Jun 24, 2019
About 18 months ago, I had a conversation with photographer Jimmy Katz, about his new non-profit project Giant Step Arts. Katz, along with his wife Dena, planned to select artists for whom they wish to stage and record premiere performances, then provide them with CDs and digital downloads of the gigs and ownership of...
Jun 22, 2019
For this jazz fan, the official start of summer comes on June 29-30 in Saratoga Springs, when the Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival takes place in the vernal confines of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. It’s a weekend of music on two stages, plus great food, a curated art show, and some of the best vibes of...
Jun 21, 2019
It’s always a pleasure to hear a new release from Catherine Russell. One of our most versatile and consistently interesting vocalists, Ms. Russell has become the standard bearer for a particular type of jazz, carrying the torch for the songs of the Twenties, Thirties and Forties that might have slipped away...
Jun 20, 2019
Herlin Riley was more than satisfied with his career as one of the top drummers in jazz. Having worked with the likes of Ahmad Jamal in the mid-Eighties, he achieved recognition as Wynton Marsalis’ drummer in the second iteration of the trumpeter’s great groups in the Eighties and Nineties. It’s Riley you hear on...
Jun 8, 2019
I first caught a glimpse of Dr. John on ABC's "In Concert" TV Series in the early 1970's. Cat Stevens had an episode entitled "Moon & Star" and featured Linda Ronstadt and Dr. John as guests. Was there ever a greater opposite than the Night Tripper than the laid-back Cat? Decked out in feathers and spangles,...