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Sometimes poignant.... sometimes humorous....always about jazz. The musings of a lifetime jazz listener in stories, concert reviews, profiles, interviews, and more.

20

Dean Brown: Global Fusion on Acid

Read "Dean Brown: Global Fusion on Acid" reviewed by Jim Worsley


In memory of Dean Brown. This interview was first published at All About Jazz on April 23, 2021. From the outset, the equation was simple enough. Jazz + rock = fusion. However, whether it was Miles Davis, Larry Coryell, John McLaughlin, or any of the pioneers of fusion, the music has always been far from simplistic. Musical depth has long been the trademark of a genre that has been through many incarnations and traversed a multitude of directions. ...

13

Leni Stern: The Twenty Year Audition

Read "Leni Stern: The Twenty Year Audition" reviewed by Jim Worsley


Composer and musician Leni Stern has big news to share. She chose to do so quietly, with her usual cool, low-key and savoir-faire charm. In conversation with only my wife and I, recently at a jazz club in Los Angeles, she left us elated with the kind of news most other artists would be screaming from a mountain top. But that's not how this classy European-born artist rolls. It's another milestone accomplishment, in a career chalked with them. But let's ...

2

Eric Reed Quartet, Pan African People's Arkestra and Pharoah Sanders / Joey DeFrancesco Tribute Band

Read "Eric Reed Quartet, Pan African People's Arkestra and Pharoah Sanders / Joey DeFrancesco Tribute Band" reviewed by Chuck Koton


Eric Reed Quartet Sam FirstLos Angeles, CA June 9, 2023 This spring's weather was unseasonably cool, but the jazz scene has been hot in California! In June, master pianist Eric Reed brought his quartet, including tenor saxophonist Ralph Moore, bassist Mike Gurrola and drummer Reggie Quinerly to Sam First, a cozy jazz club just east of Los Angeles International Airport.  The band opened with a composition of Moore's titled “623 C Street," which, according to Mr Reed, ...

23

Jeff Richman: Fresh & Formidable Fusion Pioneer

Read "Jeff Richman: Fresh & Formidable Fusion Pioneer" reviewed by Jim Worsley


When the name Jeff Richman enters the conversation, there is a good chance you have nested deeply into the fusion guitarist rabbit hole. Richman recently released his eighteenth studio album XYZ (Blue Canoe, 2023), to go along with six gorgeously respectful tribute records. Now 71, the Berklee College of Music grad, has etched his name in fusion history. His career, which includes composing, arranging, playing, teaching, and writing for television and movies, dates back to the late 1970's. After cutting ...

16

Sam First Records: Live Jazz on Vinyl

Read "Sam First Records: Live Jazz on Vinyl" reviewed by Jim Worsley


Four short years ago I had the pleasure of attending and putting pen to paper (well, not literally anymore) about Sam First, jny: Los Angeles' hottest new jazz, haunt, which had made a splash on the city's jazz scene. Subsequent visits further validated the hip vibe of modernism combined with vintage jazz. To say that the formula has worked is quite the understatement. The atmosphere and acoustics allow jazz to be presented and heard the way it was meant to ...

9

The Music of Thelonious Monk: John Beasley's MONK'estra Live

Read "The Music of Thelonious Monk: John Beasley's MONK'estra Live" reviewed by Jim Worsley


If you are familiar with John Beasley's MONK'estra, then you may understand my excitement level at the prospects of seeing and hearing his music in a live show. The brilliance of Thelonious Monk's compositions propelled by the power and sass of big band swagger. This recent performance took place at The Barclay Performing Arts Center on the campus of UC Irvine. The city of Irvine is located on the south end of Orange County, about forty miles south of Los ...

4

The Weckl/Kennedy Project: Live at The Catalina Jazz Club

Read "The Weckl/Kennedy Project: Live at The Catalina Jazz Club" reviewed by Jim Worsley


If you are a fan of fusion, you likely know that Tom Kennedy and Dave Weckl started playing together in their early teens. Recently, Weckl reminisced about that glorious time in their lives, while on stage at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood. Yes, it was the Weckl/Kennedy Project playing the finale of a three-night engagement. The quartet also includes tenor and soprano saxophonist Bob Franceschini and keyboardist Stu Mindeman. Weckl's fond memories were of a young trio learning, pushing ...

27

Dennis Chambers: Heartbeats and Backbeats

Read "Dennis Chambers: Heartbeats and Backbeats" reviewed by Jim Worsley


We all know that Dennis Chambers is among the world's greatest drummers. In a spontaneous conversation, the gentleman proved to be as kind and generous as he is with his backbeats and grooves. He spoke candidly about the life threatening battles he has faced. Spanning from intense to humorous, Chambers opened up on his medical ordeals, the road back to health, and getting back behind his kit. And oh yes, we talked about music. Led Zeppelin might seem ...

14

Lukasz Pawlik: Making Long Distance Connections

Read "Lukasz Pawlik: Making Long Distance Connections" reviewed by Jim Worsley


It would come as no surprise if the last name Pawlik is familiar to you. Grammy-winning jazz composer and pianist Wlodek Pawlik, from Poland, has been a vital part of the jazz community for many years now. As it turns out, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. His son, Lukasz Pawlik, is a multitalented multi-instrumentalist who has surely raised the fusion bar of intelligence and melodic sensibilities. His cast on Long Distance Connections (Summit Records, 2021) ...

28

Hiromi: Dancing and Smiling With Every Note

Read "Hiromi: Dancing and Smiling With Every Note" reviewed by Jim Worsley


Few musicians have impacted the jazz and music world with the zeal and character of Hiromi. She paints on the finest palette, on par with the finest wine or richest chocolate. Her ambitious and superlative skills as a pianist are matched by the complexities and sheer genius of her compositions. Whether flying solo, in trio, quartet, and beyond, Hiromi brings her vibrance and innate chemistry to all that she touches. Now there are strings attached...to her bold new record. Hiromi ...


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