There was this certain air of deep reverence when 91 year old Abdullah Ibrahim, one of the most influential and respected pianists today, took to the stage last night at Pfalzbau in Ludwigshafen, where he performed during this year’s Enjoy Jazz Festival. The South African pianist, who lives in Germany, was accompanied to the piano…
I finally made it to Enjoy Jazz, the Festival for Jazz and more which currently celebrates its 27th edition and which will run until this Saturday. The Festival started on October 2nd with various locations in Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, Heidelberg, and surrounding towns. So last night I went to Karlstorbahnhof in Heidelberg, a cultural center which…
After a couple of weeks with a bout of flu-like symptoms or whatever you want to call it, we’re looking forward to visiting the Enjoy Jazz Festival for the very first time this year. Coming up this week in Ludwigshafen, Mannheim, and Heidelberg: ganavya, Makaya McCraven, the mighty Abdullah Ibrahim, and Jazz is Dead with…
Grammy award-winning soul and jazz singer and songwriter Ledisi is currently on the second leg of her European tour and stopped in Amsterdam on Friday night. The Q Factory, located in the bubbling, lively, but less-touristy Oosterpark region in the Eastern part of the city, is one of Europe’s biggest music complexes with music studios,…
Brazilian singer, songwriter, and guitarist Leo Middea played Cologne last night. The tiny little Stereo Wonderland, a local hang-out in a bubbling neighborhood, hosted him for an intimate solo show. And Leo proved once again that he truly belongs to the top contemporary musicians from Brazil. He has released five albums so far (the first…
French Afro-European duo DjeuhDjoah & Lieutenant Nicholson made a stop in Amsterdam last night. Their unique sound, described as new school-afro-pean soul and disco, is now spread over four albums, with the latest, “Danses Divines”, coming out last May. Together with their bassist, they made the crowd scream and dance at the upstairs room of…
It was something like a quiet sensation when British singer Rumer released her debut album “Seasons Of My Soul” back in 2010. From the very first bars of “Am I Forgiven” to the last bittersweet notes of the David Gates-written “Goodbye Girl” (from his album of the same name from 1978), we were in for…
I have never done this before on these pages, but I’d like to re-post this tribute to the late great Rod Temperton who would have turned 76 today. The article was published on October 6th, 2016, about 10 days after he succumbed to cancer (September 25th). When Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson were ready to record the epochal “Thriller”…
If “Pretty Close” would have been released towards the end of the 70s, it would have been a hit immediately. Today, the songs and production almost sound like an outré attempt of keeping this golden age in music alive. And it works perfectly. Singer, songwriter, arranger and multi-instrumentalist Ethel Lindsey completely wrote, composed, and performed…
It’s been four years since his five-paw rated debut album “Breathe”. UK singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sam Wills returns with his sophomore LP “Speak” with 11 new tracks plus a semi-dramatic intro opening called “Hallway”. Four singles have been released between May and September, with the wonderful smooth ballad “We Both Know” leading the pack…