It is always a great pleasure to listen to a new album from Montreal-based singer Susie Arioli. Her warm sound which comforts you like a satin cushion is complemented this time around by the imaginative arrangements of pianist and vibraphonist Don Thompson. Also on board: a five-piece brass section and her regular rhythm group guys. Susie…
The 10-day London Jazz Festival was supposed to feature Allen Toussaint on a double bill with Theo Croker at the Barbican this Sunday, but as you all know by now, the great Mr. Toussaint died on Monday night after appearing at a concert in Madrid. He had a heart attack. He was 77. I’m glad that…
The young Norwegian saxophonist and composer released her two-CD debut on ECM. And the two CDs reveal an amazingly mature and fragile, intensive and deep output which is divided into trio recordings with Johan Lindvall on piano and Katrine Schiott on violoncello on the first disc and a thirteen-piece ensemble on her sinfonietta on disc…
The iconic jazz, soul, and funk pioneer Lonnie Liston Smith, who will celebrate his 75th birthday in late December, is coming to London. With his signature keyboard sound and tons of classic albums in tow, this is surely one of the hottest tickets this month. Lonnie has worked with and written for Pharoah Sanders, Gato…
Pianist and composer Achim Kaufmann is the recipient of this year’s Albert Mangelsdorff Award which was given to him during a little ceremony at this year’s Jazzfest Berlin on Friday afternoon. The pianist, who has studied at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada, visited Gina’s place a couple of months ago for a little interview….
The 24-piece Splitter Orchester opened this year’s Jazzfest Berlin last night before a sold-out audience. The 45-minute piece “Creative Construction Set” was written by trombonist George Lewis and featured a strange, if somewhat entertaining mélange of several electronics and prepared field recordings with more traditional instruments like clarinet and violin, but played in alienated fashion, uncharacteristically,…
It is going to be the first edition for Richard Williams, the new artistic director for the prestigious festival for the next three years. Like he says in the welcome notes, he wanted to present performers “…who have one thing in common: the desire to move forward.” So we’re moving again to the Haus der…
He opened with a blues (“Ray Blues”) and from the very first notes, you could tell that 83 year old Michel Legrand still has the guts and the ability to play the piano and lead a classic jazz trio with just bass and drums. On stage at Berlin’s Konzerthaus last night, the maestro also added…
Here’s a singer from Sweden who released two albums in Europe before she left the continent and settled in New York in 2011. “Sing To The Sky” is Emma Larsson‘s first record in the US and features seven originals plus two covers. Her voice is wonderfully pure and her intonation and timing just perfect. But it…
Singer Brenna Whitaker is the first artist that veteran producer David Foster has agreed to produce since Michael Bublé and so, yes, you get a female version of Mr. Bublé, complete with big-sounding orchestral productions and horns and strings arranged by Chris Walden. At times, singer Caro Emerald shines through like on the opening track “Black And…