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Artie Shaw: Clarinetist and Bandleader, 1910-2004
by Mark Sabbatini
“His use of strings and arrangements blending commercialism with interesting musical values was almost unique of its kind. But Shaw was a contrary soul, critical of any pandering to audiences." - “The Penguin Guide To Jazz On CD," referring to Artie Shaw For someone hoping to pitch swing-era big band music to ...
Legend of the Pharoah
by AAJ Staff
By Jennifer Odell After a recent performance of Before the Blues , a new ballet by the Lines Ballet Company, someone from the audience asked choreographer Alonzo King where he got the idea to pair a Pharoah Sanders composition with music by the baroque composer Arcangelo Corelli. “It was odd ...
Prince Lasha
by Clifford Allen
Born September 10, 1929 in Fort Worth, Tex., flutist, clarinetist and altoist Prince Lasha came from a musical family. His grandfather was a clarinetist and his father Don Jones played tenor with Count Basie's band: “Him and Herschel Evans were good friends, like [Sonny] Simmons and I." Lasha relates his youthful encounter with his future axe: ...
Abdullah Ibrahim: African Magic
by Andrey Henkin
Much is made of jazz as the music of African-American experience, one that is sadly pockmarked with racism, prejudice and struggle. These labors give jazz legitimacy and relevance as well as an opportunity for many to say that only jazz' black practitioners are bona fide. The 10th Anniversary of free elections in South ...
Roberto Magris: Forging Ahead
by Jerry D'Souza
Roberto Magris was born in 1959 in Trieste, a city in Italy that sits at the top of the Adriatic Sea. Within its confines are people who had their origins in the surrounding countries among them Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Hungary and Germany. It is a sort of melting pot, with an effect on the culture of ...
Scott Robinson: Jazz Ambassador
by Mitchell Seidel
Looking at Scott Robinson, with his large glasses, high forehead and generally owlish countenance, you might take him for some sort of scientist. Interestingly enough, that's not far from the truth. In fact, one of the New Jersey resident's latest endeavors involves converting his two-car garage to what he hopes will be a ...
Sal Mosca
by Elliott Simon
At the age of 12, pianist Sal Mosca was sitting on the curb on a hot summer day with some friends. He felt a cool breeze come at him and his next thought was that he wanted to take piano lessons. He acted on that impulse and began a journey that has thus far spanned seven ...
Marc Mommaas: On the Fringes of Jazz and Beyond
by Jochem van Dijk
When Marc Mommaas graduated as a Communications Major from his hometown university in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, he rewarded himself with a trip to New York and took his tenor saxophone with him. He hung around for a few months, and knew that his life had changed forever: “While I was doing nice enough in Holland, I ...
Clark Terry: Having Fun
by Mitchell Seidel
At a time in life when most musicians would be cutting back and enjoying elder statesman status, there seems to be no stopping trumpet and flugelhorn giant Clark Terry. He helped celebrate the Newport Jazz Festival's 50th anniversary in August, and followed that up last month with a week at the Blue Note in New York ...
Ian Carr and Nucleus: '70s British Jazz Rock Progenitors
by John Kelman
Ask the question, “who was the first fusion artist?" and you're likely to start a heated debate. While populists like to claim Miles Davis and seminal recordings including In a Silent Way and especially Bitches Brew as the first salvos in a genre that ultimately spawned groups including Chick Corea's Return to Forever, Wayne Shorter, Joe ...
