Results for "Zaccai Curtis"

2021 Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland

by John Chacona
September 21, 2021

Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland Cain Park September 11-12, 2021 Witnessing the moment-by-moment interaction between musicians is one of the sublime pleasures of attending a jazz concert. There were plenty of opportunities to do just that during the Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland, but for me the sweetest such encounter didn't occur onstage. It happened between ...

Onward & Upward

By Ralph Peterson

Label: Onyx Music Label
Released: 2020
Track listing: Forth and Back; Sonora; Onward & Upward; Waltz For Etienne and Ebony; Red Black and Green Blues; Un Poco Haina; Sudan Blue; Portrait of Lord Willis; Tricks of the Trade; El Grito; Along Came Benny.

Ralph Peterson & the Messenger Legacy: Onward & Upward

by Paul Rauch
August 8, 2020

Generally speaking, legacy bands are created to preserve the music of an artist. They feature innovative interpretations of an artist's compositions or past performances to share with future generations of listeners. In the case of drummer Ralph Peterson, his ambitious efforts to honor the continuum of his mentor Art Blakey are forward thinking, about a collective ...

Avery Sharpe: 400: An African American Musical Portrait

by Troy Dostert
August 13, 2019

In 1619 the White Lion, a British privateer which had just successfully raided a Spanish slave ship, arrived in the Jamestown colony with its contraband cargo of twenty-some African slaves. Thus began the tumultuous legacy of the African American experience in North America—a four-hundred-year saga that bassist Avery Sharpe traces skilfully and poignantly on 400: An ...

Josh Lawrence: Triptych

by David A. Orthmann
April 6, 2019

Triptych succeeds on the connection between Josh Lawrence's writing and a coterie of players with whom he has been associated for several years. A brilliant, enterprising band comprised of the leader's trumpet, pianist Zaccai Curtis, his brother, bassist Luques Curtis, alto saxophonist Caleb Curtis (no relation), and drummer Anwar Marshall readily embrace the contours of Lawence's ...

Zaccai Curtis

Born: December 25, 1981

Zaccai Curtis is an acclaimed recording artist and producer, recently honored with the 2025 Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album. He leads his own groups, the Zaccai Curtis Quintet and Sonido Solar, and after five successful releases, is set to release his new album Sonoluminescence in 2026.

Together with his brother Luques, Zaccai co-founded the record label TRRcollective, a collaborative space for musicians to produce and release their own music. He is also proud to have produced the Grammy-nominated album Entre Colegas by Andy González (2016).

Bongwool Lee: My Singing Fingers

by Paul Rauch
July 14, 2018

Much has been written about the different creative processes engaged between classical and jazz musicians, more specifically, as applied to the collective worlds of jazz and classical piano. New York based pianist Bongwool Lee has an intimate relationship with these perceived differences. Born and raised in Seoul, Korea, she was exposed by her parents to a ...

Josh Lawrence: Contrast

by Thad Aerts
May 19, 2018

On Contrast, Josh Lawrence and Color Theory's second recording for Posi-Tone, the group executes a classic framework held together with tight chemistry. Lawrence may be the leader, but the gist of the end product is a very democratic arrangement where no one musician or group of musicians takes precedence. Each shine at various times throughout Contrast. ...

Josh Lawrence & Color Theory: Contrast

by David A. Orthmann
April 1, 2018

Josh Lawrence & Color Theory's Contrast features a host of varied, sturdy and invigorating compositions by the leader, an ensemble that plays them with élan, a number of arresting soloists, and a rhythm section that rapidly moves between sly and rambunctious. While all of these factors are important, they don't adequately capture the record's essence. Perhaps ...

Josh Lawrence & Color Theory: Contrast

by Paul Rauch
March 7, 2018

Trumpeter Josh Lawrence has had a long and diverse trek to where he is now. Beginning in his native New Jersey, he has embraced jazz culture in Philadelphia, Europe, and finally New York City, where he has gained a solid reputation as a musician, bandleader, and composer. On his second release for the Posi-Tone ...