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!
It is a new experience waiting in the hallway with literally hundreds of other people, waiting to get in to the Amazon hall at Ahoy during North Sea Jazz 2022. This happened yesterday at Herbie Hancock‘s performance. I finally got my way in during the very last minutes. And once again, nobody was wearing a…
The last time the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute Competition focused on vocals was back in 2010. The three winners were Cécile McLorin Salvant, Charnée Wade, and Cyrille Aimée. All three of them are now having an international career, with Cécile just recently playing the Berlin Jazzfest. Among the judges five years ago were Patti Austin,…
José James‘ fifth album for his own label Rainbow Blonde came out in early April of this year and he is currently on tour in Europe with “1978”, the album which not only marks the singer’s birthyear, but also supposedly conveys the turmoils and political and social upheavals of the time. And so, he spoke…
Saxophonist Mike Phillips has come up with the perfect combination of soul, jazz, and contemporary groove. With the help of several guest artists, his new album “Pulling Off The Covers” soothes the soul and simply brings a lot of joy to these ears. Singer Brian McKnight shines on a funky and smooth cover of Slave’s…
It was Bill Henderson who recorded Horace Silver’s “Senor Blues” for Blue Note Records in 1958. Bill also worked with Wynton Kelly, Yusef Lateef, Ramsey Lewis, and started to release several albums in the late 50s on Vee-Jay Records. In the 60s, Bill worked with Eddie Harris, Oscar Peterson, and Count Basie and after settling…
For an avid reader of liner notes and credits, Sheree Brown is best known to me as a frequent collaborator on several of Patrice Rushen‘s best albums, released between 1978 and 1987. She has written or co-written some of the most memorable and loved tunes for Patrice: “Didn’t You Know” for “Patrice” (1978), “Let The…