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Jon Hendricks: Still Creative, Still Outspoken
by Gregg Akkerman
Jon Hendricks is still swinging madly and looking forward to upcoming projects--not only in New York, but all over Europe. Having interviewed the creator of vocalese once before, he was the first name I thought of when considering the maiden edition of this Jazz on the 90th Floor column (the name comes from the lyric to ...
Lorraine Feather
by Carl L. Hager
Like her contemporary Kurt Elling, Lorraine Feather is that rare jazz vocalist and lyricist who reinvents herself with every project. With the February 2012 release of Tales of the Unusual (Jazzed Media) comes a new self so different that casual fans may not recognize her at first. Some might feel challenged or mystified by these ambitious ...
Shelly Berg Plays Art Tatum This Week on Riverwalk Jazz
This week on Riverwalk Jazz, actor Vernel Bagneris offers a glimpse of Art Tatum through the words of jazz musicians who knew him, and noted pianist Shelly Berg performs Tatum masterworks with the Jim Cullum Jazz Band. The program is distributed in the US by Public Radio International, on Sirius/XM sattelite radio and can be streamed ...
What is Jazz? Good Question...
by Jason West
What is jazz? According to Wynton Marsalis jazz is music that swings. According to Pat Metheny jazz is not the music of Kenny G. According to Webster's jazz is characterized by propulsive syncopated rhythms, polyphonic ensemble playing, varying degrees of improvisation, and often deliberate distortions of pitch and timbre. Personally, I prefer the definition found in ...
Rifftide: The Life and Opinions of Papa Jo Jones
by AAJ Staff
This article appears in Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 of Rifftide: The Life and Opinions of Papa Jo Jones By Papa Jo Jones As Told to Albert Murray (University of Minnesota Press, 2011). A Different Kind of Living in That Southwest Here is what happened. Basie did exactly what Fats Waller did: ...
Shawn Baltazor New York, NY September 17, 2011
by David A. Orthmann
Shawn Baltazor Quartet:New York, NYSeptember 17, 2011 It's always night time at Smalls. Thirty minutes prior to a Saturday afternoon showcase of drummer Shawn Baltazor's Quartet, the basement club was a virtual world of its own, devoid of natural light and removed from the hustle and bustle of the West Village. Operating seven ...
Roswell Rudd: The Musical Magus Turns 75
by Raul d'Gama Rose
"Years ago it would have seemed an impossible dream to get to record with this musical magus, but here we are... and what a thrill!" class="f-right">--Charlie Kohlhase, From liner notes to Eventuality: The Charlie Kohlhase Quintet Plays the Music of Roswell Rudd (Nada, 2001) I see him suddenly as if in a ...
This Week on Riverwalk Jazz: Fats Waller, Composer
Riverwalk Jazz this week focuses on Fats Waller the composer. Fats wrote over 500 compositions in his short twenty-year career. His friend, the lyricist Andy Razaf said that “music poured out of Fats like water." The program is distributed in the US by Public Radio International, on Sirius/XM sattelite radio and can be streamed on-demand from ...
Clarence Williams: Washboard Bands: 1926-29, "Gimme Blues"
by Andrew J. Sammut
New Orleans native and musical jack-of-all-trades Clarence Williams enjoyed success on multiple levels of the music business, with washboard ensembles just one part of his extensive discography. Even without the timbral variety of a full drum set, the washboard crafts simple but effective rhythms. A chattering backbeat on “Wait 'Till You See My Baby Do The ...
Jeff Lofton: Jazz to the People
by Josep Pedro
Born in Germany and raised in South Carolina, Jeff Lofton's trumpet sound has become a striking force in Austin's music scene since moved there about four years ago. Friendly and bright in his reasoning, Lofton has proved to be a versatile, mature musician overtly combining straight-ahead jazz with fusion. His appealing, laidback character and soulful playing ...
