Jazz News

Students Make Latin Connection

Source: All About Jazz
January 18, 2009

It's not unusual for teenage boys to play in a band, but 15-year-old Chase Morrin not only plays in several different types of bands, he performs professionally with all of them throughout San Diego County.

Morrin, a piano-playing sophomore at Canyon Crest Academy, recently performed with his band, the Latin Connection Quintet at Dizzy's in San Diego. The group will play their monthly gig Nov. 21 at Starbucks at Fifth and F streets in downtown San Diego and Dec. 5 ...

Continue Reading

Inspiring Song, Spirit at Lincoln Memorial Concert

Source: Michael Ricci
January 18, 2009

Celebrities and tens of thousands of Americans converge on the National Mall to kickoff Obama's inauguration. Though the temperatures hovered around freezing and the sky was overcast, the excitement of the crowd was palpable.

Joined by tens of thousands of well-wishers who gathered at the foot of the evocative Lincoln Memorial, President-elect Barack Obama celebrated his imminent inauguration at a star-studded gala this afternoon filled with the electric sense of history as the nation prepared for its first African American ...

Continue Reading

Sinan Bakir's Debut Album "On My Way"

Source: All About Jazz
January 18, 2009

On My Way - Sinan Bakir (self-released) - Bakir, born and raised in Turkey, came to the United States to study guitar after completing his college studies in engineering. His studies brought him to Hartford and he has slowly but steadily begun to make a name on the Connecticut jazz scene. Bakir plays in many different settings, including solo, duo, trio and quartet.

In late November of 2008, he recorded his debut CD at Rotary Records in West Springfield, Massachusetts. ...

Continue Reading

Paul Simon at the Beacon Theatre

Source: All About Jazz
January 18, 2009

The surprise artist who will help reopen the refurbished Beacon Theatre in New York is non other than Paul Simon.

Simon the Graceland singer will perform on February 13 and 14th at the venue that underwent a seven-month, $15 million restoration. Leonard Cohen will make his return to the States there on February 19th.

Paul Simon will host two historic concerts on Friday, February 13 and Saturday, February 14 following MSG Entertainments 7-month, $15 million restoration of the iconic venue. ...

Continue Reading

Peter Bernstein Trio Monk CD

Source: Michael Ricci
January 18, 2009

Thelonious Monk’s music presents a challenge for any jazz musician, but the going can be especially rough on guitarists. The songs are often physically scaled for the piano: those sharp intervals and tangled clusters don’t fall as naturally on a fretboard.

So Peter Bernstein faces a basic hurdle with Monk (Xanadu/The Orchard), his vigorous new album. To his credit, the translation goes almost unnoticed. What sticks out instead is his soulful affinity to the material and the dapper chatter of ...

Continue Reading

Ray Santisi's Berklee Jazz Piano

Source: Patricia Adams Ensembles
January 18, 2009

Play jazz piano with new facility and expression as Ray Santisi, one of the most revered educators at the Berklee College of Music.

Mentor to Keith Jarrett, Diana Krall, Joe Zawinul, and thousands of others - reveals the pedagogy at the core of Berklee's jazz piano curriculum. From beginning through advanced levels, Berklee Jazz Piano maps the school's curriculum.

This is a unique blend of theory and application that gives you a deep, practical understanding of how to play jazz. ...

Continue Reading

Laurie Krauz & the Daryl Kojak Octet "Tapestry Rewoven"

Source: All About Jazz
January 18, 2009

Laurie Krauz headlines with The Daryl Kojak Octet bringing their acclaimed Tapestry Rewoven, a jazz re-imagining of the Carole King classic, to Iridium the first Tuesday of every month beginning January 6th.

Preview performances played to packed houses and standing ovations and the buzz has been, literally, off the charts! Fans are calling it brilliant, incredible, a hurricane of entertainment, genius, and wildly triumphant. Back Stage called it a masterwork not unlike her idols.

Extraordinary work. Every element and every ...

Continue Reading

Brian Wilson Charms with Nostalgia at the Grammy Museum

Source: Michael Ricci
January 17, 2009

When it comes to living rock 'n' roll legends, few hold as much allure as Brian Wilson. The pop hits, the grand orchestrations, the battles with drugs and mental health issues, the lost albums and the recent career rebirth all make for a compellingly colorful narrative.

None of it was probed too deeply in a Thursday evening discussion and performance at the recently opened Grammy Museum in downtown Los Angeles. But this wasn't a night built to debunk myths. In ...

Continue Reading