The seventh Rockit Festival last Saturday was a blast, once again. It was my third time in Groningen and the lineup was as promising as ever. I started out with a pretty intense performance by Immanuel Wilkins who was just nominated for a Grammy so this was, as he said from the stage, their Grammy…
There was this certain air of deep reverence when 91 year old Abdullah Ibrahim, one of the most influential and respected pianists today, took to the stage last night at Pfalzbau in Ludwigshafen, where he performed during this year’s Enjoy Jazz Festival. The South African pianist, who lives in Germany, was accompanied to the piano…
After a couple of weeks with a bout of flu-like symptoms or whatever you want to call it, we’re looking forward to visiting the Enjoy Jazz Festival for the very first time this year. Coming up this week in Ludwigshafen, Mannheim, and Heidelberg: ganavya, Makaya McCraven, the mighty Abdullah Ibrahim, and Jazz is Dead with…
I have never done this before on these pages, but I’d like to re-post this tribute to the late great Rod Temperton who would have turned 76 today. The article was published on October 6th, 2016, about 10 days after he succumbed to cancer (September 25th). When Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson were ready to record the epochal “Thriller”…
Harpist and composer Brandee Younger, who released her most personal and vulnerable album “Gadabout Season” this past June, is about to start her European tour. The album was recorded on Alice Coltrane’s harp and “reflects the journey — the search for meaning and beauty amid life’s most complex moments, ultimately emerging with a deeper sense…
New York-based singer Michael Mayo, who last year released his critically-acclaimed album “Fly”, recently added a handful of tracks to the album, all of them with the Swedish Norrbotten Big Band with Calle Rasmusson as arranger and conductor. The new songs once again show the immense versatility of Michael as a singer and songwriter on…
The duo of UK-based Andy Platts and Shawn Lee, also known as Young Gun Silver Fox, are touring Europe this month after the early May release of their fifth LP “Pleasure” on Légère Recordings. Their brilliant mix of so-called Yacht Rock, Blue-eyed soul (don’t like this term but there you go), and AOR sounds of…
Kathy Kosins and Paul Randolph, who together have formed DetroitCentriX, have come up with a new single. After “What We Want” and “Ain’t No Wrong”, the Detroit-based artists are now back with “Rollerskate”. The trend by the way goes back to around 1979, when the roller disco trend started and movies like “Roller Boogie” were…
As you probably know, Gina releases a weekly 60-minute playlist of new music since early 2024. And yes, it is on Spotify. For the many bad things you can say about this streaming platform, I have discovered a lot of new artists in the last couple of years, only to find me buying their vinyl…
The highly anticipated show by the SOS Band last night at Paradiso in Amsterdam was truly remarkable. Not only because the two singers who had replaced the almost iconic Mary Davis several years ago, really delivered, but because the songs still sound really fresh after all these decades. Singer and trumpeter Abdul Ra’oof, the only…