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!
The last time I saw Poppa Lou live in person was at the Northsea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam a few years ago. As usual, he had that special command over the audience after playing just a few notes. And his humor and natural high spirits are always immensely infectious. So if you’re in the New…
A Christmas album by Norah Jones? At first I thought it doesn’t really suit Norah because even though she released some very pop-friendly vocal jazz albums in her earlier phase, she then drifted off to more alternative and folk/jazz oeuvres which I think is much more Norah than the easy-to-the-ear stuff like “Don’t Know Why”…
The music of the Beatles and their influence on other artists are still relevant today in Brad Mehlau‘s work, the pianist says in the liner notes to “Your Mother Should Know: Brad Mehldau Plays The Beatles”, to be released on Nonesuch Records this Friday, February 10th, on all digital platforms, CD, and vinyl. Recorded live…
Norwegian trumpeter Mathias Eick releases his fifth album for ECM as a leader. We reviewed his still beautiful album “Midwest“, a collection of songs about the voyage of Norway coming to America, on these pages in 2015. He also released “Ravensburg” in between. The album and its protagonists, including two drummers, is the backing again…
“Fresh Horizons” is the theme for the Jazz Connect Conference in New York next month. Held at Saint Peter’s Church in Manhattan on January 14th and 15th, it once again brings together the international jazz community for workshops, sessions, and get-togethers. I was on a panel titled “Spolight on Germany” in 2014 and the 2016…
Leon Bridges, the classic soul singer from Texas who is bridging the gap between 50s and 60s style soul à la Sam Cooke and Gospel, is currently on a European tour supporting his “Coming Home” album which came out in June. Leon performed a showcase concert in Berlin in May and I had the pleasure…