Results for "Tootie Heath"
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 ...
Hot Fun In The Summertime: The Leimert Park Jazz Festival Celebrates The Culture Of Black Los Angeles

by Chuck Koton
When Diane Robertson moved into LA's Leimert Park neighborhood (the cultural center of Black Los Angeles), she knew she wanted to do something to celebrate the community and bring the people together. So, in 2015, she organized the first Sutro Avenue Summer Soiree. But after a great deal of thought and hard work, in 2020 Robertson, ...
Greg Skaff: Polaris

by C. Andrew Hovan
The pandemic year of 2020 brought with it very little in terms of artistic endeavors, thanks to lockdowns and stay home orders. Yet even under extreme conditions, guitarist Greg Skaff managed to commit to tape some genuinely sublime music that is sure to be remembered as one of 2021'a most memorable releases. Of course, Skaff has ...
Women in Jazz, Pt. 3: The International Women in Jazz Organization

by Karl Ackermann
In part 1 and part 2 of the Women in Jazz series, we looked at the historical marginalization of women in jazz from Lil Hardin Armstrong and Blanch Calloway in the 1920s to Tia Fuller in 2019. Part 2 focused on several prominent pioneering artists including the all-female International Sweethearts of Rhythm, Marian McPartland, and Melba ...
Growing Older Jazzfully

by Peter Rubie
So there I was the other day, taking a yoga lesson, trying to loosen my aching muscles. I'm at that age where it aches if I do exercise, and I stiffen if I don't. The instructor was a young woman with the flexibility of a baby who can suck her own toes. She asked us to ...
Theo Croker: Afro Physicist

by Angelo Leonardi
Nel terreno d'incontro tra neo-bop, soul e fusion, il giovane trombettista e compositore Theo Croker mostra vivo talento e freschezza d'idee. Non è azzardato prevedergli un'imminente luminosa carriera e questo Afro Physicist"--prodotto da Dee Dee Bridgewater e pubblicato dalla Okeh--si caratterizza come un lavoro fantasioso e maturo. Nipote di Doc Cheatham, Theo ha ...
Buddy Rich: The Beat Goes On

by Jack Bowers
Was Buddy Rich really the world's greatest drummer"? The answer to that speculative question is debatable, of course, and opinions may vary, as they no doubt do on what kind of a person (or persons) he was when not weaving his particular brand of magic behind a drum kit. Buddy's remarkable talents as a drummer and ...
Luis Perdomo: Walking Towards the Light

by R.J. DeLuke
Pianist Luis Perdomo's fingers dart across the keys, eloquently telling the stories that traverse his mind in that instant; doing so in a manner that enraptures an audience. He moves people, and does so in a manner that appears, on the surface, easy. Like great athletes. Like other great musicians. This is one of the finer ...
We Brothers Three: the Joneses, Heaths and Montgomerys
From Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey to Wynton and Branford Marsalis, the history of jazz includes a number of notable brother acts. Sometimes three brothers have shared the stage or studio spacethe focus of this week's edition of Night Lights. We Brothers Three" features music from the following trio of brotherly trios: Hank, Thad and Elvin Jones ...