In the 1940s, at a time when Bebop was ascending in popularity as the new direction in modern jazz, with its flurry of notes, frantically fast tempo and extended solos, a distinctive and original artist and pianist was turning in another direction. Ahmad Jamal, with his stately, economic, and...
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Burt Bacharach: Famous songsmith for chart-topping pop songs, also “dug” jazz
In the 1960s, the word “songsmith” was a definition often given to folk music artists such as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, or Neil Young, tied with their overt political and social critiques. Burt Bacharach would easily capture that title in the era of pop songs made famous for their...
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Jazz Pianist Danilo Pérez Reflects On His Mentor- The Late Wayne Shorter (INTERVIEW)
The voice, tone, and phrasing—in effect, the signature sound of the saxophone have distinguished a number of artists. The late Wayne Shorter, having recently passed away at the age of 89 on March 2nd, has been a profound force of interpretation on the tenor, and later, the soprano saxophone,...
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Fletcher Henderson: the under-recognized “Architect of Swing”
The limelight for the Big Band Era of Swing is often dominated by the familiarity of names such as Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Artie Shaw. Yet Fletcher Henderson was a pivotal bandleader, leading possibly the most dynamic early big band of the ‘20s and ‘30s and having been...
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Duke Ellington: “The most representative American Composer”, A pivotal figure in the history of jazz
It’s difficult to overstate the importance of Duke Ellington’s influence: as seminal orchestral band leader; compositional genius; and his depth of musical contribution to jazz, modernizing without precedent, and his extensive legacy of recordings. In his own words, Ellington expressed that jazz was “beyond category” and renowned music critic,...
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Samara Joy: A stylish new voice in jazz – in the spirit of Ella, Sarah and Billie
The voice as an instrument, particularly in jazz, is a fascinating vehicle for musical expression. In the category of female vocalists there are the established legends – think Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Billie Holiday. They each have a different style and treatment of their personal interpretations of a...
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Gypsy Kings: Driving Force in Spanish Flamenco music with Deep Family Roots
The image of a Spanish flamenco dancer with intensive emotion, swirling with castanets clicking and boots stomping, driving a rhythm against a dance floor, is hard to separate from the accompanying band that delivers the syncopation. The flamenco dancer is intertwined with the fast strumming on Toque (guitar) and...
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Wayne Shorter: His epitaph “Jazz means I Dare You”
The voice, tone, phrasing—in effect, the signature sound of the saxophone has distinguished a number of artists. The late Wayne Shorter, having just passed away at 89, has been a profound force of interpretation on the tenor and on the soprano—there is no greater master. He remained at the...
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Jazz composer Terence Blanchard scores Champion: An Opera in Jazz
Now in its 45th season, Boston Lyric Opera is the largest and longest-lived opera company in New England. Standing away from popular themes, BLO’s programming has remained faithful to the tradition of trailblazing new ground and offering new ways to enhance the opera-going experience. Always pursuing productions on the...
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Doug Hall’s review of the 2022 Newport Jazz Festival
As the first performers took to the stages (Fort, Harbor and Quad) artistic director of the Newport Jazz Festival, Christian McBride made his rounds to welcome the return of a sold-out several days of top tier jazz at Fort Adams in Newport. Having been hand-selected, in 2017, by founder,...
