Gina today woofed a special Happy Birthday to the one and only Joni Mitchell. “Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting To Be Danced” will be released on November 17. This is a 4-CD boxed set with 53 previously-released tracks which have all been remastered. “Night Ride Home” is one of my favorite…
It really happens quiet often that prejudices are proven true in the end. When I read the names of the ten artists on the cover of the new Nina Simone tribute album “Round Nina – A Tribute To Nina Simone”, I immediately thought that especially three artists wouldn’t do anything to me or enhance this…
The Trumpeter, pianist, and composer from Cuba was one of the founding members of the famous group Irakere. He was a protégé of Dizzy Gillespie and while touring through Europe in 1990, he went into the American Embassy in Rome to ask for his defection from Cuba. In December, 1998, Sandoval became an American citizen….
The producer, label founder and label head received the “Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland” (Order of the Federal Republic of Germany) from president Gauck last Monday. Loch has received numerous awards over the years. He has also made it a tradition of inviting journalists to his home during the Berlin Jazzfest. Last weekend, the turnout there…
Happy Birthday to Felton Pilate, the singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer for the Soul Funk group Con Funk Shun. Pilate joined the group shortly after his own group disbanded in the early 70s and became the lead voice (together with Michael Cooper) and later the music center of the group until he left in 1986. …
If there would be something like a Jazz Singles Top 50 chart, the songs by pianist Neil Cowley would fit in there completely. The short songs in their first set on Tuesday night at Berlin’s A-Trane were a prime example of surprisingly pulsating pieces. Together with long time band members Rex Horan on bass and…
That’s 25-year old Jeff Lorber on the cover of his first album from 1977. The Jazz Funk Soul keyboard player, composer, and leader celebrates his 62nd birthday today. He has worked with Miles Davis, Lalah Hathaway, Janet Jackson, Dave Koz, and lots more and just a few months ago released an album of Jazz, Funk…
While cleaning up our shed, Gina discovered four mice. One of the four didn’t make it out of the shed alive. Next: Gina starting to meow….
The last time I saw Vincent Peirani, the brilliant accordionist on stage last Saturday with the legendary drummer Daniel Humair, was about a year or so ago and I didn’t dare ask him to have his hair cut. So it was a nice surprise when he went on stage shaven-headed. But sorry, this is mainly…
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!