Millions of people are out on the streets this weekend to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down. Gina of course was among the crowd – she walked all the way through Mauerpark and back trying to catch the balloons….
This album almost got lost when it was released just a week before the holidays. Trumpet maestro Ambrose Akinmusire, clearly one of the most imaginative artists on his instrument, or any instrument, recorded his latest Nonesuch album with Bill Frisell on guitar and the almost legendary Herlin Riley on drums. It’s a quiet album, meditative,…
Gina wants to congratulate Diana Ross on her 80th birthday! The diva, one of the very few who actually deserves this moniker, will be out on the road this year for her “Beautiful Love Performances – Legacy” tour which also includes two stops in Europe (most certainly more to be added). See you on the…
Saxophonist Jimmy Greene opens his new Mack Avenue album “While Looking Up” with the Cole Porter classic “So In Love”. And once again, from the very start of the disc, his lyricism and intense and emotional playing becomes the main force, like on his previous projects. Aided by guitarist Lage Lund and pianist Aaron Goldberg,…
He opened with a blues (“Ray Blues”) and from the very first notes, you could tell that 83 year old Michel Legrand still has the guts and the ability to play the piano and lead a classic jazz trio with just bass and drums. On stage at Berlin’s Konzerthaus last night, the maestro also added…
Ever wondered at that miraculous bass on Odyssey’s “Inside Out” from 1982? Sandy Anderson, member of the New York based post disco group Unlimited Touch, succumbed to the Corona virus. Unlimited Touch, formed by Raymond Reid and William Anderson of Crown Heights Affair, recorded only two LPs: “Unlimited Touch” in 1980 and “Yes, We’re Ready”…
Now it’s Patti Labelle‘s turn. Nine years after her “Back To Now” album, which had her reunited with Sarah Dash and Nona Hendryx as Labelle, the legendary singer will release an album of standards. With the occasional song from the Great American Songbook on her individual albums and by including songs like “Over The Rainbow”…