One of the earliest, and certainly one of the best, festivals of the year is the Winter Jazzfest in New York. Manhattan’s Greenwich Village will once again be the heart and soul of live jazz on 12 different stages. I remember last year when I attended the festival that it was necessary to decide to either just…
I think it’s great that Jazz is represented in the Best Children’s Album category this year – thanks to the wonderful album “How Great Can This Day Be” by singer Lori Henriques (see also my review from January 8th): http://www.ginalovesjazz.com/lori-henriques-catches-ginas-attention-on-new-album The 58th Grammy Awards show will run on February 15th and today, the nominees have…
When Jazz Institute Berlin director Peter Weniger and journalist Wolf Kampmann spreaded word that they want to organize a concert for the Flüchtlingsrat Berlin e.V., which supports a vast number of refugees coming to the city, the reaction of the Berlin musicians was overwhelming. And so, the concert which is called “We Insist! Solidarität mit…
Melbourne-based, Morocco-born guitarist Albare is currently on a European tour in support of his new album “Only Human”. From the Pat Metheny-like opener “Nightly News” to the smooth groove of the title track, here’s a pretty versatile musician combining his superb skills with imaginative compositions. Albare, whose real name is Albert Dadon, wants his new…
What would the world sound like without the compositions of the great Billy Strayhorn? Celebrating his centennial, New York’s public transport organization, the MTA, will run a special A train for this occasion, in remembrance to one of his most powerful and long-lasting songs, “Take The A Train”. The train’s passengers will get a free…
The festival for contemorary, creative jazz will present 22 bands between April 22nd and May 7th of next year. Jazzfest founder Peter Materna, himself an accomplished saxophonist, started to put Bonn on the jazz festival map back in 2010. Once again next year, various locations throughout the city will host international and national artists. Among…
German-born pianist Anke Helfrich comes up with a new album that features Tim Hagans on trumpet and flugelhorn. Anke has studied with Kenny Barron and Larry Goldings and has played with Roy Hargrove, Johnny Griffin, and Manu Katché, among many others. On the new record, she not only plays piano, but also uses Fender Rhodes,…
It was during “Cheating On Me”, one of the slower numbers from singer Kwabs and his debut LP “Love + War” (see review on these pages), that the full capacity of the London-based singer shone through. Dressed in black, with a black cap, a lot of his singing abilities were unfortunately buried in a wall…
The 34th Cully Jazz Festival has announced its first artists for the 2016 edition. The festival, which runs April 8th to 16th, will feature Dianne Reeves in a concert at the Chapiteau on April 10th. Also on the lineup: the Erik Truffaz Quartet and the Mark Giuliana Jazz Quartet on April 13th. The full programme…
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,…