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Rudresh Mahanthappa
by Tom Greenland
Alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa seems to have his fingers in quite a few pies lately: his quartet, featuring Vijay Iyer on piano, François Moutin on bass and Dan Weiss on drums, will be shortly releasing Code Book (Pi); Raw Materials, his duo with Iyer, also has an upcoming CD (Savoy); MSG, a trio with bassist Ronan ...
Paul Bley: Turning Points
by Andrey Henkin
In the pantheon of jazz, certain players are spoken of as upholding or continuing a particular lineage while others are given their own chapter in the book--their body of work something for others to uphold and continue. Paul Bley is one of the latter, a pianist who for over 50 years has participated in every stylistic ...
Gregg Keplinger: Drum Fight at the GK Corral
by Jason West
Gregg Keplinger is on a roll. The Seattle drummer has recorded more in the last six years than he has during any period throughout his 40-plus year career. His latest release, Absurd World Country, which he co-produced with saxophonist Mike Monhart, features over 20 local musicians playing without reference to time or pitch--a colossal free jazz/improvisation ...
Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band
by Bob Jacobson
Imagine a pianist playing concerts with Benny Goodman and Cecil Taylor in successive years (1977-78). That pianist was Mary Lou Williams. In a career which spanned over fifty years Mary was always on the cutting edge. She was born Mary Scruggs in 1910 Atlanta. Her mother was a single parent who worked as a ...
Mary Lou's Salon
by AAJ Staff
"The all-time greatest woman jazz musician." That typically was the kind of language used in describing Mary Lou Williams. Mary Lou was a fabulous pianist, as well as a noted arranger, and composer. But she also had another role of distinction: she was a sort of mother spirit for innovative musicians. Her spacious ...
Mary Lou Williams: Jazz Healing
by Teri Harllee King
"Jazz has healing in it, and a lot of love."--Mary Lou Williams The prospect of writing a column on Mary Lou Williams is just a little bit daunting--reflecting on her considerable body of work and enormous talent, but to write about women jazz artists and not cover her would be as close to a ...
Kishori Amonkar: A Beauty Personified
by Bhasker Gupta
If the last half century of female voice in Indian Carnatic classical belongs to M.S. Subhalakshmi, then Hindustani classical has no other parallel than Kishori Amonkar. Her vibrant, rich and mellifluous voice; her larger-than-life stage presence and the powerful and emotional appeal of her music have kept her at the vanguard of Indian classical music for ...
Ron Hudson: Jazz on the Focal Plane
by Katy Bourne
Summing up the career of a man as extraordinary as jazz photographer Ron Hudson is an intimidating proposition. He has spent the past thirty-plus years photographing some of jazz's brightest dignitaries, capturing moments and committing them to history. He's also heard some great music along the way. Hudson and I recently met at his home on ...
Encore: Michael Gregory (Jackson)
by Clifford Allen
In the world of creative improvisation, there is an adage that being true to one's art and one's instrument doesn't necessarily beget monetary or commercial success, but rather a place in the history books and the esteem of one's peers, a decidedly sure place in the nebula of the sonic air current. But what of those ...
Charlie Kohlhase: The Cranky Yankee
by Celeste Sunderland
State, New Hampshire. Party affiliation, communist. Obsession, Woody Herman's 1963 Herd. No, it's not Boston-based saxophonist Charlie Kohlhase. It's the Cranky Yankee, a character he's been known to slip into while on the road. “He would go on and on about this 1963 Herd and the brilliance of Jake Hanna at the drums, said Either/Orchestra founder ...
