Jazz News

Pianist Esbjorn Svensson Dead at 44

Source: All About Jazz
June 15, 2008

Swedish jazz musician Esbjörn Svensson, 44 years old, died during a diving accident yesterday outside of Värmdö near Stockholm.

He was in a company of divers on Saturday June 14th at a Swedish jetty/landing stage under supervision of a dive-leader when he was found severely injured at the bottom. Resuscitation was unsuccessful. The police will investigate the cause of Svensson's death. The announcement of the death came as a shock for the chairman of the Swedish Jazz Society: “He was ...

Continue Reading

David Cook America's Accidental Idol

Source: All About Jazz
June 15, 2008

David Cook didn't even plan to try out for American Idol - and then he won

Less than a week after winning American Idol, David Cook is sitting in a glitzy restaurant on the south tip of Manhattan's Central Park. The chef, who proudly says he was among the 55 million who phoned in a vote for Cook during Idol's finals, presents the singer with an off- the-menu treat -- foie gras on toast -- that leaves Cook unnerved. “That ...

Continue Reading

Hollywood Bowl Jazz Fathers Day with the Playboy

Source: All About Jazz
June 15, 2008

30th Anniversary Celebrations With Hef At The Playboy Jazz Festival Hollywood Bowl Sunday

Herbie Hancock and The River of Possibilities Tour featuring Dave Holland, Vinnie Colaiuta, Chris Potter, Linonel Loueke and Sonya Kitchell Keb' Mo' Roy Hargrove's Big Band Guitars & Saxes featuring Gerlad Albright, Jeff Golub, jeff Lorber & Peter White Dee Dee Bridgewater Red Earth:A Malian Journey Ivan Lins with special guest Oscar Castro-Neves Ben Riley's ...

Continue Reading

Tony Adamo's Straight Up Deal CD

Source: All About Jazz
June 15, 2008

Tony Adamo's “Straight up Deal" CD is Silky, Charismatic and Seductive

Jazz vocalist Tony Adamo struts back with his silky, charismatic, and, as I'm sure many ladies will confirm, seductive vocals on this clever new release Straight Up Deal. While I've classified this recording as smooth jazz, it really serves up equal doses of funk, smooth jazz, and R&B. There are also elements of island rhythms and cool, piano-bar jazz. A true cornucopia of coolness in each genre. I first ...

Continue Reading

Love at First Touch

Source: Michael Ricci
June 15, 2008

Glenn Gould's Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano. The real hero of Katie Hafner's book “A Romance on Three Legs" is not, as the subtitle suggests, the pianist Glenn Gould, or even the piano he was obsessed with, but a nearly blind man named Verne Edquist, who confirms that behind every great pianist is a great tuner. Hafner, a former correspondent for The New York Times, tells Gould's story through his obsessions, for which this Canadian virtuoso became almost as ...

Continue Reading

Bill Reichenbach: A Master Musician Kept His Life's Time in the Rhythm of Jazz

Source: All About Jazz
June 15, 2008

Bill Reichenbach never wanted to do anything except play the drums. When he was 5, he took apart a banjo and started beating out a rhythm on the soundbox. Through the years, he built a solid reputation as a steady rhythmic anchor at Washington nightclubs and for touring big bands. He was never well known beyond the jazz circuit, but for one golden moment, he unexpectedly found himself at the launch of a new national phenomenon. In 1961, Washington guitarist ...

Continue Reading

Botti's Jazz Music is All About Style, Mood

Source: All About Jazz
June 15, 2008

His 2007 effort, Italia, was nominated for a Grammy Award. Smooth jazz for the hip crowd is what trumpeter and composer Chris Botti provides the musical world. Perhaps what separates the Oregon native from his peers is he rarely enters into the schmaltzy sounds of, say, Kenny G. Instead, there's an edge to Botti's work, which explains why he's played with so many big names in his nearly 15-year career. The list includes Sting, Andrea Bocelli, Jill Scott, Josh Groban, ...

Continue Reading

Jack Sheldon Film Extends Dates in Los Angeles

Source: All About Jazz
June 15, 2008

EXCLUSIVE LOS ANGELES ENGAGEMENT Extends Dates

Trying To Get Good: the Jazz Odyssey of Jack Sheldon at the historic CREST THEATER in Westwood, California has extended it's engagement to run through Thursday June 19th.

The great response to the documentary, often with lines half way around the block, the film makers have extended the run until the beginning of the LA Film Festival. Compelling and Highly Entertaining of the Consummate Musician, Irrepressible Comedian, and Ultimate Jazz Survivor, Jack Sheldon.

Continue Reading