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Ray Charles

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"In music you just can't escape when something is beautiful," Ray Charles recently said.

Added the legendary singer/pianist/composer, "Like a good song, you can't get away from a good song. You have a good song, and it will still be beautiful, even when somebody with a bad voice sings it. I love the old writers, who wrote beautiful love songs. I came up on those kinds of songs. But I have just as much love for blues and jazz too.

"It's like Duke Ellington said; there are only two kinds of music - good and bad. And you can tell when something is good."

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Article: Journey into Jazz

Record Store Day 2024 Jazz Releases

Read "Record Store Day 2024 Jazz Releases" reviewed by Kyle Simpler


Every year, Record Store Day (RSD) promises limited edition vinyl releases for all tastes in music. From the latest popular artists to the most obscure archival releases, RSD drops try to cover a lot of musical territory. Practically all genres of music are represented and, of course, jazz is no exception. Fortunately, the April 2024 drop ...

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Article: Play This!

Lightnin' Hopkins: Glory Be

Read "Lightnin' Hopkins: Glory Be" reviewed by Ian Patterson


Texas blues singer/guitarist Sam “Lightnin” Hopkins could lay claim to the authentic blues, having worked in the cotton fields for years. He turned electric in the 1950s, and toggled between acoustic and electric guitar with the blues boom and folk revival of the 1960s, influencing everyone from Jimi Hendrix to Stevie Ray Vaughan. But it is ...

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Article: Radio & Podcasts

Abdullah Ibrahim, Julie Kelly, John Coltrane & Sean Mason

Read "Abdullah Ibrahim, Julie Kelly, John Coltrane & Sean Mason" reviewed by Joe Dimino


We kick off a new 846th Episode of Neon Jazz out of Kansas City with rising keyboard talent Sean Mason and music from his 2024 release The Southern Suite. From there, we hear from an indelible influence on Sean in Ray Charles. We also hear a dandy of tunes from the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, John Korbel, ...

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Article: Liner Notes

One For All: Blueslike

Read "One For All: Blueslike" reviewed by C. Andrew Hovan


As the timeworn adage goes, sometimes the best things come from situations where one is asked to function in less than ideal circumstances. When you have little time to analyze things and go with pure instincts, there's an air of veracity and spontaneity to the results that is seldom arrived at by any other means. Although ...

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Article: Liner Notes

Nathan Davis Quintet: The Hip Walk

Read "Nathan Davis Quintet: The Hip Walk" reviewed by Ken Dryden


There are numerous examples of talented American jazz musicians who had long careers but were overlooked by critics, broadcasters and much of the jazz audience, often because they spent decades as full time jazz educators, which limited their opportunities to tour in support of their recordings. Nathan Davis, primarily known as a tenor and soprano saxophonist, ...

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Article: Profile

Lilian Terry: Forever Sisters Of The Soul - Renaissance Jazzwomen

Read "Lilian Terry: Forever Sisters Of The Soul - Renaissance Jazzwomen" reviewed by Kerilie McDowall


I was warmly accepted by a giant such as Duke Ellington during his last seven years. He chose to be my friend, demanding my annual presence during his concert tours in Europe as his “good luck charm," and as his sounding board for all the phrases he would dictate to me, to be used later in ...

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Article: Take Five With...

Meet Tubist Jim Shearer

Read "Meet Tubist Jim Shearer" reviewed by AAJ Staff


Meet Jim Shearer Jim Shearer was born in Water Valley, Mississippi, in 1964. His family owned the local newspaper, The North Mississippi Herald, from 1943-2004, and his father was an active musician on the side, playing jazz saxophone and serving as Minister of Music at the family church (but never at the same time!). After spending ...

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Article: Album Review

Doug Richards Orchestra: Through a Sonic Prism

Read "Through a Sonic Prism" reviewed by Jack Bowers


If the title of the Doug Richards Orchestra's new album, Through a Sonic Prism, seems a bit esoteric, its subtitle--"The Music of Antonio Carlos Jobim"--should help set the mind at ease. This is undeniably beautiful music, handsomely arranged by Richards and flawlessly performed by his eighteen-member Virginia-based ensemble and vocalist Laura Ann Singh, whose seductive voice ...

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Article: Live Review

Kurt Elling and Charlie Hunter at the Boulder Theater

Read "Kurt Elling and Charlie Hunter at the Boulder Theater" reviewed by Geoff Anderson


Kurt Elling Charlie Hunter Superblue Boulder Theater Boulder, Colorado October 8, 2023 Both Kurt Elling and Charlie Hunter have been at the leading edge of jazz and jazz-adjacent music for about 30 years now. They've consistently shown unrelenting creativity, searching for new sounds and innovative concepts. They've collaborated off and on ...


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