Dec 12, 2011
A track a day is fun, but what if you just want a solid hour of good Christmas jazz to enjoy? Look no further - dig the Annual Straight No Chaser Nuthin' But Christmas Podcast for 2011, which includes swinging tunes like:
Ella Fitzgerald - "Jingle Bells"
Marcus Roberts Trio - "Little Drummer Boy"
Vince Guaraldi -...
Dec 6, 2011
Way back in September, I featured an interview with saxophonist John Ellis. The North Carolina born, New Orleans trained, and New York resident performer talked about his less straight ahead work in that interview, mentioning his collaborations with playwright Andy Bragen.
One of those collaborations, Mobro, is being...
Nov 25, 2011
When jazz lovers like myself talk about "the new standards", we're usually talking material written in "the Rock Era" that entices jazz musicians to record unique or different versions of the song. Well established singer-songwriters like James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon have been recorded by jazz musicians...
Nov 24, 2011
Forty-two years ago today, a little known record label called ECM (short for “Encounters in Contemporary Music”) booked time at Tonstudio Bauer, Ludwigsburg to record what would become its first release, a trio album by Mal Waldron. entitled Free at Last. Perhaps only the label's founder Manfred Eicher, could have...
Nov 19, 2011
Guitarist Rez Abbasi was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and grew up in California listening to rock music. Today, he mixes the sounds of his native Southern Asia – particularly devotional Qawwali music – with jazz and classical sounds to create true world music. Whether he is playing with the electric Rez Abbasi’s...