Next year’s Jazz Congress, to be held at New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center January 13th and 14th, has just announced its first round of sessions and speakers. Among the 30-plus sessions are topics about celebrating Charlie Parker at 100, Africa as the past and future of Jazz, wellness for jazz musicians, or the balance…
I never really liked the phrase “blue-eyed soul”, but if someone epitomizes that particular genre, it has to be Al Sunny. Two years after his very short (26 minutes) debut album “Time To Decide”, the French singer, guitarist and composer has now released “Planets” on the French Favorite Recordings label which was also responsible for…
There was a time in the early 80s when a new release by the group One Way was an important event for me. The songs by Al Hudson, Dave Roberson, and especially Kevin McCord have become real classics. Songs like “Give Me One More Chance”, “Don’t Fight The Feeling”, “Didn’t You Know It”, “If Only…
1970 was the year when Jackie Moore had her biggest hit, the gold disc-awarded “Precious, Precious”. Her first album, a collection of singles called “Sweet Charlie Babe”, was released in 1973. And she only released four albums in total. Unforgettable remains her disco hit from 1979, “This Time Baby”, originally recorded by The O’Jays. The…
Here we go again. The 10th installment of Real Side Records’ soul compilation is upon us, with 20 tracks recorded between 1967 and 1981, including a lot of totally forgotten gems, unheard of material, and legends like Bobby Womack, Al Hudson, Willie Hutch, or Betty Lavette. Womack’s “Give It Up” from 1979 opens this wonderful…
It’s Carmen’s 65th birthday today. Happy birthday! I still remember her wonderful concert in Vienna a few years ago where she appeared with Patrice Rushen. I was lucky enough to meet her for a lengthy interview the day after the show. Carmen has released her latest work “Modern Ancestors” last week and it starts out…
Saxophonist Kirk Whalum has used his international connections to good effect on his new album “Humanité”. The album was recorded in the UK, Tokyo, Jakarta, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Paris, and Memphis with various international guest artists like Liane Carroll, Keiko Matsui, Marcus Miller, or Afgan. The album includes two cover versions of famous soul hits of…
The Zurich Festival is now in its 21st year and starts tomorrow with another impressive line-up. Charles Lloyd opens proceedings with his group Kindred Spirits which features longtime Cassandra Wilson guitarist Marvin Sewell, Gerald Clayton on piano, Harish Raghavan on bass, and Eric Harland on drums. The first day of the festival (October 30th) also…
In 2016, Gigwise featured the group Building Instrument on their list of “16 amazing artists from Norway that you need in your life” and described the music as “a wonderfully weird whirlpool of ethereal folk hidden in a haze of dizzying, warped, ambient post-rock. This is music to get lost to.” Their latest album, “Mangelen…
“For my first time writing and singing my own lyrics, I didn’t want to be messing around with make believe and fantasy. This record is real life”, says Taylor McFerrin about his brilliant new album “Love’s Last Chance”, his first after his 2014 debut “Early Riser”. “I called this album Love’s Last Chance because in life, you…