Jazz

When it comes to New York's top-shelf gigs, few pianists get the job done like David Hazeltine. Much sought for his sensitivity as an accompanist, Hazeltine is also an inventive composer and arranger who is able to bring a fresh approach to the...

When it comes to musical material, a nexus between quality and reception is never a sure thing. Some choice compositions and performances receive their flowers while others slide into relative obscurity. Off the Charts takes an inspired set list of...

When I started 141 Layers of Ikigai I was not only determined to make this my best album to date but I also knew the specifics of how that was to come to fruition. The process was not smooth but it was revealing and took much more effort than any past...

When I go into the studio with these guys, it's not like I feel pressure. It's like, oh boy, let's go have some fun, ays saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi, recalling how his previous Savant recordings came together. In short, the acclaimed veteran didn't want...

When he recorded this album in 2008 to celebrate St?phane Grappelli's centennial year, Didier Lockwood put together a fantastic band comprising the cream of French jazz. Every one of these musicians, from Martial Solal to Romane, dedicated his artistry...

When Harry Bertoia's Sonambient label was resurrected, Important Records' intention was to tell the story of Bertoia's groundbreaking Sonambient work as revealed through his extensive collection of notes and recordings. When the first new LP was released...

When guitarist Marco Cappelli proposed a concert at New York's Tonic with one of my favorite new music pianists, the great Anthony Coleman, I couldn't refuse. And in the April of 2005 I made my comeback on the improvised music scene with excitement,...

When Glenn Miller's star vocalist, Marion Hutton, announced that she was taking maternity leave. It was a shock to Glenn. He immediately started looking around for a replacement. The ideal choice seemed to be Dorothy Claire, a pert, vivacious,...

When George Gershwin died suddenly from a brain tumor in 1937 at the age of 38, he was a widely renowned musician with a long career as a composer of concert pieces and songs for Hollywood movies and the Broadway stage. However, he hardly could have...

When Freddy Cole is asked why he is finally releasing a tribute to his legendary older brother, who left this world 50 years ago, his answer is hardly surprising. "Because I felt the time was right." Anytime is the right time for a new Freddy Cole CD but...

When Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong joined forces in the studio, it was never just another recording session; it was always more like a love fest. Whenever the voices of these two jazz icons blended, their love of music, and of each other, filled...

When Donna McElroy left Louisville, KY, in 1973, a young talented voice scholarship recipient (Fisk University-'77), she never dreamed her days in Nashville, TN, would be many and very rewarding. First she and her friend Vicki Hampton took all the...