Home » Search Center » Results: Franz A. Matzner
Results for "Franz A. Matzner"
Akua Allrich at the Howard Theater

by Franz A. Matzner
Local star Akua Allrich continued her rapid rise this month performing music from her latest album Uniquely Standard (Self Produced, 2012) at the historic Howard Theater on Washington, DC's U Street.An accomplished vocalist whose vibrant performances and inviting stage presence have built a loyal following and propelled her to the forefront of Washington, DC's ...
Jose James: No Begining No End

by Franz A. Matzner
Smoother than cognac and just as refined, No Beginning No End drips with an unabashed sensuality both subtly delivered and painfully personal. With his Blue Note debut, Jose James employs the terrifying capacity of his voice to penetrate the heart of deeper, more hidden spaces and lay bare the emotional contours of urban existence.To ...
Anat Cohen at Kennedy Center Jazz Club

by Franz A. Matzner
Anat Cohen has received no shortage of accolades of late and her rise is a testament to her stunning capacities on clarinet and saxophone. She is no stranger to Washington, DC audiences either, packing clubs and concert halls from Bohemian Caverns to the Sixth and I Synagogue. Most recently, Cohen filled the Kennedy Center's Jazz Club, ...
John Yao: In The Now

by Franz A. Matzner
Trombonist John Yao's debut as a leader In the Now successfully fuses contemporary flavors and more traditional jazz idioms to produce a solid, hip collection of tunes bounding with vitality and fun.A protégé of Luis Bonilla, Yao reflects that trombonist's thoughtful compositional style, crafting an album of intelligently constructed pieces that give his powerful ...
2012 Thelonious Monk International Drums Competition

by Franz A. Matzner
It can never be said that the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz does anything halfway. Held annually at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, this year's competition and gala concert was ambitious and extravagant--equal parts a celebration of jazz drumming, a salute to women's past and present contributions to the art form, and a promotion for ...
Mahlis-Panos Project: Protoleia

by Franz A. Matzner
Incorporation of non-traditional instruments into jazz can produce mixed results. It takes a gifted player to either apply jazz traditions to an unusual instrument or in reverse integrate the traditions and unique sounds of an instrument with the structures and conventions of jazz. In the wrong hands, or deployed for the sake of exoticism, the effect ...
Lionel Loueke: Heritage

by Franz A. Matzner
Lionel Loueke's Heritage deftly intertwines modern jazz constructs with traditional African themes in a highly personal exploration of these two cultural streams which define Loueke's upbringing and musical identity. The result is a gracious, elevating and welcoming sound that still challenges preconceived notions.Thoughtfully composed, the album's ten pieces together present an intimate--sometimes philosophical--complex musical ...
DC Jazz Festival 2012: In Memoriam Chuck Brown

by Franz A. Matzner
DC Jazz Festival, Washington, DC June 1-10, 2012With the summer heat descending on the nation's capital, the city transforms, its southern personality asserting itself. Ties loosen, linen suits make their first appearance, people mosey instead of dash, and the beats of jazz reverberate from venue after venue as the city welcomes the annual DC ...
Jazz Arts Trio: Swing of Many Colors

by Franz A. Matzner
For the most part Jazz Arts Trio's Swing of Many Colors presents relatively sedate recreations of recordings by some of jazz's most famous piano trio greats, including Ahmad Jamal, Red Garland, Oscar Peterson, and Keith Jarrett.Clearly a labor of love, each tune is meticulously reproduced with the fine attention to detail only a pet ...
Wadada Leo Smith: Sounding America’s Freedom

by Franz A. Matzner
Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith has been at the forefront of musical invention for 40 years and has recently entered a late-career renaissance. In May, 2012, this seminal musician released his greatest effort to date, Ten Freedom Summers (Cuneiform), a 30-year in-the-making testament to the power of civil rights and the importance of artistic engagement in social ...