Featured Jazz Articles
Beneath Missouri Skies: Pat Metheny in Kansas City 1964-1972
by Kyle Simpler
Beneath Missouri Skies: Pat Metheny in Kansas City 1964-1972 Carolyn Glenn Brewer 266 Pages ISBN: # 978-1-57441-823-1 University of North Texas Press 2021 Although Pat Metheny is in many aspects a global citizen, he is first and foremost a native of Missouri. His midwestern-American background and influences appear in his music much like a motif appears in literature. Perhaps this is most evident in his 1997 album with Charlie Haden, Beyond the Missouri ...
read moreThe Instrument Maker: Roger Sadowsky
by B.D. Lenz
Continuing in my Chats with Cats articles I wanted to speak with an instrument maker. We often forget how important these artisans are to the tone and timbre of the music itself. Being a guitarist, I was excited to speak with Roger Sadowsky, a New York City based guitar and bass maker who has made instruments for some of my favorite musicians. I've often found his kind to be a special breed of people who's attention to detail can only ...
read moreChenin Blanc from the Loire
by Matt Penman
The wild Loire river runs from the Atlantic ocean deep into France's center, and there is beautiful, diverse, and historically under-appreciated wine throughout its entire length. But the middle section, from Angers to the city of Tours, is where Chenin Blanc rules. A varietal with a real talent for expressing the land, it sucks up available minerals and gives wines of generosity or austerity depending on the soil and location--not to mention the personality of the winemaker. Exposed ...
read moreKenny Washington: From the Ninth Ward to the World Stage
by Mark Robbins
As a result of past visits to jny: Norfolk, Kenny Washington has amassed a large following of fans here, so it was no surprise that tickets sold out when the Virginia Arts Festival announced that he would be the first guest of the post-Covid season. As one of the best male jazz vocalist singing today, Kenny had a busy traveling schedule, both in the United States and Europe, when it all came to a sudden stop. Live venues closed, some ...
read moreTuesday Night Jams at the Owl: A 25 Year Legacy in Seattle
by Paul Rauch
Traditionally, the jam session in jazz has provided an outlet for artistic growth and musical connections, for younger musicians to play with more established artists. The oral tradition that has allowed the music to evolve and grow generationally lives at the community jam session. It is a fertile meeting place and proving ground for both established players and newcomers. Most importantly, sessions uphold the values of community and fellowship. While the overall vibe in modern times is infinitely more inclusive ...
read moreClifford Brown’s Trumpet and One Summer in Atlantic City
by Arthur R George
For 22-year-old trumpeter Clifford Brown, the summer of 1953 in jny: Atlantic City, New Jersey, was transformative. Playing with bebop elders, he cumulatively opened the door for what came next: a groove-oriented swinging style, in which small groups used structured arrangements like big bands, with room for improvisation, but less frenzy. It became known as hard bop, or “mainstream." In early June, Brown went to jny: New York City at the call of Tadd Dameron. Dameron planned a ...
read moreMarty Sheller: The Name Behind The Sound You All Know, Part 1
by Skip Heller
There are certain musicians who embody eras, even if they're not the player with their picture on the cover. In our contemporary musical climate, Greg Leisz comes to mind. Since 1991, he has popped up on hundreds of acclaimed albums, and without ever really changing his style, he has become centrifugal beyond the considerations of genre —without having made an album as a leader. But it's difficult to think of the last 35 years of American music without him as ...
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