By Mark Smotroff for AnalogPlanet A fabulous new retrospective collection being released via BMG on November 4 that celebrates Jamaican-born jazz pianist Monty Alexander is the latest offering from the Montreux Jazz Festival archives. Called simply Monty Alexander: The Montreux…
By Stephen Kallao and Kimberly Junod for NPR Music There are charismatic people, and then there’s Michael Mwenso. The leader of Mwenso & the Shakes is full of energy, charm and most importantly, joy. That joy is ever-present when…
Kevin Le Gendre witnesses a stirring performance by the preeminent US pianist at Kings Place, London By Kevin Le Gendre for Jazzwise Magazine Yet it is an Iyer original, “Autoscopy,” that raises energy levels by a flurry of catapulting percussive…
The lauded bandleader dazzles with his sophisticated high-calibre band By Nick Hasted for Jazzwise Magazine “This is the cat!” Archie Shepp raved in his liner notes to On The Tender Spot of Every Calloused Moment, Ambrose Akinmusire’s landmark fifth studio…
NPR’s Juana Summers talks with Dianne Reeves, whose song “Endangered Species” was sung by Sheryl Lee Ralph when she accepted an Emmy for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy. By Juana Summers for NPR
For Nonesuch Records The members of the legendary original 1990s Joshua Redman Quartet—Joshua Redman (saxophone), Brad Mehldau (piano), Christian McBride (bass), and Brian Blade (drums)—reunited after twenty-six years for 2020’s RoundAgain; they return now with LongGone, featuring six original…
Michael Epstein for Speaking of the Arts. Our guest today is Katherine McVicker. In 2014, Katherine founded the boutique agency, Music Works International, after three decades as an agent developing the touring careers of dozens of artists such as Brad…
“The close precision and frothy power of her voice stand out immediately…so does the depth of her comfort within the jazz tradition.” – The New York Times Once-in-a-generation vocalist Samara Joy has signed with Verve Records and will release…
By Katherine McVicker for DownBeat Magazine There is an incredible amount of time, energy and money involved in launching any new artist. It may be difficult for an unknown artist to secure an agent, a manager or a record deal. In today’s music industry, it’s…
Makhathini infuses an impetuous and majestic Afro-centric pulse on the opener, “Unonkanyamba”. The laid-back posture of the horn players against this rhythmic verve creates an infectious polyrhythmic feel. Gliding atop the texture, the soloists succeed one another. The confident tenorist…
