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Interview

Winter's Solstice

Source: Jazz Online By Joseph Vella
June 9, 2011

Legendary musician, and Grammy Award winner, Paul Winter has pioneered music that blends jazz, classical, world and environmental sounds into his brew of what he calls “Earth Music." For nearly fifty years Winter has traveled the world with his Consort ensemble exploring vast music traditions and spreading his vision, desire and message of a balanced music-ecological community around the globe. His goal with his art and humanitarian message is to create a vital celebration of the creatures and cultures of ...

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Interview

Something Else! Interview: Percussionist Bill Summers, of the Headhunters

Source: Something Else!
June 9, 2011

The Headhunters, who with Herbie Hancock crafted jazz music's first platinum release, return this month with an aptly titled new project—Platinum. In 2003, their million-selling 1973 debut Head Hunters was ranked No. 498 in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Led by longtime drummer Mike Clark and percussionist Bill Summers, the Headhunters had later stand-alone success after Hancock's departure—producing the dance anthem “God Make Me Funky," one of the most sampled fusion songs in history. ...

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Interview

Interview: Berry Gordy Jr. (Part 3)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
June 9, 2011

Over the pat two days, some fans of Motown and Marvin Gaye have sent along emails insisting that Berry Gordy Jr., Motown's founder, was rewriting history. Their contention is that Mr. Gordy had blocked What's Going On in 1970 and 1971 and that he had heated arguments with Gaye over its release. Of course, we will never truly know what actually took place between them, since there are no documents, emails or video. For years Mr. Gordy has been vilified ...

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Interview

Latin Jazz Conversations: Pedro Giraudo (Part 2)

Source: The Latin Jazz Corner by Chip Boaz
June 9, 2011

With each statement that they make, progressive musicians show signs of consistent forward motion and artistic evolution. They reject complacency at every turn and take each available opportunity to grow into more expressive artists. As they release new albums and appear for more performances, they show elements of growth both small and large. They reach plateaus along the way, but they never stay there long; their passionate involvement in music constantly drives them towards deeper study. This focus upon growth ...

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Interview

An interview with best-selling Brazilian vocalist Patty Ascher

Source: Lauren Rogers
June 9, 2011

Brazil-based vocalist Patty Ascher has just released a new album, Bossa, Jazz 'n' Samba, that further solidifies her as among that country's finest jazz talents. Her sultry, playful singing, equally skilled in both English and Portuguese, is stronger than ever, ensuring high entertainment value for any listener. Ascher took some time from her busy schedule to discuss her life and career. Q: What made you want to become a singer? A: I was born in a family of musicians so ...

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Interview

Interview: Berry Gordy Jr. (Part 2)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
June 8, 2011

Meeting Berry Gordy Jr. while on assignment for the Wall Street Journal last week was quite a thrill. Having listened to Motown records since I'm a kid, it was quite something to spend an hour and a half with the person who built the label from scratch and developed the talent. And all of those skills Mr. Gordy learned on his own, without an apprenticeship or a relative in the business. This is not to say that I'm smitten by ...

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Interview

Latin Jazz Conversations: Pedro Giraudo (Part 1)

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

With so many possibilities swirling through the modern world, young people often need to find their way through the contemporary musical landscape towards jazz. Their families exert a strong influence in terms of musical preference, but in most cases, it's not the final word. Popular culture and the sound of the times provide a powerful direction for musical pursuits, one that moves people to action. Along the way, other music will fall into mix, but falling in love with jazz ...

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Interview

Interview: Berry Gordy Jr. (Part 1)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
June 7, 2011

Marvin Gaye's What's Going On (1971) is one of my favorite albums. As I've posted in this space in the past, the album has an unmatched sophisticated and sensitive tribal jazz-soul feel and a powerful socio-political message. For those unfamiliar with What's Going On, the album's vision and success changed soul music, giving artists greater latitude to express their opinons about injustice, poverty, war, pollution and other topics controversial at the time. In today's Wall Street Journal (go here), I ...

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