So it’s been a while since my last post here, but I had to get started for the 2019 open air season at our cozy little beer garden in Berlin-Pankow. We opened the “Live On Terrace” season on Easter Sunday with a magnificent concert by the great Desney Bailey and her trio and last Sunday,…
Berlin’s new Jazz Festival, Berlin Jazz Experiment, has announced more acts yesterday. In addition to the already confirmed artists which have been announced in late January, the Festival will now also host Mokete Mokete, Y-Otis, Katharina Ernst, Glass Museum, Anna VR, Aron Ottignon + Special Guest “Cutie Pie”, Allysha Joy, Nardeydey, and the Etuk Ubong…
Joni Mitchell turned 75 last November and her birthday was celebrated in fancy fashion with a concert at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles with a number of artists paying tribute to Joni and her songs, among them James Taylor, Chaka Khan, Seal, Diana Krall, and Norah Jones. The concert was recorded and the…
When Roy Ayers released “Silver Vibrations” on his own, newly formed Uno Melodic Records in 1983, he had just ended an incredibly successful decade with Polydor. The albums “Lots Of Love” and “Silver Vibrations” both came out in 1983 and the latter now gets reissue status from the great folks at BBE Music, including a…
Gina just fell in love with Lucas Arruda. We first heard of Lucas Arruda in 2015 when he teamed up with the legendary Leon Ware on an incredibly soulful tune called “Melt The Night”. It was featured on Lucas’ second album “Solar”, but I only heard it on some compilation at the time. Lucas has…
I was listening to a lot of specialist soul shows on BFBS and Radio Luxemburg in the early to mid 80s. There was also a weekly show on Tuesdays (or Thursdays) out of Brussels called “Funky Town”. The reception was pretty bad but I remember trying to soak up every note, every groove since this…
Berlin, 1996. I was working in a Mexican restaurant in Kreuzberg until 1 AM. Closed the place and went to another bar to see friends. On some weekends, I started to DJ afterwards in various venues and often came home late mornings or around noon. Sleep was not an option, but Down To The Bone…
It’s his first full-length album since 1985 can you imagine! The man who gave us the immortal “You And Me” in 1980 only released a handful of singles afther his 1985 MCA Records album, among them the UK-based Debut 12″ “Are You Ready” in 1991. Rockie played London’s Jazz Café last weekend and is now…
Vanessa Rubin, one of my favorite singers, has finally released her tribute album to Tadd Dameron, “The Dream Is You: Vanessa Rubin Sings Tadd Dameron”, the pianist, composer, and arranger who was a pivotal figure in the bop scene of the 40s and 50s. Dameron composed several songs which became standards, like “If You Could…
Who knows if it’s really her Farewell Tour. Anyway, Anita Baker has just been added to the roster of this year’s North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam’s Ahoy, July 12-14. Anita will play five nights at the Venetian Theater in Las Vegas between May 31st and June 8th and she’ll also play the Capital Jazz…