It’s travel day today. I’ll be on my way to New York to attend the Jazz Connect Conference, APAP, and Winter Jazzfest, see a lot of live shows and make several interviews. It will be good to see a lot of old friends and colleagues again and make new ones. So starting tomorrow, this blog…
Six films for this year’s Competition have been announced last month and now here come nine more. Celebrating their world premiere in Berlin will be Ivo M. Ferreira‘s “Cartas Da Guerra” (Portugal), the Italian-French documentary “Fuocoammare” by Gianfranco Rosi, “Hele Sa Hiwagang Hapis”, a Philippine/Singapore production by Lav Diaz, the French-German “L’avenir” by Mia Hansen-Love…
The Tucson Jazz Festival goes into its second year with a 10-day extravaganza and the not-to-be-omitted fact that the average high temperature during the 2015 festival was 71.5°. So this year, the Tucson Jazz Institute Ellington Band will feature Jimmy Heath on opening day, January 14th. And Kenny Werner and his trio will revisit Erroll Garner’s…
Just a couple of days after this review was published, I’m sitting at my desk on Monday morning and read all the reports that David Bowie has died at 69. “David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer,” according to a statement on Mr. Bowie’s social media accounts….
Amsterdam-based Norbert Kögging is a singer and composer who recorded his first album “Daydreaming” in Canada. Now he comes up with “Sketches Of Ordinary Life”, recorded in Osnabrück in Germany, and featuring the alto saxophone and clarinet of Michael Moore. Norbert, who is also a vocal coach and festival director for the Jazzfest Amsterdam, has a…
One of the most talked-about musicians of the past year certainly is Kamasi Washington. With his three-disc opus “The Epic”, also available on vinyl, he also released one of the most interesting sets of the year. Now, where exactly in Europe he broke is ankle only he knows and it’s not supposed to be the main…
Slovakian trumpeter and flugelhornist Lukás Oravec shows his energetic and fiery style on his latest album “Piotrology” which features Vincent Herring on saxophone. The 27-year old Lukás has also written three of the tunes on his album except one song by Vincent which can also be found on the saxophonist’s brilliant last release and two by his bassist…
He was one of the founding members of The “And The Beat Goes On” Whispers and died at only 71 years old after a long battle with cancer. A new Whispers LP was always something I looked forward to in the 80s and with albums like “Love Is Where You Find It” (1981, with gatefold…
Pianist Paul Bley leaves an amazing amount of work – from his 1953 debut record “Introducing Paul Bley” to his ethereal live solo recording “Play Blue”, recorded in Oslo in 2008, the stylistic diversity of this Montreal-born master is outstanding. Vanessa Bley, his daughter, released an official obituary that said he “died at home with…
The twelve original compositions on saxophonist Ken Fowser‘s first album as a leader, “Standing Tall”, show his true mastership in swing, style, and structure. “Head Start” is a perfect album opener with an ebullient, and yet relaxing harmonic overtone that reminds me of some of the finest Impulse releases from the 60s. The cool and…