The Latest Jazz News, Articles, Interviews

This page changes almost daily, so check back soon for the latest jazz music news and headlines as well as jazz articles and interviews of terrific jazz artists..

Latest Jazz News and Headlines

All About Jazz News

PERFORMANCE/TOUR: Open for Business! The Seabird Jazz Lounge in Long Beach, CA
The e: Seabird Jazz Lounge was formally known as the "Cotton Club," a classy, intimate straight-ahead and contemporary Jazz Lounge in Long Beach, CA. Presenting a variety of live world class local and nationally known musical acts! Featuring our amazing house band The Dale Black Quartet...
CD/DOWNLOAD/ALBUM: Dave Bass Quartet Featuring Ernie Watts, Babatunde Lea, Mary Stallings, and Gary Brown Release "Gone"
David Bass on Gone The word Gone has several meanings for me... There's the 20-plus years I was away from the music scene, then there's the feeling when your lover leaves and your heart breaks... alone and empty, and finally, the beatnik/hipster notion of an irrevocably cool person. I have returned to music and am proud to present these original compositions brought wonderfully alive by the musicianship of m: Ernie Watts, m: Babatunde Lea, m: Gary Brown, Harold Muniz, and especially m: Mary Stallings who literally breathed life into my lyrics. Lucky me! My deepest thanks and gratitude to all...
INTERVIEW/PROFILE: Jazz Musician of the Day: John Zorn
All About Jazz is celebrating John Zorn's birthday today! John ZornJohn Zorn (born September 2, 1953 in NYC, USA) is a Jewish American composer and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist. As a child, Zorn played piano, guitar and flute. He studied at Webster College (now Webster University) in St. Louis... more...
JOURNALISM/BLOGGING: Incomplete Communion: Engaging Contemporary Post-Bop
I'll admit it&#151while I find a lot to enjoy in straight-ahead jazz, it's really hard to review straight-ahead jazz CDs. Part of this is a result of questioning where tradition and the mainstream fit in together, and if indeed they actually parallel one another in creative music. Bill Dixon had a way of putting this conundrum that I appreciated, paraphrased thusly: "tradition is something which surrounds you. You start from where you are, and you'll get to the rest in time." For example, one could say that, if one plays the tenor saxophone, Chu Berry, Dexter Gordon and Arnett Cobb will be part of what one plays, even if where one places oneself might be within a language of circularity and flutter-tonguing...
CD/DOWNLOAD/ALBUM: Deep Cuts: Chicago Transit Authority "Free Form Guitar" (1969)
By Pico We all know this, but sometimes we need to be reminded that Chicago is a mainstream rock band that was once a rock/jazz/blues/R&B/whack jazz masquerading as a mainstream rock band. Wait a minute, you say, "whack jazz"??? Not just whack jazz, but the extreme kind of whack jazz. If you still have a worn-out vinyl copy of the band's spectacular debut album Chicago Transit Authority, chances are that the black band between "Poem 58" and "South California Purples" is still shiny and clean. Perhaps it's time to reconsider the cut everyone skips over, though...
CD/DOWNLOAD/ALBUM: Joan Jeanrenaud, PC Mua Oz - Pop-Pop (2010)
By Mark Saleski If you want to really scare yourself, wait until everybody else in the house has gone to bed, turn out all of the lights, and put the Kronos Quartet's Black Angels on the stereo. You will be assaulted with George Crumb's terrifying "Black Angels (Images I)," a piece so full of tension and release (or maybe just tension...it's been a while and honestly, just the thought of it is making me nervous) that you will feel like you've done aerobics after it's over...
INTERVIEW/PROFILE: Happy Birthday, Gene Harris!
Pianist Gene Harris (1933-2000) recorded prolifically during his long career. He started out playing in Army bands during the early 1950s. In 1956, he formed The Three Sounds with Andy Simpkins on bass and Bill Dowdy on drums. (Actually, it was originally The Four Sounds, but saxophonist Lonnie "The Sound" Walker dropped out after a year.) The group recorded exclusively with Blue Note Records from 1958 to 1962, including LPs with the likes of Lou Donaldson and Stanley Turrentine (the quietly grooving Blue Hour). Harris had a very warm, rich-bodied sound to his playing, very bluesy with a gospel tinge, a style that epitomized Blue Note's soul-jazz of the period...
GENERAL MUSIC INDUSTRY: The Final Week of the Hypebot Hit Song Contest
As Bruce noted in the more news section yesterday, this is the final week of the Hypebot Hit Song Contest. It looks like entries have rounded off since my last update. We encourage all of you to go here and vote for your favorite entries in the competition. Since the end of the contest coincides with Labor Day, we imagine that there may be a small delay in announcing the winners due to the music industry slowdown and absence of judges. Don't worry though, you will know the winners when we know...
GENERAL MUSIC INDUSTRY: Bandwidth Video: Headlinerfm on the Future of the Music Industry and Twitter's Matt Graves on Subscription Services
In this next set of footage from the Bandwidth Conference,Danny Dee talks with Mike More and Bill Cromie of HeadlinerFM on the future of the music industry. Then, he speaks with Twitter's Matt Graves on the right price point for subscription services and Graves gives his thoughts on Ultimate Chart...
PERFORMANCE/TOUR: Umphrey's McGee: The Tabernacle Documentary
On February 6, 2010, Umphrey's McGee took the stage at The Tabernacle in Atlanta, GA for a now legendary performance in front of a rabid sold out crowd. The energy in the historic room was so contagious that it created a palpable band-audience synergy, propelling the music to incredible heights. Luckily, the band's HD video camera captured the show from the soundboard and now you can experience The Tabernacle, a short film directed by the band's lighting designer Jefferson Waful, who has worked in television, radio, and print media for more than 20 years...
