Home » Jazz News
Interview News
Timely announcements covering new album releases, tours, concert series, special events, job postings, crowdfunding campaigns and more. You can find more news by searching our website, viewing our news stream, seeing what's trending or reading our blog posts. Subscribe to our news RSS feed and/or embed AAJ news content on your website or blog. Learn about our news service here. Submit news here.
Sonny Rollins Takes a Ride
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
A couple of months ago, I asked Sonny Rollins if he would be willing to visit his old neighborhood in Harlem with me from the back of a comfortable car for the Wall Street Journal. His 80th birthday was coming (September 7). So was a much heralded concert at New York's Beacon Theater (September 10). Now was an ideal time to reflect and look ahead. [Photo by John Abbott] Sonny agreed. So several Sundays ago, Sonny and I traveled uptown ...
Continue Reading
Eden Brent: A Jazz Queen With a Case of the Blues
Source:
All About Jazz @ Spinner
Jazz grew out of the blues some time in the late 19th or early 20th century in and around New Orleans. While the two styles grew apart as each developed its own lexicon, there's no mistaking the fact that the they are deeply intertwined—one need look no further than Billie Holiday, Count Basie and most musicians from New Orleans and other places on the Delta. Pianist Eden Brent falls into this nebulous musical world, singing in ...
Continue Reading
Happy Birthday, Gene Harris!
Source:
Riffs on Jazz by John Anderson
Pianist Gene Harris (1933-2000) recorded prolifically during his long career. He started out playing in Army bands during the early 1950s. In 1956, he formed The Three Sounds with Andy Simpkins on bass and Bill Dowdy on drums. (Actually, it was originally The Four Sounds, but saxophonist Lonnie “The Sound" Walker dropped out after a year.) The group recorded exclusively with Blue Note Records from 1958 to 1962, including LPs with the likes of Lou Donaldson and Stanley Turrentine (the ...
Continue Reading
Zappa Bust to be Unveiled in Baltimore on 9/19
Source:
JamBase
SEPTEMBER 19 WILL BE DECLARED “FRANK ZAPPA DAY" IN BALTIMORE Details of events were announced today for the unveiling of a sculpture of Frank Zappa and celebration honoring the composer for the legacy of his music and his commitment to the First Amendment. September 19, 2010 marks the 25th anniversary of Zappa's testimony on Capitol Hill and at Annapolis against the censorship of free expression by artists. In commemoration of this event, Zappa Records is preparing to release Congress Shall ...
Continue Reading
Orrin Keepnews on Bill Evans
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
In rereading producer Orrin Keepnews' superb book, The View From Within, a collection of his jazz writings and recollections over the years, I came across the following passage on Bill Evans and the recording of Explorations. I've often posted that the years between 1959 and 1965 represent my favorite Bill Evans period, with Explorations being among my favorite recording, primarily for its poetic ideas and bounce. Here's Orrin, a recently named NEA Jazz Master, on the February 2, 1961 session ...
Continue Reading
Interview: Rob Macarthur of Ioumusic (Part Two)
Source:
HypeBot
Kyle Bylin: Artists too, those of the old and new digital sphere, share in this certain degree of dichotomy in their attitudes toward new technology and their willingness to integrate it into their careers. Why must artists embrace as much chaos as they can stand with new technology and let it transform their role as cultural creators rather than clinging to 20th century notions of what it means to make art? Rob MacArthur: A friend put it best in working ...
Continue Reading
Charlie Parker and McKusick's Suit
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
In early 1945, saxophonist Hal McKusick found himself in Los Angeles sharing a hotel room with arranger and pianist George Handy. Weeks earlier, Hal and Handy had been in Boston with Boyd Raeburn's band. But just before Christmas 1944, they quit in protest. Raeburn was handing solos meant for tenor saxophonist Al Cohn's to alto saxophonist Johnny Bothwell, a move they felt made little musical sense. In a burst of bravado, Hal and Handy decided to fly to the West ...
Continue Reading
