Drummer Brian Blade‘s band celebrated its 20th anniversary last year and released their fifth album, “Body And Shadow”, towards the end of 2017 amid the rush of dozens of new recordings slated before the holiday season. So it was one of those albums which was somehow overlooked. But I’m glad I checked it out finally…
Kansas City-born singer Kevin Mahogany, who this past summer moved back to his hometown after living in Miami for many years, has passed on Sunday. He was only 59 years old and had to withstand the sudden death of his wife Allene in August. Yes, he was the perfect blues and swing singer, but I…
The wonderful voice of Keely Smith first got me in the mid 80s when I discovered her “I’m In Love Again” album. Back then in 1985, after a 20-year recording break, she was already at a stage in her career where, like other popular singers such as Mel Tormé, Frank Sinatra, Lena Horne, Barbra Streisand,…
Gina knows exactly where she gets her treats in the neighborhood. On a recent walk through Prenzlauer Berg, we stopped at our favorite cheese dealer. Gina ordered a piece of 16-month old Chällerhocker from Switzerland, but of course graciously handed it over to me because she knew that she’s not allowed to eat cheese. We’ve…
I came across an interview in The Vulture magazine, published yesterday, where saxophone giant Sonny Rollins was in a reflective mood with interviewer David Marchese who talked to him on the phone. “…my life has been in a reflective mode for some years now…It’s gotten more that way since I became unable to blow my…
It was just a matter of time before this was about to take shape: Stacey Kent recording with a full orchestra. The arrangements are by Tommy Laurence, the sessions took place in London up until May of this year and Jim Tomlinson produced the album which really suits her fine. There are a lot of…
I have good news from Detroit-based singer Kathy Kosins today. Her new album “Uncovered Soul”, a brilliant mixture of soul, jazz, and some hints at r&b, with a strong focus on actual songs, will finally be released on February 9th. Even though I have lived with the finished product for some time now, it still…
The 19th Cape Town International Jazz Festival, produced by espafrika, will be held on March 23rd and 24th in this beautiful capital of the Western Cape of South Africa. The International Convention Centre will once again be the host venue and now, the first artists for 2018 have been announced, with the second half to…
The beauty of this music is its sweet melancholy and gloomy atmosphere that is able to lure you deeper into the mix. Scottish pianist and producer Ricky Reid has assembled jazz and classical musicians in a remote place in the Scottish highlands and came up with this über-cinematic collection of songs. The vibrant drums on…
Singer Sheila Jordan posted a comment on Facebook after the death of the legendary Jon Hendricks, saying that “Jon was the first rapper on the scene.” And of course he was one of the very few who could set lyrics to difficult melodies (and it always matched) and he could perform them so gracefully and…