Gina Celebrates Her 5th Birthday
On her special day, Gina underwent a great wellness treatment and she was treated to some pig’s ear. Thank you all for your wonderful messages and greetings – she woofs back at cha!
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Berlinale 2016
Gina thinks that the posters for next year’s Berlinale are especially beautiful. And it promises to be another exciting affair, with “Hail, Caesar!”, the new Ethan and Joel Cohen movie opening the festival. It features a stellar cast, with Ralph Fiennes, George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, and Scarlett Johannsen, among others. Jury president Meryl Streep won’t have an…
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The Voice at 100
One of my favorite singers is Carol Sloane. She recorded a Frank Sinatra tribute album in 1996 called “The Songs Sinatra Sang” and in the liner notes to the album, we learn that she was an avid radio listener while growing up in Providence, Rhode Island. “Every one of his albums was something to look…
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Winter Jazzfest NYC Returns For Its 12th Year
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…
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Grammy Nominees Announced – Jazz Is Represented in Children’s Category
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…
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We Insist! – A Berlin Jazz Evening Supporting Refugees
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…
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Win Guitarist Albare’s New CD – Shows in Berlin and Munich
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…
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Billy Strayhorn Centennial
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…
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Jazzfest Bonn Announces 2016 Programme
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…
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Anke Helfrich Trio feat. Tim Hagans – Dedication
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,…
