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Article: Live Review

The University of the Arts “Z” Big Band: Monterey, Here We Come!

by Victor L. Schermer
September 13, 2017

UArts “Z" Big Band Reception and Kickoff Concert Kaplan Auditorium University of the Arts Philadelphia, PA September 7, 2017 They were underdogs, but they gave it their best shot. Then they shocked themselves and everyone else by tying for first place with the UNLV ...

Article: Album Review

Bruce Harris: Beginnings

Read "Beginnings" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
September 12, 2017

Many a debut album receives a largely positive critique before being cut down to size with a qualifier. It's simply a jazz journalist's nature to paint newcomers as nascent talent in need of seasoning, players showing signs of potential, or artists taking a good first step with a first record. But sometimes a debut album is ...

Article: Album Review

Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band: All Smiles

Read "All Smiles" reviewed by Chris M. Slawecki

by Chris M. Slawecki
August 31, 2017

The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band has historically been regarded as the best ensemble of its type based outside the US, and All Smiles is generally regarded as one of their finest recordings. You'll understand why with just a few listens. Belgian pianist and arranger Francy Boland began making music with American expatriate Kenny ...

Article: Album Review

Joe Smith & The Spicy Pickles: Gin & Moonlight

Read "Gin & Moonlight" reviewed by James Nadal

by James Nadal
August 26, 2017

Long before jazz became a spectator event, it was dance music. The big bands that played swing made their reputations on being able to flood the floor with dancers. Joe Smith & The Spicy Pickles are on a mission to bring back those days, and Gin & Moonlight has them on the right track. Formed in ...

Article: From the Inside Out

Groovin’ Hard In Every Style

by Chris M. Slawecki
August 23, 2017

Big Mean Sound Machine Runnin' for the Ghost Peace & Rhythm | Blank Slate Records 2017 On Runnin' for the Ghost, Big Mean Sound Machine sounds intent on obliterating every imaginable musical border: the lines between regional or geographic styles, the divide between acoustic and electronic instruments, the ...

News: Obituary

Jerry Lewis: (1926-2017)

August 21, 2017

Jerry Lewis, whose geeky, high-strung brand of humor starting in the late 1940s made him a national sensation and early TV star while still in his 20s and whose seemingly ad-libbed routines as a befuddled jerk in '60s films influenced several generations of improv comics, died on Aug. 20. He was 91. Personally, I was never ...

News: Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Count Basie

August 21, 2017

All About Jazz is celebrating Count Basie's birthday today! Bill Basie studied music with his mother as a child and played piano in early childhood. He picked up the basics of early ragtime from some of the great Harlem pianists and studied organ informally with Fats Waller. He made his professional debut as an accompanist for ...

News: Video / DVD

Videos: Basie in the '30s & '40s

July 28, 2017

No American big band had a bigger influence on swing and jazz than Count Basie's. Today, when we think of Basie, we most often associate him with his post-1952 “New Testament" band. But between 1937 and throughout the 1940s, Basie's band was electrifying for its sheer power, arrangements, infectious dance beat and soloists. Here are a ...

Article: Album Review

Curtis Stigers with the Danish Radio Big Band: One More For The Road

Read "One More For The Road" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
July 17, 2017

Curtis Stigers è un cantante pop che ha debuttato nel 1991 con brani di grande appeal commerciale come “I Wonder Why," “Never Saw a Miracle" e “You're All That Matters to Me." Per un decennio ha variato leggermente quel patinato blend di pop, soul, smooth jazz, folk e rock, fino ad abbracciare più decisamente il jazz ...

Article: Book Review

Soul Jazz: Jazz In The Black Community, 1945-1975

by James Nadal
July 7, 2017

Soul Jazz: Jazz In The Black Community, 1945-1975 Bob Porter281 Pages ISBN: #978- 15245-4786-8 Xlibris 2016 With the end of World War II, in 1945, there was great rejoicing and celebrating a triumph over evil, as the United States ushered in a new era. But with segregation still the ...