Results for "Don Was"

About Don Was

Results for pages tagged "Don Was"...

Musician

Was was born in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Oak Park High School in the Detroit suburb of Oak Park, then attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor but dropped out after the first year. A journeyman musician, he grew up listening to the Detroit blues sound and the jazz music of John Coltrane and Miles Davis. Using the stage name "Don Was", he formed the group Was (Not Was) with school friend David Weiss (David Was). The group found commercial success in the 1980s—releasing four albums and logging several hit records. A jazz/R&B album of Hank Williams covers, "Forever's A Long, Long Time" was released in 1997, under the name Orquestra Was

Article: Live Review

Detroit Jazz Festival 2026: A Gathering in a Great Jazz City

by Paul Rauch
September 15, 2026

Detroit Jazz Festival 2026 Hart Plaza Detroit, MI September 4-7, 2026 Thursday evening is when artists, media and event staffers begin to file into the Detroit Marriott, arriving from points around the globe. The common purpose is the 47th annual Detroit Jazz Festival, an annual tradition on Labor Day weekend. The ...

Article: Interview

Ron Carter: Sweet Notes: The Gospel According To An Upright Man

by Ian Patterson
June 10, 2026

There is just no slowing down for bassist Ron Carter. At least, not that you would know. Writing, arranging, recording, gigging, teaching, media commitments--it is all in a day's work for the indefatigable 89-year-old NEA Jazz Master. Since 1959, when he arrived in New York from his native Detroit, Ron Carter has enjoyed an unparalleled career. ...

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: Album Review

Joel Ross: Gospel Music

Read "Gospel Music" reviewed by Jack Kenny

by Jack Kenny
February 2, 2026

Religion has long provided a stimulus for jazz. Figures as august as Duke Ellington and John Coltrane drew profound inspiration from their faith, though their reception varied. Ellington's religious compositions were often unfairly dismissed as the eccentric, late career works of an aging genius. Conversely, John Coltrane's A Love Supreme (Impulse!, 1965) perfectly captured the spiritual ...

Article: Interview

Dave McMurray Hears Himself In All Of Detroit's Music

by John Chacona
January 19, 2026

Saxophonist and composer Dave McMurray has much of the celebrated history of Detroit music in his memory and under his fingers. Now 70, and with four acclaimed releases on the storied Blue Note label, he is arguably at the pinnacle of a long and remarkably varied career. All the strands of that career are ...

Article: Year in Review

I Dischi del 2025 secondo Ludovico Granvassu

by Ludovico Granvassu
January 5, 2026

Immortalare la bellezza e la varietà del jazz pubblicato nel 2025 attraverso una “top ten" appare tanto arduo, vano--e alla fine deludente--quanto cercare di fotografare un tramonto sulla costiera amalfitana usando una rudimentale fotocamera digitale e facendo un forellino sul copriobiettivo. Certo, una foto verrà scattata. Potrebbe persino dimostrare che eri lì, in quel momento, quando ...

Article: Year in Review

Ludovico Granvassu's Garden Of Jazzy Delights 2025

by Ludovico Granvassu
January 3, 2026

Capturing the breathtaking beauty, range, and diversity of jazz released in 2025 through a list of “10 best albums" feels as challenging, vain--and ultimately disappointing--as trying to photograph the Grand Canyon at sunset by placing a pinhole in front of a rudimentary digital camera's lens. Sure, a picture will be taken. It might even prove you ...

Article: Radio & Podcasts

The Final Batch of My Favorite 2025 Jazz Things - Part 3

by Ludovico Granvassu
January 3, 2026

In a year that often felt overwhelming, music remained a place of focus and meaning. This episode of Mondo Jazz brings together the songs from the past six months that helped make sense of the noise--or at least gave us a reason to lean in and listen.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz ...

Article: Radio & Podcasts

Trond Kallevåg, Dave McMurray, Bill Laurance, John O'Gallagher & More

by Ludovico Granvassu
December 12, 2025

Whether born in the heart of Detroit, captured in the stillness of a London church at night, or inspired by cinematic visions of Norwegian immigration to Minnesota, the music in this playlist invites you into sound worlds that captivate and reward at every turn.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted ...