 2)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
November 10, 2010

Back in the late 1950s, New York was peppered with recording studios. Most were on the West Side of Manhattan, between 39th and 58th streets—within striking distance of the Brill Building on Broadway, the television networks on Sixth Ave. and record distributors on 8th and 9th avenues. When Phil Ramone began his career as a recording engineer, he learned the ropes at JAC Recording, which was in the heart of what was still the city's nightclub and entertainer-hangout district. In ...

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Notes from the Net: The Miles Davis Radio Project Reissued; Sanborn Plays Through Pain; Plus News, Reviews, Interviews and More

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
November 10, 2010

Here's the latest compilation of assorted news briefs and links related to jazz, improvisation, and creative music in St. Louis, including news of musicians originally from the Gateway City, recent visitors, and coming attractions, plus assorted other items of interest:

Let's start, as we usually do, with news of Miles Davis. Via Miles Davis Online comes word that Davis, who in the 1970s recorded an album called On The Corner, soon may have an actual NYC street corner named after ...

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