By Bethany Rickwald, Theater Mania Jim Caruso’s Cast Party lights up the stage at Birdland Jazz Club every Monday night. So even though most of Broadway has Monday night off, that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on Broadway-caliber entertainment. Check out this interview with Cast Party creator and host Jim Caruso (with a … Read More
By Alix Cohen, Cabaret Scenes Carole J. Bufford is a red-hot mama with the moves of a lead dancer and the class of a chanteuse. There’s nothing she likes better than presenting 1920s and 1930s music with a gleeful wink. This seasonal show, the artist tells us, is about love and lust with a nod … Read More
Bandleader/Composer Jonah Francese Amplifies Unheard Voices on Reclamation, the New Album from his Thinkin’ Big Big Band Digital Out October 3, 2019 Worldwide Release: December 9 Thinkin’ Big: Kristen Dye (flute), Clay Lyons (alto sax), Mark Zaleski (alto & soprano sax), Jonathan Bean & Paul Melhus (tenor sax), Austin Yancey (baritone sax), Kai Sandoval, Danny … Read More
By: Jim Motavalli, New York City Jazz Record
By: Doug Ramsey, Arts Journal (Rifftides) It may be too easy to take Louis Armstrong for granted. After all, he is one of the greatest musicians of the Twentieth Century. Perhaps we all conclude that we understand why. Then, along comes yet another reminder of the intensity, the sheer strength, of his musicianship. The most … Read More
By: Chris Spector, Midwest Record Apparently those cats from over there still think America has streets paved with gold. A cat with a thriving career in Ukraine music and film ditches to it come over here on a scholarship and basically start over. With his established chops in tow, we’re not dealing with a beginner … Read More
Bandcamp Daily On his debut, Battle Mountain, Ben Flocks turned loose his own vision of the Americana jazz so closely associated with the legendary Bill Frisell. For his sophomore release, the saxophonist shifts from Americana to the American Songbook, and shows that this change, depending on the context, is one that’s as nuanced as it … Read More
by Hector Aviles, Latino Music Cafe Multi-Grammy winning pianist and bandleader Oscar Hernandez returns with the second recording of his Alma Libre Latin Jazz sextet titled “Love the Moment”. Alma Libre’s Latin Jazz Matures I find that the cohesiveness amongst the members of a band is especially important in Jazz. In “Love the Moment” I can hear a more mature … Read More
By: Chris Spector, Midwest Record BEN WINKELMAN TRIO/Balance: The jazz piano man that likes odd meters is back with his new set of switch backs that leave you guessing where it’s improv or composed. The kind of cat that keeps you on your toes but doesn’t indulge in art for art’s sake, he tickles the … Read More
