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Jazz Raconteurs

Now well into its second century, jazz has cultivated a deeply rich folklore, with storytelling playing a key role in enhancing our appreciation for this art form. Many enthusiasts are well-versed in the tales of renowned artists, iconic festivals, and milestone events. Yet, equally compelling narratives unfold on a much smaller scale. At this juncture, jazz music's reach is almost universal, its essence greatly enriched by myriad cultural influences from across the globe. There's no question that countless captivating stories remain largely unheard, known only to a few. We aim to provide musicians and other individuals affiliated with jazz a platform to share their unique stories with a broader audience. These narratives range from recounting specific events to chronicling a career trajectory to paying tribute to jazz legends or mentors who have played a pivotal role in the storyteller's journey. Curated by Dave Kaufman.

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Muriel Grossmann Explores A Musical Universe of Boundless Possibility

Read "Muriel Grossmann Explores A Musical Universe of Boundless Possibility" reviewed by Dave Kaufman


Muriel Grossmann, a talented alto, tenor, soprano saxophonist and composer, was born in France and grew up in jny: Vienna. She has lived in jny: Ibiza, Spain, since 2004. Devotion, her 15th album, was released on December 1, 2023, on Third Man Records. I stumbled across this gem on the Tidal streaming service in early January. Grossman was unknown to me, but the album's captivating cover drew me in and I listened without any preconceptions. I was immediately ...

25

Allison Au's Migration Project: Transition, Trauma, and Transcendence

Read "Allison Au's Migration Project: Transition, Trauma, and Transcendence" reviewed by Dave Kaufman


"Human beings are both fixed and wandering, settlers and nomads. Our history is the story of the nomad giving way to the settler but when people are unsettled, they have to migrate." (Ruth Padel, On Migration, 2013) Human migration has exerted a profound and far-reaching influence on the evolution of our civilization and the shaping of our cultural landscape. Much has been written about the Great Migration of the first decades of the 20th century, in which millions ...

23

Tony Malaby: Turnpike Diaries

Read "Tony Malaby: Turnpike Diaries" reviewed by Dave Kaufman


COVID-19 has decimated the live music business and left many jazz musicians without the much-needed income from gigs. The absence of live music has been partially compensated for by livestream performances and a small number of outdoor gigs, including those supported by the Arts for Arts group. Nevertheless, feel-good stories have been few and far between amidst the wreckage of the pandemic. However, Tony Malaby and friends have created a musical oasis in the most unusual of places, a secluded ...

7

Sun Ra's Journey To Moers

Read "Sun Ra's Journey To Moers" reviewed by Greg Drusdow


This story first appeared in the 1996 Moers Jazz Festival program. For those who attended the Moers Festival in 1979, they should remember the closing show of the last night as being one of the most exceptional events in the Moers Festival history--the night the Sun Ra Arkestra landed there. Getting Sun Ra to bring the Arkestra was quite a challenge to festival organizer and impresario Burkhard Hennen, since at the Moers Festival in 1978 he ...

5

Chick Remembers Miles

Read "Chick Remembers Miles" reviewed by Scott H. Thompson


In celebration of Miles Davis' birthday, Chick Corea sent this note to me on the day Miles passed away (September 28, 1991). I'd like to share it with you all... Even though I played in his band for only two years, Miles has been a stable presence in my life since I began listening to him on recordings in the early '50s. Along with my father, Armando, there were two buddies I had—Joel Karp and Lenny Nelson—who used ...

37

Larry Coryell: Free Spirit and Pioneer

Read "Larry Coryell: Free Spirit and Pioneer" reviewed by Steve Khan


Not too long ago, I learned that sadly, one of my great inspirations, guitarist Larry Coryell had passed away here in New York on February 19th, 2017. Somewhere around 1968, I remember being in college at U.C.L.A. and going several times to see Larry play as part of the visionary Gary Burton Quartet. Usually they played at Shelly's Manne-Hole. Perhaps the second time that I saw the group, they were recording their second album, Lofty Fake Anagram in the afternoons ...

16

Bill Evans on meeting Miles

Read "Bill Evans on meeting Miles" reviewed by Nenette Evans


Miles Davis said: “Bill left the band in 1958 and went down to Louisiana to live with his brother. Then he came back after a while and formed his own group. After a while he got Scott LaFaro on bass and Paul Motian on drums and he became very popular with that group, winning a number of Grammy Awards. He was a great little pianist, but I don't think he ever sounded as good after that as he did when ...

9

As Dizzy's World Turns

Read "As Dizzy's World Turns" reviewed by Michael Bourne


Master raconteur, award winning jazz broadcaster and Downbeat contributor, Michael Bourne recounts a series of remarkable stories about Dizzy Gillespie based on experiences that stretch over a couple of decades. Embodying Bobop I happened to be at home in jny: St. Louis when Dizzy Gillespie was playing at this new jazz joint near the baseball park, called The Gourmet Rendezvous, owned by jazz DJ Spider Burks, so I went. I was still relatively new at Downbeat ...

23

Live Trane: Never Before, Never After

Read "Live Trane: Never Before, Never After" reviewed by David Liebman


NEA Jazz Master and much celebrated saxophonist, composer, bandleader, educator and author Dave Liebman recounts the life-changing experiences of witnessing live performances by John Coltrane as told to Dave Kaufman. I always say my epiphany was the first time I saw Coltrane in February of 1962 at Birdland. The fact that I even knew about Birdland at 15 years old was because I was invited to go there a few months earlier by some of the older guys ...

15

David Weiss: Memories of Freddie Hubbard

Read "David Weiss: Memories of Freddie Hubbard" reviewed by David Weiss


Noted trumpeter, composer, and New Jazz Composers Octet founder, David Weiss shares several stories about his experience with trumpet legend Freddie Hubbard. As told to David Kaufman. I met Freddie Hubbard soon after he damaged his lip. I guess what basically happened was he had a blister on his lip that popped and got infected. His doctor thought it might be cancer or something related so they did a biopsy. It came back negative and he thought he ...


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