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Does Anybody Here Remember Joe (Pass)?
by Craig M. Cortello
Does anybody here remember Joe? That's the question I asked myself in May of 1994 when I learned that my hero had died. As the television show Entertainment Tonight rolled the closing credits one evening, they noted that the legendary jazz guitarist Joe Pass had passed away, while a brief clip from one of his live ...
Amy, The Movie: The Pure Artist, the Singular Voice, and the Fragile Heart of Amy Winehouse
by Craig M. Cortello
Amy Winehouse Amy Produced by James Gay-Rees, George Pank, Paul Bell Directed by Asif Kapadia 2015 I attended an advance screening this week of Amy, the Amy Winehouse documentary that was co-sponsored by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (GRAMMY) and the New Orleans Film Society. The movie ...
Wilson & Moore: Side by Side
by Craig M. Cortello
Chip Wilson is best known in and around New Orleans as the former guitar luthier who extracts supreme sounds from the instrument he once made a living producing. Jesse Moore is a versatile performer equally at ease on stage in music clubs and theaters, on television, or on film. Side by Side, the debut album by ...
The "Hang" That George Built: The Pioneer of New Orleans' Frenchman Street Music Scene
by Craig M. Cortello
Jazz guitarist and New Orleans native Davy Mooney relocated to New York in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. After one of his periodic return visits over a year later, I asked him to assess the state of the recovery of the music community. When I go down to Frenchman Street, it's still a great 'hang.' I ...
Parallels of Recovery: Melody Gardot Finds Inspiration in the Spirit of New Orleans
by Craig M. Cortello
I recently interviewed Ms. Melody Gardot for a podcast episode regarding her amazing journey from a devastating accident to a successful music career. For those not aware of her background, Ms. Gardot was struck by an SUV while riding her bike at the age of nineteen. She suffered brain trauma and multiple fractures of ...
Twangorama: Twangorama
by Craig M. Cortello
Somewhere on the periphery where progressive rock meets fusion comes this CD that merges the talents of three of the most prolific and versatile guitarists of the New Orleans music scene. It is perhaps a meeting of the minds, a display of mutual respect for four decades of fretboard wizardry, and a callout to the world ...
Marilyn Harris: The Future Has Arrived
by Craig M. Cortello
The title track to pianist/vocalist Marilyn Harris' Future Street (Wrightwood, 2004) details that magical avenue where all things are possible, where potential is realized, and where dreams can come true. Listening to her follow-up Round Trip (Wrightwood, 2006), a compilation of twelve songs featuring powerhouse arrangements and ten original compositions, it's clear that the future has ...
Bob Dorough & Friends: Through the Years
by Craig M. Cortello
There was a sense of familiarity when I listened to the late night jazz radio concert introduced as Three Duos and a Trio circa 1983-84. The voices seemed stunningly familiar. Upon further investigation, I came to realize that those voices had been a part of my life for years, influencing an entire generation. ...
Steely Dan: Aja
by Craig M. Cortello
Steely Dan Aja MCA 1977 In the movie Mr. Holland's Opus, Richard Dreyfuss, playing a high school music director, recounts his childhood memory of first hearing a John Coltrane album. He recalls how he hated the music, but couldn't stop listening to it. He played the album over and over ...
Hank Mackie: "Pass"-ing Jazz Guitar to a New Generation
by Craig M. Cortello
Ensuring the continuity of the lessons and traditions from one generation to the next can be a delicate process. It often requires the care and sensitivities of someone with a unique balance of admirable qualities. With respect to the arts, it calls for someone who has both respect for the masters and an appreciation for the ...