Interview News

Al Jarreau's Recovery 'Going Well'

Source: JamaicaMusic Offbeat
July 28, 2010

Jazz star Al Jarreau's recovery is “going well" following his recent health scare and he could be released from hospital as soon as this weekend, according to his doctor.The 70-year-old Grammy winner had been receiving treatment at a hospital in the French Alps following his collapse last week, moments before his set at a music festival in Barcelonnette. He was transferred to a health facility in Marseille on Saturday (24th) after the altitude caused problems with ...

Continue Reading

Interview: Gary Burton (Part 1)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
July 27, 2010

In the 1960s, vibraphonist Gary Burton bridged three jazz gaps. In 1960 he was the link between jazz and country. In 1964 he helped link jazz and bossa nova. And in 1967, he began to link jazz and rock, becoming one of the earliest exponents of jazz-rock fusion. [Photo by Karlheinz Kluter]

From his earliest recordings, Gary always had a marvelous sense of swing and sensitivity--without overplaying. His cool, four-mallet approach to the vibes added a youthful feel to many ...

Continue Reading

Jean-Michel Pilc: Room to improv

Source: Michael Ricci
July 25, 2010

Virtuosic pianist Jean-Michel Pilc finds success by following intuition Mathematics and music are often seen as complementary fields, realms governed by beautifully confluent systems of logic. But for Jean-Michel Pilc--an aerospace engineer by training and jazz pianist by calling--music exists in a universe apart, where intuitive communion on the bandstand transcends the left-brain's dominion. Self-taught and resistant to theory, Pilc has developed a coruscatingly melodic approach inspired by his formative musical exposure, listening to jazz records as a 7-year-old, memorizing ...

Continue Reading

Pat Metheny Speaks

Source: Voll-Damm Festival Internacional De Jazz De Barcelona
July 25, 2010

About his quartet (Lyle Mays, Steve Rodby, Antonio Sánchez):“This is the core of my band, the Pat Metheny Group, in action. We did some concerts like this, just as a quartet, last year in Asia, playing a lot of the music from across all the years we have been together in a basic, kind of stripped down way. The audience reaction was incredible and we had a blast doing it." About music categories:“I really ...

Continue Reading

Latin Jazz Conversations: Chris Washburne (Part 4)

Source: The Latin Jazz Corner by Chip Boaz
July 25, 2010

Once a musician matures into an intelligent and experienced artist, they have several choices about the purpose behind their music. Their musical output could simply be a way to connect with the public, making them dance or causing an emotional reaction. They might dig deep inside their identity and creatively blend together musical pieces, constructing an artistic reflection of their inner personality. They could look at the world around them and see a need for action, turning their music into ...

Continue Reading

Jazz Pianist Guillermo Klein Tackles Iconoclast 'Cuchi' Leguizamón

Source: All About Jazz @ Spinner
July 24, 2010

There is a select list of musicians in jazz who are far from being a household name, but they have the respect if not outright adoration of their peers. Argentine composer/arranger/pianist Guillermo Klein is such an artist. He's released a handful of CDs under his own name since attending Boston's Berkelee College of Music from 1990 through 1992. His canvas has always been bigger bands, and he has undeniable knack for matching beautiful melodies to brilliant but unconventional arrangements. At ...

Continue Reading

Latin Jazz Conversations: Chris Washburne (Part 3)

Source: The Latin Jazz Corner by Chip Boaz
July 24, 2010

Some musicians carry an innate strength that pushes their musical statements out into the world with an undeniable power. They work as hard as any other musician, and in some cases they work harder; they simply refuse to let their musical ideas be cut short in any way. Many scenarios that would find a regular musician defeated--a lack of work, incompatible collaborators, lifestyle demands--all these situations simply slow this musician's artistic momentum. When the most imposing developments alter their career, ...

Continue Reading

Interview Dianne Reeves, Forever in the Moment

Source: AAJ Staff
July 23, 2010

from the Colorado Springs Independent

Forever in the moment by Sarah White

What happens when you grow up in a family drenched in music? One possibility is that you decide you hate music. Another is that you become jazz darling Dianne Reeves.

Reeves' unique jazz sound stems in part from a confluence of musical styles that run in her family. She remembers watching her uncle's hands as he performed in the Denver Symphony Orchestra. She also recalls stories about ...

Continue Reading