Home » Search Center » Results: Curtis Mayfield

Results for "Curtis Mayfield"

About Curtis Mayfield

Results for pages tagged "Curtis Mayfield"...

Musician

With a distinctive, highly recognizable tenor voice, an unparalleled catalog of enduring pop and soul classics and an honored place in the pantheon of American music, Curtis Mayfield is without question one of the most influential and beloved artist/songwriters of his time. Born in Chicago in 1942, Mayfield absorbed the city's rich heritage of blues and gospel music and even before reaching his teen years he had formed his first group, The Alphatones. Later, renewing a childhood friendship with Jerry Butler, he formed a group with three others, brothers Arthur and Richard Brooks and Sam Gooden, all from Tennessee

Article: So You Don't Like Jazz

Jimi Hendrix: Showman and Sculptor

by Alan Bryson
August 12, 2026

When you think of Jimi Hendrix, chances are something flamboyant or incendiary comes to mind. His Stratocaster in flames at Monterey, or kneeling before a wall of amps at Woodstock. Those are in my memory bank too, but I'm one of a small group of people alive today who actually experienced The Jimi Hendrix Experience. The ...

Article: So You Don't Like Jazz

Iconic Music in Film: Boomer Edition

by Alan Bryson
July 1, 2026

One of the pleasures of looking back at film music from the boomer years is realizing how quickly the walls were coming down. Classical themes turned into jazz-funk hits. Soul records won Oscars. Rock songs became character development. Bluegrass, blues, disco, Latin jazz, and spaghetti-western minimalism all found their way onto the screen, and in the ...

Article: Profile

In From the Beginning: New Orleans Music History with Deacon John Moore

by Thomas Cole
June 17, 2026

Well, you know, growing up I was the golden boy of the family, because I could sing. I recall my mother singing arias from operas to herself while doing housework and playing classical and popular music on the piano in our home while taking care of the kids--13 of us all together. Her background was classical ...

Article: Album Review

Gary Bartz: Damage Control

Read "Damage Control" reviewed by Marco Iacoboni

by Marco Iacoboni
May 7, 2026

"Ntu" in lingua bantu significa unità in ogni cosa. Tempo e spazio, vivi e morti, forze visibili e invisibili, fuse in un'unica visione filosofica e spirituale, profondamente legata alla cultura africana e afroamericana. Il progetto Ntu Troop di Gary Bartz si è evoluto naturalmente dallo spiritual jazz al movimento B.A.M. (Black American Music), fondendo elementi soul, ...

Article: Live Review

Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble at the Newman Center

by Geoff Anderson
February 11, 2026

Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble Newman Center Denver, CO January 29, 2026 What to make of Don Was? He was co-leader of the band Was (Not Was), a band known for Frank Zappa-esque irreverent, off-beat humor that drew musical inspiration from rock, funk, soul, r&b, dance music, jazz, pop, world ...

Article: Radio & Podcasts

Remembering Phil Upchurch

by Leo Sidran
December 9, 2025

Phil Upchurch was a musician's musician. Those who knew, knew. He played on over a thousand recordings, including some of the most iconic popular music ever made including Michael Jackson's Off The Wall, Donny Hathaway Live, Chaka Khan's “I'm Every Woman," Curtis Mayfield's Superfly, and George Benson's Breezin' to name only a few. He was there ...

Article: Radio & Podcasts

Youn Sun Nah, Ran Blake, Guy Klucevsek, Volker Goetze & More

by Ludovico Granvassu
December 29, 2024

This time we focus on great vocalists, and poignant chamber-like projects, and renditions of tunes by Curtis Mayfield, Astor Piazzolla (by way of Grace Jones) and Stevie Wonder (mashedup with Pete Rugolo).Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Dave Stryker “Theme from Shaft" Stryker and ...

Article: Radio & Podcasts

Mike Stern: The Story Behind Echoes and Other Songs

by Steven Roby
December 13, 2024

Mike Stern's voice carries a mix of warmth and humility as he reflects on his latest album, Echoes and Other Songs. A celebrated figure in the world of jazz fusion, Stern joined the Backstage Bay Area podcast for a candid conversation about his creative process and his stellar lineup of collaborators.From the heartfelt tributes ...

Article: Live Review

At Monterey Jazz Festival 67, Jazz Gospel According to a New Head

by Josef Woodard
October 11, 2024

Monterey Jazz Festival Monterey, CA September 27-29, 2024 Getting a semblance of a summarizing angle on a densely-programmed jazz festival, which the 67th Monterey Jazz Festival most certainly was, can be tricky business. The equation gets more complex with a festival geared towards covering many genre and sub-genre bases within ...