Interview News

Pianist Steve Kuhn Speaks Out About Japan at AAJ

Source: ECM Records
August 19, 2009

Steve Kuhn's most recent CD, Mostly Coltrane (ECM, 2009), pays tribute to John Coltrane, having been the first pianist in the legendary saxophonist's quartet. He also has played as a sideman with Kenny Dorham, Art Farmer, Stan Getz and many others. Mostly Kuhn has led his own groups, largely trios with bassists including Buster Williams, Eddie Gomez and David Finck and drummers such as Al Foster and Billy Drummond.

Kuhn has a long association with ECM Records, which also released ...

Continue Reading

Singer Karrin Allyson Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
August 18, 2009

Karrin Allyson is one of the busiest jazz vocalists on the domestic and international scene these days. Starting her musical journey studying classical piano, Allyson discovered jazz and jazz singing in college and thus claimed her future.

Over the years, Allyson has honed her singing, songwriting and piano skills and has recorded twelve CDs, all on the Concord Record label; the longtime association considered a major feat in the recording industry. This has led to three Grammy nominations in the ...

Continue Reading

Gerald Clayton: Meet the Band

Source: Michael Ricci
August 18, 2009

Two Shade, the debut release from pianist Gerald Clayton features interactive, dynamic trio playing. This week, we'll meet the band which consists of Joe Sanders on bass, and Justin Brown on drums.

Joseph Sanders, was raised with the sound of the Church, and he showed interest at an early age in the bass. In middle school, since there was only a classical program, Sanders switched from electric to Double Bass. Upon receiving a scholarship for inner-city youth, he was entitled ...

Continue Reading

Interview: Laurie Verchomin (PT. 1)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
August 18, 2009

From May 1979 to September 1980, Laurie Verchomin was pianist Bill Evans' lover. After their meeting in Edmonton, Canada, in April 1979, Laurie and Bill struck up a letter-writing relationship that led rapidly to romance. Within a month and a half, Laurie, who was 22 years old at the time, visited Evans in New York. Over the 10 months that followed, she visited him in several different cities. Then in April 1980, Laurie moved to New York to be with ...

Continue Reading

Jazz Ambassadors Connect with Youth Through Music

Source: Michael Ricci
August 17, 2009

By Heather Santos “Jazz speaks for life." This declaration by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival says it all. Recognizing music can be a lifeline for many, the Ambassadors Jazztet, a six-member ensemble comprised of Soldier-musicians from the Jazz Ambassadors-America's Big Band, recently performed for a group of economically disadvantaged kids during their 2009 spring tour. The students, varying in age from second-graders to high school seniors, thoroughly enjoyed the performance and question-and-answer session that ...

Continue Reading

AAJ Interviews Some of Today's Most Intrepid Big Band Leaders

Source: Braithwaite & Katz Communications
August 17, 2009

The big band in jazz has a long and glorious history. It was a prevalent form in jazz music in the '20s and '30s, comprising a substantial part of America's popular music heard on radio, spun on gramophones and record players, and enjoyed in dance halls. In the post-World War II era music began to change, as the harmonic and rhythmic breakthroughs of bebop began to impact the music.

Big bands fell out of favor. Financially, it was always tough ...

Continue Reading

Rashied Ali's Last Interview (Recorded August 5, 2009) Now Available

Source: Michael Ricci
August 15, 2009

Drummer and composer Rashied Ali, who passed away on August 12, speaks in a 17-minute interview with pianist and composer Mika Pohjola. The interview was made on August 5, one week before Mr. Ali passed away. Mr. Ali talks about his time as John Coltrane's drummer, the music scene in the 60s, the downtown New York loft scene in the 70s when he owned the legendary jazz club Ali's Alley, and his philosophy as a music entrepreneur and a leader ...

Continue Reading

Jazz Guitarist Howard Alden Reflects on the Life of Les Paul

Source: Michael Ricci
August 14, 2009

Today, in New York, at White Plains Hospital, guitar legend, Les Paul died of complications from pneumonia. He was 94 years old. Aside from having what any of us would consider to be a good run in the longevity department, Les Paul also realized great quality of life achievements within the quantity of his years. Since the birth of rock and roll, every kid with a dream wanted to own a Gibson Les Paul guitar; the six-string electric named for ...

Continue Reading