Interview News

Something Else! Interview: Jazz Drumming Legend Alphonse Mouzon

Source: Something Else!
May 19, 2011

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
May 19, 2011

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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NYU Jazz Interview Series: Stefon Harris

Source: Jazz Online By Joseph Vella
May 18, 2011

"I'm gonna get a t-shirt that says, I HEAR DEAD PEOPLE," proclaimed Stefon Harris just prior to our interview when I asked him what he thought about the state of jazz radio. While his passion and drive are spawn from the traditions of jazz music, Stefon is definitely a trailblazer who lives in the present and is committed to creating new music for new audiences. It was quite clear from his interview that he is a forward thinking artist that ...

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Interview: Marcos Valle (Part 2)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
May 18, 2011

Marcos Valle has a way with a melody, whether he's singing in Portuguese or English or simply playing the piano. Three albums are perfect evidence of his poetic ability: Braziliance! (1967) Samba '68 (1968) and Viola Enluarada (1968). In each case, you hear how Marcos baits a melody line to seduce the listener. Even songs with titles such as Crickets Sing for Anamaria or Chup Chup, I Got Away remain in your head long after the songs have finished playing. ...

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What's New From Taylor Ho Bynum

Source: Chris Rich
May 18, 2011

New CDs

Next, a trio recording with guitarist Joe Morris and bassoonist Sara Schoenbeck, is now available for pre-order from Porter Records; very intimate and intense improvisational chamber music. And two other recent CDs are still warm from the oven: The Throes, a quartet with Nate Wooley on trumpet, Ken Filiano on bass, and Tomas Fujiwara on drums, and Book of Three , a collective trio with bassist John Hébert and drummer Gerald Cleaver. All music I am very proud ...

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Interview: Marcos Valle (Part 1)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
May 17, 2011

The bossa nova was conceived in Rio in the mid-'50s by a generation of highly gifted singer- songwriters who loved West Coast jazz and adapted its lyrical approach to cool off and personalize the samba. Among these Brazilian innovators were Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto, Luiz Bonfa, Joao Donato and Vinicius de Moraes. By the early '60s, the demand in the U.S. and Europe for new catchy bossa nova melodies began to outstrip the supply, and new Brazilian composers were ...

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Singer/songwriter Frank McComb revives early '70s heyday of soul, R&B, and jazz fusion on new CD

Source: Lauren Rogers
May 13, 2011

What to singer/songwriter Frank McComb is A New Beginning is actually a fond trip back for music buffs, especially those who lived through the early '70s heyday of soul and R&B. On A New Beginning, McComb echoes the incandescent urban pop of Stevie Wonder, the rhythmic jazz of George Benson, and the pulsating fusion of Herbie Hancock. On songs such as “Wishful Thinking," with its sparkling keyboards and Wonder-esque harmonies, and “Inspire a Life," riding an infectiously funk groove, McComb ...

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Bari Beast Frank Basile's Simple Keys to Success

Source: Best. Saxophone. Website. Ever.
May 13, 2011

Baritonist Frank Basile gets around. And by that I mean shakin' up the scene with the likes of The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, The Dizzy Gillespie All Star Big Band, The Jimmy Heath Big Band, The Dave Holland Big Band, The Joe Lovano Nonet, Michael Bublé, The Christian McBride Big Band, Pablo Mayor's Folklore Urbano, The Richie Vitale Quintet, The Chris Byars Octet, The Bob Mintzer Big Band, The Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra, Dennis Mackrell's Manhattan Symphony Jazz Orchestra, The Jason ...

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