Jazz

There have been many instances where a musician specializing in a particular genre has taken a detour to investigate another. Bassist/composer Clovis Nicolas has focused on jazz music since he picked up his instrument, but it was his chance meeting of a...

There have been a number of famous jazz artists whose offspring have followed their father's footsteps into music. Think only of Ellis Marsalis and his sons, Dewey and Joshua Redman, Papa John and Joey DeFrancesco, Bucky and John Pizzarelli, Walter and...

There aren't many alto saxophonists to whom I'd rather be listening. He has a lovely tone - slender, fibrous and very human - and a shallow vibrato: a highly distinctive combination. If you listen to one of his improvisations and just concentrate on the...

There are times when something new comes along at once familiar and yet completely original. The album 'Start to Move' from Elizabeth Shepherd Trio is just that. But what's more she has added her own unique blend of jazz-funk, soul, blues, and samba to...

There are relationships that always remain fruitful. Maybe it is because the discourse never lags or there is unflagging affection. Vocalist Jay Clayton and percussionist Jerry Granelli have been making music together for forty years and their musical...

There are reasons aplenty for the music listening population's attention being swayed by Lead Belly. The songs that he sang were appealingly forthright and uncomplicated. His voice and powerful 12-string guitar were strong and enticing. Because of his...

There are millions of tales to be told of life in New York City. In every neighborhood, there are buildings that have witnessed generations of individuals, families, businesses, and organizations utilizing their communal spaces. The inconspicuous...

There are many talented musicians in the world, but only very few that special something. Marco Marconi is one of these few - from the moment the Italian's hands touch the keys, he moves into his own stream of jazz consciousness, taking the listener with...

There are many borders in our lives. Some are built by others, some we create for ourselves. Whenever I have ventured beyond the borders in my life, I have been the better for it. Beauty, humanity, artistry, joy, wisdom, and of course love... these...

There are incantations and supplications to be found here. Also: elegies and headlines, howls and mantras, reveries and outbursts. They instruct and affirm. They urge you to dance while offering road maps to reflection. They rouse you from deep slumber...

There are few recordings that are as harmonious and natural sounding as this. A recording that originally had little to no distribution in the United States, Porter Records is proud to be releasing "Counterbalance" on CD for the first time. While it fits...

There are few greater pleasures in a jazz lover's life than listening to the music of Martial Solal. He is a magician of the keyboard. Solal seems to find as much joy in the creation of his unique artistry and transmit just as much of a sense of...