By Kevin Whitehead, The Audio Beat It can be hard to separate Dave Brubeck’s first excursion into playing odd meters, 1959’s celebrated Time Out, from how it was promoted: as if playing in 5/4 or 9/8 were rocket science. Read more here.
By Ted Gioia There are many unusual paths to leadership of a jazz big band. Duke Ellington started out as a painter, and showed genuine gifts as a visual artist. Woody Herman began as a child tap dancer in vaudeville. Read more here.
By Wulf Mueller, Wulf’s Music + Blog Roni Ben-Hur / Stories – revered guitarist Ben-Hur called for the recording session of this new album a bunch of friends and legends – George Cables on piano, Ingrid Jensen on trumpet, the rhythm section with bassist Harvie S and drummer Victor Lewis, and special guest vocalists Magos … Read More
By Joe Ross, Roots Music Review This album’s backstory began in 2016 when tenor saxophonist and composer Berta Moreno was invited by an organization called “Bilingual Birdies” to the Kawangware region of Kenya to work with kids at the Little Ray of Hope School. While volunteering in a poor, disadvantaged neighborhood fraught with poverty hunger … Read More
By Micah Hendler, FORBES It is not common for a nascent ensemble’s first collaborative composition to be nominated for a GRAMMY. Säje is not a common ensemble. Read more here.
By BWW News Desk Berta Moreno, New York-based, Madrid-born saxophonist, will be releasing her second full length album tomorrow, April 30th, on the Tiger Turn label. Tumaini is an uplifting and glorious musical journey that transports listeners to the vibrant landscapes of Kenya and expertly infuses elements of soul, jazz and traditional African styles. To … Read More
By Lance Liddle, Bebop Spoken Here This album is a collection of spoken word and jazz on the theme of transformation, metamorphoses, big changes of all kinds, including the creation of life itself, the changes in the life of a transgender person, normal life after being in prison, changes for people of colour, the climate … Read More
By Rob Lester, Talkin’ Broadway Duke Ellington composed “In a Sentimental Mood” in 1935 in North Carolina; in the same year, with its story set in South Carolina, Broadway’s Porgy and Bess debuted, with its score including the declaration “I Loves You, Porgy.” Also in 1935 Fats Waller made the pop charts with one of … Read More
Imani Records Releases New Albums from Alto Saxophonist Caleb Wheeler Curtis and Pianist Luke Carlos O’Reilly Under the direction of pianist and impresario Orrin Evans, the forward-thinking Imani Records has remained active during a most difficult year. Throughout the pandemic, Imani Records has been working diligently to keep music thriving in the form of live … Read More
By Morgan Enos, Grammys.com As the last five composers have established, big band is not necessarily a genre, but a vessel in which to pour any kind of music. By way of the 8-Bit Big Band, a jazz/pops orchestra that performs video game music, Charlie Rosen is actively testing this hypothesis. Read more here. … Read More
