The first time I saw Chris Potter was in ’93 or possibly ’94 when he was blowing sax on stage with Steely Dan. The alto and tenor sax of this extraordinary musician can be heard on the Dan’s Two Against Nature that came out in 2000. One of the great things […]
Jazz
108 posts
In the words of Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Krall, and Zooey Deschanel among many others – what are you doing New Year’s Eve? And while we’re at it, how about tomorrow night (the video will show on TV tomorrow so ‘tonight’ refers to the 30th) straight through to Saturday, January 2nd. […]
Musical Holiday Gift Ideas for 2015 So you need some musical holiday gift ideas for 2015 – no problemo! I have donned Santa’s hat and sprawled many tasties on a table for your amusement and to make suggestions on what to buy for yourself or the music lover on your […]
NY Philharmonic Frank Sinatra Tribute Stars ranging from Christina Aguilera (the Princess of Pop) to Bernadette Peters interpreted songs made famous by a man born in Hoboken, New Jersey almost 100 years ago to the day. Sinatra: Voice For A Century was a night long on talent at David Geffen Hall […]
Music has the power to free the soul so authoritarian regimes across history have often attempted to suppress it. Such was the case in Pakistan beginning in the 1970’s under a military dictatorship and exacerbated by The Taliban’s influence from the mid 1990’s. The country’s traditional music made primarily with […]
You may know Ian Hendrickson-Smith from seeing him as part of The Tonight Show Band led by Questlove or you may know him from the seven years he played with Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings. If not, meet the man already! Adept on all saxes as well as the flute, […]
Buster Poindexter (alias for David Johansen, frontman for The New York Dolls) has rolled into Cafe Carlyle for a run of shows ending next Saturday October 10, 2015. I spoke to the Staten Island native not too long ago at a gig he did at The Cutting Room.
Vijay Iyer is currently the most acclaimed pianist in jazz. This year he released the third album – Break Stuff – as the Vijay Iyer Trio featuring Marcus Gilmore on drums and Stephan Crump on double bass. I spoke with the Harlem resident (and Harvard University Professor) at the Montreal Jazz Festival earlier […]
When I spoke with Jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove the other day, I asked him about R&B phenom D’Angelo. Here’s what he said about the man and working on D’Angelo’s Black Messiah. D’Angelo is playing Carnegie Hall on October 1, 2015 with other artists “Celebrating the Music of Bill Withers”.
There’s no trumpet (and flugelhorn) player I”d rather listen to than Roy Hargrove. He burns equally bright whether applying his pure lustrous tone to tough hard bop or to smoldering ballads. I spoke with the artist on a sunny late afternoon here in the city over the long Labor Day […]
New York City’s own John Pizzarelli is, like a lot of us, a lifelong Beatles fan. You can imagine the thrill it was for the jazz guitarist/vocalist to record with Paul McCartney on the latter’s Kisses On The Bottom a few years ago. Macca had liked the John Pizzarelli Meets The […]
Dr. John gave us a scare by canceling his show in Central Park on 8-2-2014 for health reasons. However, the New Orleans music legend was in good spirits when we chatted a couple of weeks after that on the release of his new album: Ske Dat De Dat – The Spirit […]
Four heavy jazz artists: Gary Bartz, Buster Williams, Larry Willis, and Al Foster have come together as Heads of State. The new album, Search for Peace, is out and they’ll be celebrating its release with shows this weekend at Manhattan’s Smoke Jazz Club. I spoke with Gary Bartz at the […]
I’m mad about hanging out at the Jazzfest – this year’s Montreal Jazz Festival 2015 being no exception. I ran amok with my video camera and got a taste of groups as far afield as Novalima, The Barr Brothers and Cibo Matto. Catching the Wayne Shorter Quartet was a highlight […]
Pedrito Martinez is such a heavy guy that Wynton, Waters, and Winwood as well as Springsteen, Sting, and Simon have either dropped in on him or invited him on stage or to a session…and those are just the names that grouped well by letter. The Cuban percussionist, singer, bandleader and […]
In this John Patitucci interview he is quick to give credit to some of the great jazz artists like Chick Corea and Wayne Shorter who encouraged him and were important in his career.
John Patitucci is among the most accomplished bass players in the world. His latest project has JP focusing on the electric side of his playing with his longtime collaborator – Brian (one of the most exciting drummers alive) Blade plus a pair of shining guitarists: Steve Cardenas and Adam Rogers. […]
One of the most memorable shows at this year’s South by Southwest Festival was the one, in a church no less, from the group led by Hull, England’s Stuart Matthewman who co-wrote just about every Sade song that’s ever existed as well as played sax (& some guitar) on them […]
Here is a chance for one lucky entrant to win the Record Store Day 2015 exclusive 10″ vinyl record – “You Go To My Head/The Mood That I’m In” – a record with Billie Holiday’s originals of the 2 songs on one side, and contemporary jazz singer Cassandra Wilson singing […]
A whole lotta Lady Day around the city, and the world, this month as Billie Holiday was born in April of 1915. At the Apollo, she was inducted into the Walk of Fame while Molly Johnson at Jazz at Lincoln Center led a handful of vocalists interpreting her songs. Three […]
Here are some bits from interviews and performances over the past year or so put together as a celebration of jazz in NYC, past and present…full of fantastic characters! Find the full reports on Wynton Marsalis, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Bill Frisell, Chris Botti, and Lew Tabackin in the jazz section.
A dynamite exhibit, Sinatra: An American Icon, at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts is the way to begin appreciating Frank Sinatra this year, the centennial of his birth, with lots more ways soon to come.
Great to have Dr. John rolling through the city tonight February 27, 2015 especially as his last scheduled show here in Central Park on August 2, 2014 was canceled at the last minute. The New Orleans music legend spoke to me recently about his latest album: Ske Dat De Dat – […]
When Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra went to Cuba in 2010, seeds were already being planted for the Jazz Across the Americas Latin America tour which begins on Friday February 27th and Saturday February 28th 2015 at Jazz At Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater. The multi Grammy winning Jazz […]
The last few projects from the wonderful jazz singer Allan Harris have been tributes to some of his idols like Nat King Cole, Billy Strayhorn & Tony Bennett. Harris credits Bennett especially as a mentor who, when they spent time together in the late nineties, helped him hone his vocal […]