She just finished her European tour. I was lucky to catch up with her in Vienna. I’m still going back to her 1985 LP “Good Morning Kiss”. Her new one, “Soul To Soul”, is her best so far and one of the best recordings of 2014. Happy Birthday Carmen and many more to come!
Saint Petersburg is not only the host city of the 2018 International Jazz Day, celebrated annually on April 30th in more than 190 countries, but also hosts the first international jazz forum and festival in Russia. Jazz Across Borders (JAB) will be held on November 17th and 18th in the State Academic Capella. JAB will…
It was Sunday, July 12th, 1992, when I first saw Gladys Knight live in concert. The Northsea Jazz Festival in The Hague (now in Rotterdam) and its biggest location, the Statenhal, was packed to the roof. I was pretty close to the stage witnessing a flawless, charming, entertaining, rousing set by one of soul music’s…
The World Music Showcase, the international showcase for emerging artists in world music, has called for applications until February 16th. The International World Music Showcase will take place in Sofia, Bulgaria, on July 3rd and 4th. Each accepted application will be evaluated by a 5-member international jury. 12 participants will be selected to participate in the showcase…
Since the whole world is watching Pennsylvania these days, let’s celebrate neo-soul and jazz fusion trombonist Jeff Bradshaw, who was born in North Philadelphia and as it turns out, hast just released his new album “Stronger” today. It is full of surprises and guests and features brilliant production work and almost 70 minutes of pure…
What a blessing and a relaxation this album is. Trumpet meister Jeremy Pelt, one of the most prolific artists on his instrument, has come up with a collection of ballads that is food for the soul. The modern jazz and bop intonation on his almost dozen albums on the HighNote and Savant labels makes way…
After the wise and successful move to Kreuzberg’s Lido for the first two nights of this year’s festival, the remaining four days were staged at the traditional, main venue, the Haus Der Berliner Festspiele (and various club/church locations again). Friday night was the most difficult one for me. It turned out that the concert…