Chavela Vargas had this rare ability to move her audiences to tears. Why? Because to her, solitude was her only friend. The only thing that gave her comfort. Well, maybe at least for a longer stretch in her life, it was the tequila as well. Born in Costa Rica, abandoned by her parents, she ran…
“Let’s go to the movies and dream a little”, says Django Reinhardt (Reda Kateb) to his old girlfriend Louise de Clerk (Cécile de France), maybe trying to shy away from taking decisions. Even though he already had decided not to go on tour in Nazi Germany, but instead stay in France and then, as the political…
First it was Al Jarreau who had to confirm earlier this week that he is going to retire from performing, and now Aretha Franklin told a TV station in Detroit that she will retire after the release of her next album, which is going to be produced by Stevie Wonder and will be out later…
The jazz harp will forever be associated with Alice Coltrane first and foremost, but there is also Brandee Younger (her “Wax And Wane” album still resonates big time) and Carol Robbins, whose latest album, “Taylor Street”, is dedicated to her mother Emilia Crostini who grew up on that particular street in Chicago’s Little Italy. (And…
The eight-piece group Breakwater recorded two brilliant albums back in 1978 and 1980, during a period that was one of the richest and satisfying in soul music. One of the members of the group, keyboardist and songwriter and composer Kae Williams, Jr., was later part of The B.B. & Q. Band and wrote unforgettable songs…
Gabrielle Stravelli was one of only ten finalists selected internationally for the 2011 SHURE Montreux Jazz Festival Vocal Competition and she was also 1st runner-up in the 2009 Jazzmobile Vocal Competition in Harlem. In the ensuing years, she has received numerous awards, has toured the world over, opened for Cassandra Wilson and Esperanza Spalding, was in…
Australian singer, pianist, and composer Sarah McKenzie has just released her new Impulse! album “Paris In The Rain”, produced by Brian Bacchus and Jay Newland and with a stellar cast of musicians: Reuben Rogers on bass, Gregory Hutchinson on drums, Dominick Farinacci on trumpet, Scott Robinson on alto sax, Ralph Moore on tenor sax, Jamie…
Six years in the making and now it’s officially released: “The Men In The Glass Booth” includes re-edits and remixes by the most influential DJs of the disco era, starting with a then totally new and obscure format, the 12″ single on Salsoul Records (“Ten Percent” by Double Exposure, 1976) and continuing on two 5-LP…
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has announced its line-up for the 2017 edition. The two weekends of April 28th and May 7th will have a ton of local and regional acts again plus dozens of headliners sure to draw a lot of attention from music lovers the world over. On the first day,…
After almost three weeks abroad, Gina was excited and oh so happy to have me back earlier this week. It is now back to business as usual with up to four walks every day, playing ball, and watching cat videos. We are currently listening to each and every one of the 41 LPs I bought…