Feb 24, 2010
Home recuperating from an illness, I caught The Jazz Baroness on HBO. This documentary, originally made for the BBC, was directed by Hannah Rothschild, the great-niece of its subject, the Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter (1913-1988). An heir to the Rothschild fortune, "Nica" turned her back on Europe and moved to...
Feb 23, 2010
Podcast 177 is a conversation with Patrice Rushen, who many know from her R&B days (“Forget-Me-Nots” ) but who is a crack jazz musician. Skilled in electric and acoustic jazz, she has served as musical director for Janet Jackson’s tour and the Grammy Award Show, as well as composing pop, classical and jazz music....
Feb 15, 2010
Podcast 176 is my interview with Babatunde Lea, a veteran percussionist who has just released a tribute album to one of his musical mentors, Leon Thomas. Thomas was a shining star of the jazz avant-garde in the Sixties, making memorable recordings with Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Archie Shepp, and especially Pharoah Sanders....
Feb 13, 2010
Smooth Jazz saxophonist Jessy J hit the scene last year, and made a mark on this listener with her debut CD Tequila Moon. Heavily influenced by producer Paul Brown, the CD was a cut above most contemporary jazz releases, as she showed her delightful mix of Latin and smooth sounds, with covers of classics like “Mas...
Feb 10, 2010
Jason Miles is a quadruple threat – artist, arranger, composer and producer. Add to that his experience in organizing benefit and tribute concerts, and you’ve got something of a Jazz Renaissance Man.
Podcast 174 incorporates that interview along with some musical selections, including:
I first heard Jason on his...