Singer Kellylee Evans rocked the Schlachthof last night during the jazzahead! overseas night in Bremen showcasing tracks from a forthcoming album. She’s a very energetic performer with a lively stage presence and sometimes reminded me of Janelle Monáe, not genre-wise, but in her overall stage persona. Otherwise, the Canadian singer offers a very distinctive mix…
I finally arrived in Bremen on Thursday after I had to cancel my train ticket. Turned out that the guy I contacted via blablacar was a bassist from Poland who drove us to Bremen on a smooth ride. Participants were getting ready setting up their booths, there were a lot of familiar people and friends…
Michelle Lordi, a singer from Philadelphia has come up with a beautiful new record which was produced by pianist Orrin Evans. Here’s a singer with some very elegant and sophisticated phrasing who is not showing off everything she can. The opening song, Jay Gorney‘s “You’re My Thrill” from 1933 with lyrics by Sidney Clare, is…
I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of friends and making lots of new ones of course at this year’s jazzahead! trade fair in Bremen. I have registered as a participant for the full four days arriving in town on Thursday and have lined up a lot meetings and talks. France is the partner country…
singer Silje Nergaard has released her album “Chain Of Days” last month (see also review on these pages) and is currently on tour through Germany. She stops by Kulturkaufhaus Dussmann at 7pm tonight to play a few songs from the new album. I’ll also have the pleasure of interviewing her live on stage to talk…
The programme for the 49th edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival has been announced this week. From July 3-18, the charming city at Lac Léman will host a diverse array of artists on the three main stages together with the popular train and boat events. Opening the festival on July 3rd at the Auditorium Stravinski…
Singer Indra Rios-Moore presented her new Impulse album “Heartland” in Berlin on Thursday night. Produced by Larry Klein, it features eleven songs in a well-chosen repertoire which includes Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Duke Ellington, and two traditionals. I had the chance to talk to her a couple of hours before her gig at the A-Trane:…
And not only The Bad Plus, the trio also featured Ron Miles on cornet and Tim Berne and Sam Newsome on saxes. What they did on Wednesday night at Berlin’s A-Trane was resurrecting the 1971 Ornette Coleman album “Science Fiction” (his 17th) which is certainly not one of the better known albums of the groundbreaking…
Pianist Cyrus Chestnut‘s last visit to Berlin was almost 20 years ago. It is hard to believe because here is a musician that is instantly recognizable even though he incorporates many styles and genres in his playing. Or maybe that’s exactly why! From Rag to Bop, from Gospel and Blues and Soul to Classical, whatever…
Alto saxophonist Matt Criscuolo from New York has released a new album which was recorded last September at Carriage House Studios in Stamford, Connecticut. Criscuolo has studied with Dick Oatts and Walt Weiskopf. His sixth album, “Headin’ Out”, includes four original tracks starting with the state-of-the-art Modern Jazz of “Enchanted” where he sometimes reminds me…