Results for "C. Andrew Hovan"
Blackstone Legacy

by C. Andrew Hovan
When trumpeter Woody Shaw passed away in 1989, he left behind a wealth of amazing music, notwithstanding the realized sadness inherent in wondering what more he could have accomplished had he lived a longer life. Back in the mid '60s, Shaw was ubiquitous as a sideman recording iconic albums with the likes of Larry Young, Horace ...
Waking Vision: The Breathing Earth

by C. Andrew Hovan
In terms of its history and current crop of talented musicians, Pittsburgh is a stellar music city that somehow always gets overlooked when considering the USA's major music centers. A world-class guitarist, comfortable in both jazz and popular realms, John Shannon cut his teeth in high school working with such Pittsburgh luminaries as Eric Kloss and ...
Shakti 50th Anniversary Tour at Hill Auditorium

by C. Andrew Hovan
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 ...
OJC Rides Again: Bill Evans & Mal Waldron

by C. Andrew Hovan
Although it wasn't coined specifically for the collection, the idea of an embarrassment of riches" is perfectly suited to describe the vast holdings of the Fantasy Records firm. Starting out as a small west coast concern, their success with the group Creedence Clearwater Revival allowed them to expand their operations in 1971. The address of Tenth ...
Lage Lund: Idlewild

by C. Andrew Hovan
An open and revealing format for any artist, the jazz trio offers rewards on many levels. Left in veracious hands, there is a spacious pocket that can be filled by any number of rhythmic and harmonic ideas, not to mention a freedom in melodic phrases which don't have to be constrained by strict chordal structures. On ...
Anest, Kendrick, & McKinney: Live at the Blue LLama, Volume 1 & 2

by C. Andrew Hovan
When it comes to talent, there's no shortage of gifted jazz artists that call Michigan their home. The Jones brothers long ago put Detroit on the map, but water-tight music programs at Michigan State and the University of Michigan have produced a thriving community of vital musicians. On any given evening, there's live jazz to be ...
Jonathan Kreisberg: Night Songs

by C. Andrew Hovan
Although technical proficiency and filigreed improvisations often catch the attention of the average jazz fan, those in the know will insist that you can't really evaluate the mettle of a jazz musician until you hear how he interprets a ballad. Memorable efforts from the jazz cannon that fruitfully establish a reflective mood over the length of ...
Soul Survivor: Lou Donaldson Keeps the Bop Flame Alive

by C. Andrew Hovan
This article was first published at All About Jazz on November 2001. Now in his 75th year, Lou Donaldson counts among the few remaining jazz luminaries of the bebop era still active on the international scene. When I recently sat down to talk with him by phone from his home in Florida, Donaldson had ...
Que Viva La Musica

by C. Andrew Hovan
Much has been made about the making of a hybrid style involving Latin music and jazz strains that was established by Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo in the late '40s. However, the ripples of those early experiments would reach far and wide for subsequent decades, even if the casual listener might have been largely unaware of ...
Ed Motta: Minha Vida Toda Com Você

by C. Andrew Hovan
If you thought bossa nova and samba was all there is to know about Brazilian music, let me introduce you to Ed Motta. A true renaissance man, Motta has big ears and melds into his own unique style everything from spiritual jazz to Steely Dan. He also is a master of many instruments, as you can ...