By Tom Schnabel, KCRW Classically-trained Taiwan-born, New York-based vibraphonist Chien Chien Lu performs an original arrangement of a traditional Taiwanese song called “Blossom in a Stormy Night.” Read more here.
By Matt Micucci, JazzIz “‘Cinnamon’ is a powerfully evocative composition by Angela Wrigley, which speaks of the turmoil that can come with an emotionally-wrought love affair.” Read the full article here.
By Eric Volmers, Calgary Herald There is a long tradition in the jazz world of musicians swapping backup bands, sitting in for impromptu sessions and generously sharing their musical wealth. But even by these friendly standards, Calgary pianist-vocalist Angela Wrigley scored a major coup late last year when she tapped into some formidable support at … Read More
By Ayana Contreras, DownBeat Lakecia Benjamin’s approach to jazz is influenced by the belief that Black music of all genres has a shared lineage.The bandleader said she first picked up a saxophone at the age of 11, but “it wasn’t until I got to high school that I started getting into jazz.” She grew up … Read More
DownBeat Magazine The November 2020 Issue of DownBeat magazine includes reviews of Miki Yamanaka’s Human Dust Suite, Teodross Avery’s Harlem Stories: The Music Of Thelonious Monk, Geof Bradfield’s General Semantics, Derrick Gardner & The Big dig! Band’s Still I Rise, John Minnock’s Herring Cove, and a feature story on Lakecia Benjamin. Read the issue out now.
By Keanna Faircloth, WBGO “The mood of Brianna Thomas’ sophomore effort, Everybody Knows, embodies the experience of living in a climate wrought with polarizing emotions. Self-released and produced by the Grammy award-winning Brian Bacchus, with liner notes from Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Steve Miller, the album certainly finds Thomas in great company.” Read the … Read More
By Kevin Johnson, No Treble Orlando le Fleming has followed up his 2017 album Romantic Funk with a new release that pays homage to the “high-intensity fusion of the 1980’s.” Romantic Funk: The Unfamiliar contains eight original compositions performed by a bevy of talent. Read this article here.
By Lilly O’Brien, San Francisco Classical Voice When violinist Regina Carter was just 2 years old, she walked over to the family’s piano and by ear began playing something that one of her brothers had been practicing. When she was 4 years old, her mother enrolled her in a class to learn the Suzuki Method, … Read More
By Doug Rule, Metro Weekly Cited as one of “50 Essential Summer Festivals” by the New York Times, the rescheduled 16th annual DC Jazz Festival jumpstarts fall as an online series of livestreams available to a truly global audience. Read this article here.
By Jason Fraley, WTOP News Get ready for the sweet sound of jazz echoing across the nation’s capital this week. Read this feature here.
