Home » Jazz News
Video / DVD News
Timely announcements covering new album releases, tours, concert series, special events, job postings, crowdfunding campaigns and more. You can find more news by searching our website, viewing our news stream, seeing what's trending or reading our blog posts. Subscribe to our news RSS feed and/or embed AAJ news content on your website or blog. Learn about our news service here. Submit news here.
STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Six from Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey
Source:
St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
This week, let's look at some videos featuring Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, who are coming back to St. Louis to perform next Saturday, February 1 at The Demo. Formed in Tulsa, OK in 1994, JFJO are celebrating their 20th year as a band with, among other things, a set at the recently completed Winter Jazzfest in NYC, and having a craft beer named in their honor by Oklahoma’s Prairie Artisan Ales. (They last appeared here in St. Louis in 2011 ...
Continue Reading
Ben Webster: Europe, 1967
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
In 1967, Dutch director Johan van der Keuken filmed tenor saxophonist Ben Webster when he lived in the Rivierenbuurt section of Amsterdam. In Big Ben: Ben Webster in Europe, we see Webster performing, sitting in a cafe and talking to his landlady. In other words, it's not a conventional documentary but more like slices of life, giving us an up-close feel for Webster going about his business. Also featured is Don Byas. [Pictured above: Ben Webster in 1967] A big ...
Continue Reading
Shorty Rogers: 'Jazz Scene USA'
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
If you're a YouTube hound, then you're certainly familiar with a clip or two from 1962 featuring flugelhornist Shorty Rogers and His Giants. Those clips—in relatively poor audio and visual condition—make up part of Rogers' appearance on Jazz Scene USA, a nationally syndicated show produced by Steve Allen. Last week, Jimi Mentis in Athens provided a link to the full show in sterling form. A big thanks to Jimi. Here's Shorty Rogers and his Giants—Rogers (flhn), Gary LeFebvre (ts, fl), ...
Continue Reading
STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Spotlight on Matt Wilson
Source:
St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
Today, let's spend some time with drummer and bandleader Matt Wilson, who will be in St. Louis with his quartet and special guest pianist John Medeski to perform next Wednesday, January 22 through Saturday, January 25 at Jazz at the Bistro. Wilson, who grew up in Knoxville, IL, has played in St. Louis a number of times in recent years, including last year at the Bistro with clarinetist Anat Cohen to kick off the 2013 Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival. ...
Continue Reading
See The Music Of Laurie Antonioli and Richie Beirach
Source:
Laurie Antonioli
A short improvisational piece from master pianist Richie Beirach and song stylist Laurie Antonioli taken from their Duo Session recording is a gorgeous series of brush strokes and images that capture the feeling and sound of this song. Laurie is the Director of the Jazzschool Institute Vocal program and her student, Susana Pineda created this video as a gift for her teacher. It turns out that her intuition was stunning as Richie Beirach's favorite artist is Paul Klee. Young Susana, ...
Continue Reading
STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Winter/Spring 2014 Jazz Preview, Part 5
Source:
St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
This week, it's the fifth and final installment of StLJN's winter/spring 2014 jazz preview, giving you a chance to check out live performance videos of the various touring jazz and creative music performers coming to St. Louis in the next few months. (If you missed the earlier posts, or want to take another look, here are and part four.) Today's first clip up above features singer Catherine Russell, who will make her St. Louis debut as a headliner on Saturday, ...
Continue Reading
Gene Rodgers: Lost Pianist
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
One of jazz's most enduring hits is Coleman Hawkins' October 1939 recording of Body and Soul. The rendition ranks pretty near the top of every jazz fan's list of favorites in terms of daring and influence. The tenor saxophone came into prominence after Hawk's recording and its sound would never be the same. [Pictured above, Gene Rodgers] Backing Hawkins that day on the three-minute recording was Tommy Lindsay, Joe Guy (tp) Earl Hardy (tb) Jackie Fields, Eustis Mo (as), Gene Rodgers ...
Continue Reading
Stan Kenton: Germany, 1953
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Between 1949 and 1951, Stan Kenton led a 39-piece band known as the Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra. The band's dreamy, Wagner-esque jazz arrangements were hip for a brief period but soon took on the characteristics of a wobbly truck transporting too much fine furniture. The orchestrations didn't click with young audiences and Kenton's musicians grew weary performing the syrupy modern-classical material. So in January 1952, Kenton abruptly retooled and began commissioning swinging charts by Johnny Richards, Shorty Rogers, Gerry ...
Continue Reading
