Articles
Greg Byers: Take A Bow
Greg Byers does not like hearing that something is not possible. Or perhaps he does, for the cellist seems to thrive on challenges that others deem impossible or unrealistic. Taking a jazz major in cello? It just isn't done, he was told. Well, ticked that box. Learning Charlie Parker's solos on upright bass? Impossible they said. Oh really? At every step of his career, Byers has confounded others' expectations and lived up to his own. ...
SOURCE: All About Jazz
George Russell’s New York N.Y. Receives World Premiere At Milton Court
Guildhall Induction Jazz Orchestra & Choir Milton Court Concert Hall Guildhall School of Music & Drama London September 27, 2023 Addressing the audience before the Guildhall Induction Jazz Orchestra's recreation of George Russell's first large-ensemble masterpiece, New York N.Y. (Decca, 1959), director and conductor Scott Stroman explained the choice of repertoire. This is the induction edition of GJO, he said, representing the 2023 cohort of new Guildhall students, who had only been at ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Take Five with Benny Benack III
Meet Benny Benack III By age 32, Emmy-nominated trumpeter and vocalist Benny Benack III has already become a leading voice in jazz for his generation, while his trademark ebullience onstage assures his audiences he's got “A Lot of Livin' to Do" still to come! His sophomore album sharing that title featured the likes of bass luminary Christian McBride and drummer/producer Ulysses Owens Jr. and even achieved viral online fame with his vocalese rendition of “Social Call" ft. Veronica ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
What Is The Purpose Of Your Website? Part 3
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 This series of articles on websites assumes that one reason you have a website is to grow your audience of fans. As I've written before, there are lots of good reasons to own a website. The purpose of the site might be to draw more people to your performances; sell more online music, books, or merchandise; or simply to promote yourself to other musicians, record labels, or the press. ...
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Atlantis Trio at MutaMenti HK
Atlantis Trio Tsuen Wan Town Hall MutaMenti HK Hong Kong September 27, 2023 A lot of flak is (fairly) laid on the often clumsy, jarring aesthetics of “global-beat," “world fusion," or whatever you want to call it (terms I use sparingly and with reservation). But the truth is however earnest the expectation, however tasteful the application, melding musical traditions isn't always as seamlessly intuitive as the true masters make it ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
The Jazz Entrepreneur: Charles Carlini
The music business is a chaotic place. Charles Carlini definitely underscores that point throughout our interview. Like many, he's worn a multitude of hats in the business. It's not uncommon to find people who do that. It seems that in order to survive in the modern jazz business, you have to be versatile and you have to be able to adapt to the ever-changing models and new technologies that come along every few years. Gone are the days when you ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Shakti 50th Anniversary Tour at Hill Auditorium
Shakti Hill Auditorium University Musical Society's 145th Annual Season Ann Arbor, Michigan September 14, 2023 Having learned his lessons well during his brief stay with Miles Davis in the late '60s, guitarist John McLaughlin has never let any grass grow under his feet, embracing many styles and following his creative muse at will. Back in 1973, casual meetings between McLaughlin and Zakir Hussain enlightened the guitarist to the Indian music tradition, ultimately leading to ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
European Jazz Conference 2023
European Jazz Conference Palais du Pharo Marseille, France September 14-17, 2023 The smell of the sea and the warm caress of sunshine were like welcoming arms as the southern Mediterranean city of Marseille played host to the 9th edition of the European Jazz Conference. Founded by Greeks in c. 600 BC, Marseille is the oldest city in France and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe. For four days, a record ......
SOURCE: All About Jazz
Leaving Planet Earth: Amazon's Wayne Shorter Documentary Zero Gravity
Wayne Shorter: Zero Gravity Director: Dorsay Alavi 2023 Wayne Shorter was brought up in the belief that he could achieve anything he wanted to: there should be no barriers to his ambition. This three-part documentary--a true labor of love from director Dorsay Alavi--shows us that Shorter was far more than a musician. In the first part (or portal), we see Shorter and his brother Alan, portrayed in black and white by a pair of ......
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
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
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
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
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
