Jun 24, 2011
Gerald Wilson is a legend - a premier composer, trumpeter, arranger, bandleader and educator. His work, during his rich and varied seven-decade career, has supported some of the greatest names in jazz including Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Bobby Darin, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Carter, Nancy Wilson, Sarah...
Jun 23, 2011
Sixteen months ago I did an interview and podcast with singer Sachal Vasandani, and called to your attention a developing young talent. With the release of his third CD, Hi-Fly, Vasandani shows he is ready to move into the big time. Music from the CD can be heard here.
A singer of great range and emotion, he...
Jun 22, 2011
Dee Dee Bridgewater can’t wait to sing at the Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival.
“I love it,” she said from the New York studio where she is mixing a CD for trumpet player Theo Croker, her first as a producer. “It’s a wonderful festival. I like the fact that people can lay out on the grass, or you can be in...
Jun 20, 2011
Once well known for his composition “Afro Blue" (especially John Coltrane's incendiary interpretation of the song), as well as his hugely popular rendition of Herbie Hancock's “Watermelon Man," the opulent legacy of Mongo Santamaria has been largely overlooked in the years since his death. Jose Rizo's Mongorama...
Jun 16, 2011
Multiple awards for Sonny Rollins, Jimmy Heath, Joe Lovano and Ambrose Akinmusirewere the highlight of the 2011 Jazz Journalists Awards presented in New York on June 11, 2011.
Here is a complete list of winners:
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN JAZZ
Jimmy Heath
MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Sonny Rollins
COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
Jason...