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Anthony Ortega
by Rex Butters
You know you're talking about a jazz musician when the artist in question has played and recorded with Elvis, Streisand, Sinatra, Lalo Schifrin, the Lighthouse All-Stars, Quincy Jones, Gerald Wilson, Clifford Brown, Maynard Ferguson, Lionel Hampton, Paul Bley, Dinah Washington and Frank Zappa, to name a few, while still finding time to record soundtracks, release highly ...
Azar Lawrence
by Russ Musto
When Azar Lawrence first burst on to the jazz scene in the '70s he was hailed by many as the second coming of John Coltrane--an almost sacrilegious assertion considering the godlike stature to which Trane had risen during the decade following his premature passing. But it was not a totally unreasonable one considering that the powerful ...
Benny Golson: Along Came Benny
by Greg Thomas
Benny Golson, tenor saxophone stylist and jazz composer of first rank, refuses to rest on his laurels. At almost 80, he's an elder statesman of jazz who could easily cruise and live off the royalties of “I Remember Clifford," “Whisper Not," “Along Came Betty" and others among his 300 compositions. But such a notion is anathema ...
Susie Ibarra
by Elliott Simon
Percussionist Susie Ibarra is an artist whose compendium of work is defined by an exquisitely global essence. It includes a profound respect for indigenous people and their music, coupled with a cutting edge sense of the avant-garde. Her works are not a distillation or homogenization of various cultures but a celebration and appreciation of diversity. Ibarra ...
Bucky Pizzarelli: Dean Of The Seven-String
by Elliott Simon
Close to 65 years ago a 17 year-old guitarist named John “Bucky" Pizzarelli was tapped by big band leader Vaughn Monroe to sit in for a weekend. As a result, the jazz world gained what was to become one of its most significant practitioners, one who continues to perform and share his wisdom with a modesty ...
Anthony Davis
by Wilbur MacKenzie
This month brings to the city two performances by pianist and composer Anthony Davis, who has been living in Southern California for the last decade. Prior to his immigration to the West Coast, Davis was active in New York and his return brings an improvisational voice sorely missed in the city where he made his home ...
Oluyemi Thomas: Positive Knowledge
by Martin Longley
Oluyemi Thomas, the sage-like reedman from Oakland, California, is heading to town this month and will be playing in a duo setting with New York drummer and percussionist Michael Wimberley, whom he describes as both “creative-minded and creative-spirited." It's the spiritual sphere--however this is defined, impossible to nail down--that appears to guide much of Thomas' journey. ...
Ken Peplowski: Good Times On the Road For Reed Virtuoso
by Larry Taylor
This is the best of times for jazz musician Ken Peplowski, renowned clarinet and tenor saxophonist. So good, in fact it was difficult for him to find time to talk by phone in June. Having just returned from playing dates in Italy, he was in the midst of performing in New York's ...
Daihachi Oguchi: Taiko Drum Master Silenced
by Randall Robinson
A former jazz drummer, Daihachi Oguchi took ancient rhythms, broke them down and created new arrangements and compositions to accommodate an ensemble of drummers. He helped turn the traditional form into a dramatic performance spectacle. Elevating the traditional folk sounds of taiko to modern music played in concert halls, not just festivals and shrines. He led ...
Cassandra Wilson: Jazz Roots
by Suzanne Lorge
Over the last two decades Cassandra Wilson has emerged as one of the most celebrated jazz singers in the world--and with one album a year since 1985, she also ranks as one of the most prolific. Because of her openness to experimentation with grooves and repertoire, Wilson's work over the years has expanded our definition of ...
