Alessandro Sgobbio Releases 'Piano Music 2' - An Intimate Collection Of Dedications For Piano And Live Electronics
Piano Music 2 (2023) is Alessandro Sgobbio’s follow-up to his acclaimed Piano Music (2022). The Italian pianist and composer presents nine new intimate compositions, each of them dedicated to a person, place or topic that have a special meaning and importance to him. The album is a meditative sound experience that invites the listeners to actively reconnect with the powerful meanings of natural and spiritual elements (“Modular Circles”, “The River”, “Tula”, ”Einhausung”), finding inspirations from special historical episodes of cities ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Register for jazzahead! 2024 in Bremen, Germany
Showcase Application Deadline: October 18, 2023 In keeping with the motto “New Horizons” the registration for the 18th edition of jazzahead! at MESSE BREMEN has begun. It also marks the opening for the six-week showcase application period: from now on until 18 October, musicians and bands can apply online on the website for one of the 40 showcase slots at the world’s biggest jazz industry gathering in Bremen, Germany. “Our wish is to present a cutting-edge, positively “unheard of” programme ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Ryan Oliver: Zigging With A Jazz Maestro, His Secrets and Wisdom
Tenor saxophonist Ryan Oliver of Canada's The Cookers Quintet, is no stranger to the art of touring the globe. For years he was an integral part of The Shuffle Demons, an adored Toronto jazz saxophone group known for their mid-'80s hit single, “Spadina Bus," written in humorous reference to the Toronto Transit Commission's Spadina Avenue bus that served a vibrant and unique neighbourhood in downtown jny: Toronto, and other treasures such as “Out of My House, Roach," ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Annual West Orange Jazzfest At OSPAC Set for October 7, 2023
2023 Annual West Orange JazzFest Saturday, October 7, 2023 2:00-9:00 PM Doors open at 1:30 PM The Annual West Orange Jazz Festival is almost here! Saturday, October 7, 2-9 pm at the Oskar Schindler Performing Arts Center located at 4 Boland Drive in West Orange New Jersey. Jazz lovers!—jazz jazz and more jazz! We welcome you to enjoy a day of world-class entertainment. Meet Your Hosts: Greg Burrus and Lynette Sheard Your hosts for the evening ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Dave Meder: Modern Gothic
Hymn tunes are having a bit of a moment with players such as Dave Douglas and James Brandon Lewis calling on these sturdy old melodies for projects that often wander far from their plain, homespun source material. On New American Hymnal (Outside in Music, 2023), pianist Dave Meder goes a step further by making the communal nature of hymn-singing a metaphor for the current state of society in the United States. “Modern Gothic" joyously references the simple triadic harmonies of ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Bobby Zankel: The Inside Story of 'A Change of Destiny'
Saxophonist, bandleader, composer and arranger Bobby Zankel has been making jazz in many ways with diverse cohorts for over a half-century. He has found his own way to create music that is both advanced and very listenable at the same time. He is loved and revered by the many musicians who have performed with him and by his audiences and fan base, especially as a result of the recordings and performances of his Warriors of the Wonderful Sound Big Band, ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Quatuor Hot Club De Suisse! - Pierre Omer's Swing Revue Returns With Tropical Breakdown
Pierre Omer's music catalog is steeped in bygone eras and rooted in brass, anachronism, and harmonious strings. Gypsy jazz laced with Eastern European folk is prevalent in music he's written for the vaudevillian doom-blues funeral orchestra, The Dead Brothers, which he co-founded at the turn of the century. His dark blues trio, Los Gatillos, takes influence from Southern Gothic lore, while early 20th-century roots music melds with Appalachian folk to back Omer's low baritone croon with The Night Cruisers. A ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
The Rat Pack vs. the Kids in the Kitchen: Are Those Our Only Choices?
It was a more important anniversary than most so we decided to splurge on a local restaurant that always gives me buyer's remorse when I get the check. My wife and I are both getting up in years and we eat out at what she used to jokingly refer to as “blue hair hours," when you can get the early-bird special if you want. In that time slot the crowd consists of senior citizen guys and their wives, ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
François Houle: Insider Listening that Makes You Clever
Canadians and local Vancouverites have been in awe at BC, Canada's prestigious regular rising star clarinetist François Houle's international ranking status. Houle creates brilliantly fascinating compositions and such clever, innovative work. He has released seven albums as a leader from 2022-2023 and has four more plus on the way. Incredibly he will have released 11 albums as a leader within two years soon, with four additional albums as a sideplayer. Yes, a total of 15 albums or more. ...
