For the fifth year, Hamburg will have its Überjazz Festival in late October this year. The weekend of October 24th to 26th, Hamburg’s Kampnagel will have four stages under one roof with a very diverse program me which I’m sure will attract a lot of out-of-towners as well. Blue Note Records is celebrating its 75th…
The release of the new Diana Krall album, “Wallflower”, has been postponed worldwide to February 2015. Krall has recorded her newest CD with producer and Verve chief David Foster. The album features songs from the 60s and 70s like “California Dreamin’”, the Eagles’ “I Can’t Tell You Why” and “Desperado”, “Sorry Seems To Be The…
The UK based Soul/Funk/Jazz combo Shakatak were at the forefront of a new music movement in the early 80s. Bands from the UK were experimenting with Fusion sounds and incorporating Soul into their Jazz act or Jazz into their Funk acts. One group who can still stand the test of time is Light Of The…
It is hard to believe that Michael Franks is already 70. The singer and songwriter with the unusual and high voice has been making music since 1973. I had the pleasure of seeing him perform last October at B.B. King’s in New York and his charming and witty attitude and his formidable musicianship were truly amazing. From…
I remember Roy Kral picking me up in Montclair, New Jersey with his old, golden Mercedes and taking me to his and his wife’s home. Jackie Cain greeted me as if we hadn’t seen each other for a long time whereas it was our first encounter. What was supposed to be a 45-minute interview with…
One of the most prestigious and popular festivals in Germany, the Jazzfest Berlin, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Martin Luther King’s visit to Berlin in 1964 and the fall of the Berlin Wall will be topics among this year’s program. „Freedom Songs“ is the title of a specially designed evening which will feature…
So many classic recordings feature his signature keyboard and piano playing. His robust Fender Rhodes has graced the music of Joni Mitchell, Marvin Gaye, Steely Dan, Barbra Streisand, Michale Franks, or B.B. King. But of course, his roots were planted in the early 60s when he founded the Jazz Crusaders with Wilton Felder, Wayne Henderson,…
Five years after his critically acclaimed album „Time Flies“, the legendary singer and songwriter offers an album with 11 of his hits recorded with a stellar cast of guest singers. Eight of the 11 tracks were originally recorded in the 60s with his group The Miracles. Mr. Robinson still has his signature high and at…
New jazz festivals have been founded aplenty over the years, but Philadelphia now has a unique one: America’s First Queer Jazz Festival called OutBeat. The Festival is set to take place from Thursday, September 18th to Sunday, September 21st. Starting the festival is renowned pianist Fred Hersch who will be interviewed by music critic Nate…
The National Jazz Museum in Harlem opens a new exhibition of Bebo Valdés. The life and times of Bebo Valdés, the innovative and influential pianist/composer/bandleader and father of legendary Chucho Valdés opens on September 16th on East 104 125th Street. The great Cuban pianist, bandleader and arranger who set several styles, among them the big-band…