CD/DOWNLOAD/ALBUM: Scott Amendola: Lift
DRUMMER SELF-RELEASES FIRST ALBUM IN FIVE YEARS The painting by Mexican artist Victor Zubeldia that serves as the cover of Lift is entitled "The Angel" and has hung in m: Scott Amendola's living room for years, but it could have been created with his music in mind. Depicting an androgynous figure being raised into the night sky by a host of blackbirds via long, ropelike strands of hair, the image echoes the buoyant freedom, transcendent collaboration, and rich depth that characterize the album as a whole...
INTERVIEW/PROFILE: Zappa Bust to be Unveiled in Baltimore on 9/19
SEPTEMBER 19 WILL BE DECLARED "FRANK ZAPPA DAY" IN BALTIMORE Details of events were announced today for the unveiling of a sculpture of Frank Zappa and celebration honoring the composer for the legacy of his music and his commitment to the First Amendment. September 19, 2010 marks the 25th anniversary of Zappa's testimony on Capitol Hill and at Annapolis against the censorship of free expression by artists. In commemoration of this event, Zappa Records is preparing to release Congress Shall Make No Law, a CD containing Frank Zappa's testimony. As part of the celebrations, the Mayor's office will issue a proclamation moving annual 'Frank Zappa Day' to September 19 in Baltimore...
INTERVIEW/PROFILE: Orrin Keepnews on Bill Evans
In rereading producer Orrin Keepnews' superb book, The View From Within, a collection of his jazz writings and recollections over the years, I came across the following passage on Bill Evans and the recording of Explorations. I've often posted that the years between 1959 and 1965 represent my favorite Bill Evans period, with Explorations being among my favorite recording, primarily for its poetic ideas and bounce...
VIDEO/DVD: Jones-Lewis, Inc. -- Groove Merchants
Bill Kirchner sent a link to a video. He accompanied it with a succinct message:Play this when you're having a bad day. I wasn't having a bad day, but the Thad-Jones Mel Lewis band made it better. This is from a European tour probably in the fall of 1969 -- not '68, as YouTube says. The reed section: Joe Henderson, Jerry Dodgion, Jerome Richardson, Eddie Daniels, Pepper Adams. Trumpets: Snooky Young, Danny Moore, Al Porcino, Richard Williams. Trombones: Eddie Bert, Astley Fennell, Jimmy Knepper, Cliff Heather. Rhythm: Mel Lewis, drums; Roland Hanna, piano; Richard Davis, bass. Conductor: Thad Jones...
PERFORMANCE/TOUR: Site News: Calendar Update and More
Yr. humble editor has just completed a fairly major update to the St. Louis Jazz Notes Calendar, which can be found in the left-hand column of the main StLJN site; under the "Calendar" tab on StLJN's Facebook page, and on its very own page here. The updated calendar has dozens of new listings, including the 2010-11 season schedules for Jazz at the Bistro, the Sheldon Concert Hall, New Music Circle and several other local presenters, as well as an assortment of other jazz events announced over the last few weeks. Next up will be a few additions to the StLJN links section, and some minor pruning of dead links, which should happen in the next day or two...
GENERAL MUSIC INDUSTRY: Chris Massey Signs with the Spectra Jazz Record Label
Not often does a drummer start off a career with high praise and reviews from jazz critics&#151nor does a drummer provide the sort of recorded listening experience one leaves on continual play, but you'll have to hear drummer Chris Massey's New Jazz Project CD "Vibrainium"to believe it! We here at Spectra Jazz have kept Massey's CD in our rotation for the last two weeks and are very proud that Chris has signed with the Spectra Jazz label...
CD/DOWNLOAD/ALBUM: Collard Greens & Gravy to Release "Juke Joint Boogie!", September 13th 2010
Melbourne, Australia based act, Collard Greens & Gravy are releasing their 5th album on Monday, September 13th 2010. The album title is "Juke Joint Boogie!" (BMM 357.2) and is a combination of original and cover tunes The album's direction is based upon the early Sun Record's Blues recordings, of such artists as Howling Wolf, Junior Parker and Doctor Ross...
EVENT: Canada South Blues Society (Windsor) to Hold Blues Challenge Series
Ever wish you could have a do-over? NOW YOU CAN! After many years of not staging a Blues Challenge Series, The Canada South Blues Society in Windsor has decided to do so this year in conjunction with Caesars Windsor Casino and Molson Canadian. YOU ARE INVITED YOU TO COMPETE! he preliminary rounds will be held on Wednesday evenings at Caesars Windsor (in the big room) on the following dates: September 29, 2010 8pm-11pm October 6, 2010 8pm-11pm October 13, 2010 8pm-11pm October 20, 2010 8pm-11pm October 27, 2010 8pm-11pm The Finals will be on Wednesday, November 3, 2010 from 8pm-11pm, also at Caesars Windsor...
FESTIVAL/CRUISE: 6th Annual Riverside Blues Festival in Windsor
For the 6th straight year, the Canada South Blues Society and The Riverside Sportsmen's Club are presenting the RIVERSIDE BLUES FESTIVAL on Friday, September 10th and Saturday September 11th Details of the event are as follows...
WEB/TECH: 5 Reasons Why Apple TV is (Still) Boring
We know&#151the new Apple TV is really small, and it finally focuses on renting rather than purchasing television shows, integrates iOS devices as remote controls, has an optical audio output for surround sound, and costs just a hundred bones. Let's just get right down to it. Here are five reasons Apple TV is still boring&#151even after today's improvements...

Powered by FirstRSS Plugin