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Jazz Vocalist Mharlyn Merritt Pays Tribute To Forgotten Jazz Diva With New Album
Jazz vocalist Mharlyn Merritt is excited to announce the September 9, 2023 indie digital release of her new classic jazz/pop LP, in homage to pre-eminent vocalist Dakota Staton, entitled: I Owe It to Dakota, available on all major streaming platforms including Spotify, Amazon Music, iTunes and iHeart Radio. Dakota Staton made an indelible mark on the music scene in the 1950’s with her classically trained voice and unique ability to crossover the gap between jazz and pop with integrity. Yet ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Ornette Coleman: An Innovator of the First Order, But Certainly No Messiah
At the remove of sixty years, there is a temptation to say, “Ornette Coleman, so what?" His early music does not sound particularly out there. And by contemporary standards, it is not. The initial shock of Ornette Coleman in the mid 1950s wore off decades ago. Some of his compositions have passed into the standard repertoire. Coleman may have been a founding member of the Free Jazz Movement, but Cecil Taylor and Albert Ayler among others, moved beyond abandoning Western ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
7 Virtual Jazz Club’s Contest 9th Edition: Winners Announced!
The 7 Virtual Jazz Club is proud to announce the winners of the 9th edition of the contest. During a live streaming event, the judging panel and the finalists joined the award ceremony for the Pros & Amateurs and the Under 25 category. Pro & Amateur category First prize goes to NoSax NoClar (France) for “Kahmsïn" Second prize goes to Shuteen Erdenebaatar Quartet (Germany) for “Ups and Downs" Third prize goes to Benny Benack III (USA) for “Catching Drift" Under ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
The 2nd Annual M³ Festival Celebrates The Brilliance Of 21 Exceptional Composer-Performers – Running September 21-23, 2023 At Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn
Mutual Mentorship for Musicians (M³), a visionary and non-hierarchical mentorship initiative created by musicians Jen Shyu and Sara Serpa, presents its 2nd annual in-person festival featuring 21 bandleaders from their 3rd & 4th cohorts. The three-day M³ Festival will run September 21-23, 2023 at Roulette Intermedium, located in Brooklyn, New York. On September 24th, there will be a community reception at Center for Fiction, also in Brooklyn. This exciting festival celebrates some of the most innovative and groundbreaking composer- performers ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Bill Evans: Ten Essential Sideman Albums
Bill Evans attracts a special sort of fan. Clinically obsessive is a reasonable description. While far from undiscerning, we find something, usually plenty, to enjoy in every record Evans played on. And we want them all in our collection. Evans' hardcore fans include practically every musician who played with him. Eddie Gomez, his bassist for 11 years, spoke for many when, in an interview for the liner booklet of Bill Evans Treasures (Elemental, 2021), he said: “Every ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Hugh Masekela Releases Posthumous Album 'siparia To Soweto'
After the rousing reception of “The Meeting Place (Amapiano Version)” alongside Soca legend, Machel Montano, the late legendary South African trumpeter, composer and vocalist, Hugh Masekela, and the Trinidadian steel orchestra, Siparia Deltones, announce the release of their highly-anticipated collaborative album, Siparia To Soweto, released through Gallo Record Company and Montano’s Monk Music Group. This album is not just a musical collaboration—it is a story of a man, a people, a land, and a drum that built a bridge between ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Month-long Venezuelan Jazz Piano Series Celebrates Indigenous Resistance Day At Zinc Jazz Club In New York City
Zinc Jazz Club is thrilled to announce a month-long celebration of Venezuelan Jazz Piano in honor of Venezuela’s Indigenous Resistance Day, produced by Charles Carlini of Charles Carlini Presents. The series will feature an incredible lineup of world-renowned pianists, showcasing the rich musical heritage of Venezuela and its contribution to the global jazz scene. Taking place every Tuesday throughout the month of October, this unique series promises to transport audiences to the vibrant streets of Venezuela, blending traditional rhythms with ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Jazz Beyond Borders: Embracing Online Performances
The COVID-19 pandemic forced musicians and venues to adapt, giving rise to innovative alternatives for their survival. One of the most transformative solutions was the advent of live streaming concerts and club dates, allowing people to enjoy jazz performances from the comfort of their homes. As the pandemic's limitations persisted, this concept gained traction, offering audiences numerous advantages. While there's no substitute for the magic of live music, the option to experience these concerts and club dates online, thanks to ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz