Jazz Video of the Day

Oshun by Omar Sosa & Yilian Canizares

Omar Sosa
Duration: 3:45

This music video features the track “Oshun," from the CD Aguas by Omar Sosa and Yilian Canizares. Its animated graphics were created using After Effects, Moho Pro, and Photoshop by Madrid-based Cuban artist Leonardo Perez Garcia and depicts the transforming and healing powers of the Yoruba water deity. The music video invites all of us to connect with the profound and life-sustaining properties of water in our own lives.

"Lilac Skies" - The new single from jazz guitarist Shambhu

Shambhu
Duration: 3:51

"This music is dedicated to lifting us up inside. Relax, groove, dance, enjoy and love.” ~Shambhu (pronounced SHOHM-boo) A who’s who of magically talented musicians joined Shambhu (guitars, e-keyboards, e-bass) for this live studio recording, including Frank Martin (keyboards), Celso Alberti (drums and percussion), Kai Eckhardt (bass), and Premik Russell Tubbs on flute.

2019 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert

Duration: 59:59

In celebration of the 2019 NEA Jazz Masters—Stanley Crouch, Bob Dorough, Abdullah Ibrahim, and Maria Schneider—the National Endowment for the Arts, in collaboration with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, hosted a free concert in their honor on April 15, 2019.

The evening featured remarks by NEA Acting Chair Mary Anne Carter and Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter and appearances by world-renowned musicians paying tribute to the NEA Jazz Masters’ careers, with performances by Jay Anderson, Steve Berger, Terence Blanchard, Terri Lyne Carrington, Kurt Elling, Sullivan Fortner, Bill Goodwin, Cleave Guyton, Noah Jackson, 2012 NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan, Grace Kelly, Frank Kimbrough, Christian McBride, Charles McPherson, Jason Moran, David Murray, Pat O’Leary, Scott Robinson, and J D Walter.

Bill Frisell & Thomas Morgan - Epistrophy (Teaser)

Bill Frisell
Duration: 1:24

Like their acclaimed ECM release Small Town of 2017 – which The Guardian called “wistful and mesmerizing… tonally ingenious and haunting” – Epistrophy by guitarist Bill Frisell and bassist Thomas Morgan was recorded at New York City’s Village Vanguard. The new album once again captures the rare empathy these two players achieve together in this intimate environment. There are further poetic takes on pieces from the duo’s Americana songbook (“All in Fun,” “Red River Valley,” “Save the Last Dance for Me”), as well as another intense version of a composition by Paul Motian (“Mumbo Jumbo”), an artist whom both the guitarist and bassist knew well. Frisell and Morgan communicate the essence of Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life” and the Frank Sinatra hit “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning,” so much so that the famous words seem to hang in the air even without a singer. At the center of the album is a pair of pieces by Thelonious Monk: the funky, angular “Epistrophy” and the ruminative ballad “Pannonica.” And as with “Goldfinger” on Small Town, Frisell and Morgan offer a glowing duo interpretation of a melody-rich John Barry title tune from a James Bond film – “You Only Live Twice.”

Chuck Berry's "Havana Moon" by George Benson

George Benson
Duration: 4:54

Official lyric video for Havana Moon, the famous Chuck Berry track from George Benson's new album Walking To New Orleans.

All About Jazz at the 2019 Montréal Audio Fest: Part 7-7. Featuring Audiofilles.

Duration: 10:38

The seventh installment of All About Jazz's coverage of the 32nd annual Montréal Audio Fest, a spectacular event spotlighting over 300 manufacturers and distributors of high-end audio/video systems ranging from $1,000 to $1,000,000. Follow host John Kelman as he interviews representatives from several Canadian manufacturers and engages in some listening sessions with their equipment.

Episode 7: John pays a visit to the Audiofilles room. Yes, a play on the word Audiophile, Audiofilles ("Audio Girls") is an initiative begun by the Montréal Audio Fest in 2018. Its purpose: to bring attention to women in a largely male-dominated market. A team of ten women (including interviewees Karine Rose and Amelie Therrien), whose musical interests run far and wide, are presented with a number of products from a variety of manufacturers, and put together a different system each year. What makes its room so different is, instead of the showroom environments favored by most manufacturers/distributors, Audiofilles create a living room environment with couches, carpets, plants, wall hangings and more, to create a more informal, comfortable setting to sample their system...and their music.

An important success for the 2019 Montréal Audio Fest? Attendance was up over 20% from 2018, with over 6,000 people registering for the event (registration is free). The demographics are also important: 20% of registrants were women, and only 30% were above the age of 55. This means that the festival is succeeding, not just at bringing more people to its event, but more women and a younger, 25-55 age group.

All About Jazz at the 2019 Montréal Audio Fest: Part 6-7. Featuring Bryston.

Duration: 10:38

The sixth installment of All About Jazz's coverage of the 32nd annual Montréal Audio Fest, a spectacular event spotlighting over 300 manufacturers and distributors of high-end audio/video systems ranging from $1,000 to $1,000,000. Follow host John Kelman as he interviews representatives from several Canadian manufacturers and engages in some listening sessions with their equipment.

Episode 6: John interviews James Tanner, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Bryston, who has been designing and manufacturing state of the art specialty electronics to both the consumer and professional audio marketplaces for over 35 years. In the consumer market, Bryston manufactures state of the art audio electronics, including active speaker systems, amplifiers, crossovers, CD players and more, all intended to provide their customers with the most musically accurate and reliable performance available. In the professional market, Bryston offers amplifiers for recording studios, radio and television broadcast facilities, and sound reinforcement applications such as stadiums, arenas and other large-scale venues. James illuminates the company's history (surprising, considering where it began) and discusses the benefits of stacked and active speaker configurations.