By Rob Lester, Broadway World “What’s in a name?” Shakespeare had Juliet query. Sometimes a name is shared by people unrelated by blood or marriage, but they coincidentally seem to share a connective perspective. It has happily happened again. The captivatingly cozily cool Karrin Allyson, whose two nightly shows at Birdland continue at Birdland through Saturday, … Read More
By Matt Micucci, Jazziz 8-Bit Big Band @ New York City’s Sony Hall: Multi-talented bandleader/multi-instrumentalist Charlie Rosen will bring his acclaimed 8-Bit Band to New York City’s Sony Hall on January 27. The sensational 33-person jazz/pop big band will present Rosen’s original “big band” arrangements of some of the world’s most popular video game music. Musical prodigy … Read More
By Imran Mirza, UK Vibe Thana Alexa delivers her long-awaited sophomore album ‘ONA’ which follows up on her 2014 debut record, ‘Ode to Heroes’, which featured Donny McCaslin and Antonio Sanchez amongst others. As evident through the album’s title itself, ‘ONA’ (a nod to her Croatian heritage with the word translating to ‘She’), the album seeks to celebrate … Read More
By Sébastien Hélary, Next Bop There is no denying that jazz music is going through a form of globalization, branching out into other musical realms, drawing inspiration from other established genres. The musicians on the cutting edge right now are building upon the discipline, theory and improvisational skills learned from the century-old tradition of jazz … Read More
By Stephanie Jones, Downbeat Peer groups serve as vital incubators for artistic development, but equally critical are intergenerational relationships among artists. They provide new perspectives, as well as a means to hand down information and evolve the music. These relationships also manifest potently on the bandstand. Read the full feature here.
By Travis Field, WLRN South Florida has a hometown hero to root for when the Grammys are awarded on Jan 26. The latest work by trumpeter, composer and educator Brian Lynch – “The Omni-American Book Club: My Journey Through Literature in Music” – has received a couple of nominations. The big band project is under consideration … Read More
By Will Friedwald, The Cityview Celebrating Ella Fitzgerald Natalie Douglas Tributes: Ella Birdland 315 West 44th St Monday January 20 (7PM) For information and reservations, please click here: Natalie Douglas’s long-running “Tributes” series is handily-described as a win-win situation, a double whammy. Ms. Douglas is not only a fantastic singer, she’s equally impressive when she … Read More
Ralph Peterson and the Messenger Legacy Announce First Tour Dates of 2020 and plans for a studio recording featuring new music The All-Star ensemble will make stops in Frederick, MD; Roanoke, VA; Rye, NH Ralph Peterson and the Messenger Legacy are kicking off 2020 with three live performances. The group of jazz luminaries will make … Read More
By Margie Goldsmith, Forbes Welcome to Birdland, the jazz corner of the world,” said Kurt Elling as he swung into Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall.” The performance was taking place in the upstairs Birdland Theatre where every wall was covered with framed photographs of jazz musicians and every seat in the house was … Read More
By Suzanne Lorge, Downbeat In a video from the 2015 International Jazz Day, filmed in Paris, clarinetist Oran Etkin and keyboardist Herbie Hancock are joking around. “I wanna say hi to all the Timbalooloo kids,” says Hancock, directly to the camera. “Thank you so much for being part of this program and thank you for … Read More
