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!
After almost three weeks abroad, Gina was excited and oh so happy to have me back earlier this week. It is now back to business as usual with up to four walks every day, playing ball, and watching cat videos. We are currently listening to each and every one of the 41 LPs I bought…
I almost forgot to mention that Alan Hampton, one of my favorite composers and singers, has released a new track. “Passerine” came out in late December and it is another gem of a pop song. Except for Alan, who has worked with Robert Glasper, Sufjan Stevens, Gretchen Parlato, Meshell Ndegeocello, and many more, they just…
Let’s deal with some numbers today. The three record store days this past season, on August 29th, September 26th, and October 24th, combined to help generate 1.41 million album sales in the US, vinyl alone, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. Record Store Day is usually celebrated in the spring, celebrating not only vinyl releases, but…
The famous clarinetist died on Wednesday in Florida at the age of 91. DeFranco was the most popular bebop clarinetist who joined Gene Krupa‘s band in 1941 and later those of Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie, and Glenn Miller. After those big band and swing years, he was one of the very few who took the…
Earlier today, I went to the press conference for this year’s Jazzfest Berlin which is the first one with Richard Williams as artistic director. Richard attended the first Berlin Festival back in 1969 and has written for Melody Maker, the Times, and Time Out and has also written several biographies. So as it turned out,…
The one and only Patrice Rushen, Jazz, R&B, and Soul vocalist, composer, classically trained pianist, keyboards player, producer, music director, and educator, just announced a performance in Berlin on July 10th. Patrice will be at Club Gretchen, one of Berlin’s most exciting concert venues with a remarkable programming. Needless to say, with the lady who…