Results for "Ken Franckling"
2022: The Year in Jazz

by Ken Franckling
Current events impacted the jazz world in significant ways throughout 2022. In its third year, the coronavirus pandemic continued to lurk in some settings, while others recovered in robust fashion. Russia's war on Ukraine was felt by musicians and triggered an outpouring of support for its victims. Initiatives to ensure greater equity in jazz advanced. The ...
2021: The Year in Jazz

by Ken Franckling
The jazz world continued grappling and adjusting in year two of the COVID-19 pandemic. International Jazz Day again went virtual for the most part. Singer Tony Bennett put the final stamp on his touring--and likely recording--career after his Alzheimer's disclosure. Trumpeter Irvin Mayfield was headed to federal prison. The National Endowment for the Arts welcomed four ...
2020: The Year in Jazz

by Ken Franckling
The COVID-19 pandemic put the jazz world in a tailspin, just like the world at large, in 2020. And there is plenty of uncertainty going into the new year about what new normal: might emerge from the darkness. International Jazz Day, like so many other things, became an online virtual event this time around. Pianist Keith ...
2019: The Year in Jazz

by Ken Franckling
The year 2019 was robust in many ways. International Jazz Day brought its biggest stage to Australia. An important but long-shuttered jazz mecca was revived in a coast-to-coast move. ECM Records celebrated a golden year. The music and its makers figured prominently on the big screen. The National Endowment for the Arts welcomed four new NEA ...
2018: The Year in Jazz

by Ken Franckling
The year 2018 was a busy one for the jazz world. The genre's version of the #MeToo movement resulted in a new Code of Conduct and other efforts to make the music workplace more equitable. International Jazz Day brought its biggest stage to St. Petersburg, Russia. The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, which ran a high-profile ...
2017: The Year in Jazz

by Ken Franckling
A year of achievements, challenges to gender inequality, scandal and losses The year 2017 was quite something for the jazz world. Incidents or discussions of misogyny and sexual misconduct bubbled up even before the #MeToo phenomenon developed. Beyond that, woman musicians made significant contributions to the genre. International Jazz Day brought its biggest stage ...
2016: The Year in Jazz

by Ken Franckling
The year 2016 bubbled with events and initiatives to strengthen jazz's place in American and world culture, as well as a variety of venue openings, closings and cancellations. Jazz hit the silver screen in many ways throughout the year, and International Jazz Day continued to thrive--complete with a major all-star concert at the White House. Pop ...
2015: The Year in Jazz

by Ken Franckling
The year 2015 was a curious blend of ups and downs, with glimmers of optimism offset by its losses. Venues opened to great fanfare, but others closed for a variety of reasons. UNESCO's International Jazz Day became firmly entrenched as the exclamation point on Jazz Appreciation Month activities in April. Daily arts journalism took a hit ...
What were your favorite jazz albums in 2014?

by Michael Ricci
We continue to publish our staff's best of lists (here) and we've published additional lists over the last few weeks including top read interviews, top read reviews, top downloaded MP3s, and Ken Franckling's Year in Jazz. We're curious to know which jazz releases you liked best in 2014. Please share your favorite(s) in the ...
“Jazz In The Key Of Light" Spotlights Jazz Greats And Rising Stars

Veteran jazz writer and photographer Ken Franckling has published a new book, Jazz in the Key of Light (Eighty of our Finest Jazz Musicians Speak for Themselves). It illuminates more than 80 musicians through a different format than the traditional fine art photography book. Images of its featured jazz artists, in performance or moments of personal ...