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The End of Elaine's
Source:
Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
There was a sad changing-times story this week in New York City, where it was big news. Elaine's, the Upper East Side restaurant that for nearly five decades has been a meeting place and hangout for writers, theater and film people and a few musicians, is closing. Elaine Kaufman, who founded the restaurant, died last December. She left it to her manager, Diane Becker, who said business had dropped to the point where she can't keep it going. The last ...
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A Snapshot of Multifaceted Alto Man Rob Wilkerson
Source:
Best. Saxophone. Website. Ever.
One listen to masterful altoist and Selmer Artist Rob Wilkerson's deeply expressive, original, and enchanting album, “Nest“ will make it abundantly clear that Rob is not just another beboppin' alto man. Although his original work favors subtlety over flash and flair, when it comes time to burn, Wilkerson can cut heads with the best of them. How else does a guy become the lead alto in one of the world's most prestigious big bands, North Texas University's One O'Clock Band? ...
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Levon Helm Does Well by Doing Good
Source:
HypeBot
Supporting good causes is one way for musicians to show that they are making a positive contribution to society while making it clear that their success is about being part of a community rather than simply profiting from a community's interest. Though one may understandably feel that one's music is the main contribution an artist can make, leveraging one's own success to help others at whatever level of achievement has been attained is key to being a good community member. ...
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One Track Mind: Alphonse Mouzon on Weather Report, McCoy Tyner, Solo Songs
Source:
Something Else!
By Nick Deriso On this special edition of the Something Else! Reviews' One Track Mind, we hand the reins over to legendary fusion drummer Alphonse Mouzon. A life around jazz, and fellow jazz greats, has left Mouzon with his share of stories. So did the lengthy sessions for his impressive new recording Angel Face, which was 10 years in the making. Find out how he used to stash towels and refreshments behind his drum kit during marathon songs (several of ...
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Willy Deville: A Little Bit Closer
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Willy DeVille is all but forgotten today. Back in 1974, the singer- songwriter founded Mink DeVille, a punk-art band that recorded six albums between 1977 and 1985, all of them excellent. He recorded additional albums as Willy DeVille from 1987 until 2005. As I write in my Wall Street Journal review today (go here) of a new CD compilation due next Tuesday, DeVille was hardly your average CBGB tramp-stamped head-banger. DeVille was unlike any other artist from the period. And ...
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Something Else! Interview: Jazz Drumming Legend Alphonse Mouzon
Source:
Something Else!
By Nick Deriso A seminal force in the berth of fusion, the versatile Alphonse Mouzon has played drums alongside of dizzying array of jazz greats. Even today, it's no different. He worked with Gil Evans on his 1969 release Blues in Orbit, then Roy Ayers at the turn of the decade. Later, Mouzon collaborated with Jaco Pastorius, Donald Byrd and Arild Andersen, then had lengthy stints with McCoy Tyner, Larry Coryell and Herbie Hancock into the 1980s. He was later ...
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Interview: Marcos Valle (Part 3)
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Upon his return to Rio in 1968 following an extended American tour, Marcos Valle began to record with a new confidence. His music also took on a more percussive and rock feel as Brazilian music changed and developed over the decades. But he also retained his knack for passionate ballads and spirited songs with catchy melodies. In Part 3 of my three-part interview with Valle, the legendary singer-songwriter talks about his mentor Antonio Carlos Jobim, his rediscovery by young European ...
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