Nov 29, 2018
“Voodoo” as a term brings to mind New Orleans witches, animal sacrifices to raise the dead and other bogus representations of a serious spiritual following. With Spiritwalker, a wonderful mix of jazz, Haitian folk, hip-hop and dance music, Haitian-American singer-songwriter Malou Beauvoir goes a long way to setting...
Nov 28, 2018
One of today’s masters of the vibraphone, Joe Locke continues to record albums that go beyond mere technical artistry. Sure, he can play the vibes with the best of them, but his last two albums, 2015’s Love is a Pendulum and the just released Subtle Disguise, allow him to find new and interesting ways to write, play...
Nov 7, 2018
Today is the 75th birthday anniversary of Joni Mitchell, one of my musical idols. I’ve done several podcasts of jazz versions of Joni’s music in the past, most notably on her 70th birthday (see Podcasts 389, 390, 391). Well, here’s one more.
What is it about her music that lends itself to jazz interpretation?...
Nov 4, 2018
The passing of Roy Hargrove this past weekend at the age of 49 comes as an unwelcome shock. Hargrove, who died of cardiac arrest brought on by kidney disease, had carved out a spot for himself in the jazz world with music that was particularly important to me. His loss to the music world is virtually immeasurable.
As...