Versatile and Master Multi-instrumentalist, Composer, and Arranger T.K. Blue Announces Visionary New Album Planet Bluu – Out October 25, 2024 via JAJA Records Featuring T.K. Blue on Saxophone, Flute, and Kalimba, with Trumpeter Wallace Roney Jr., Pianist Davis Whitfield, Bassist Dishan Harper, and Drummer Orion Turre – with Special Guests Steve Turre and Dave Kikoski On … Read More
by Robert Ham, Downbeat T.K. Blue never will forget the first time he heard pianist Randy Weston perform. Especially because when he found himself at The East, a Brooklyn-based arts education center that held jazz concerts on the weekends, he thought he was going to see Ramsey Lewis. Read more here.
by Asher Wolfe, Jazziz Chase Baird’s new studio ensemble functions like an ecosystem. The New York-based saxophonist released his second LP, A Life Between, with the star-studded lineup of pianist Brad Mehldau, drummer Antonio Sanchez, bassist Dan Chmielinski and guitarist Nir Felder. There are no overlapping personnel from his 2010 debut Crosscurrent. Although this iteration of Baird’s … Read More
by J.D. Considine, JazzTimes o say that Randy Weston was underappreciated is not the same as saying he wasn’t appreciated; instead, it’s to acknowledge that the honors he received, which include being named a National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Master, never quite matched the enormity of his achievements in connecting jazz to its African roots. The Rhythms … Read More
By Ron Scott, Amsterdam News When examining T.K. Blue’s impressive career it becomes evident his meeting piano virtuoso Randy Weston whose music sprouted from the ancestors and roots of Africa was no coincidence. He actually met Weston while playing and touring with the great South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim formerly known as “Dollar Brand.” Blue … Read More
by Willard Jenkins, Open Sky The joyous alto and saxophone and flute sound of T.K. Blue (aka Talib Kibwe) has been part of my consciousness for many moons. Before we even met his sound was a subliminal presence. The first time I actually encountered his passionate horns was an 80s era duo performance with Randy Weston at Sweet … Read More
by Jim Hynes, Glide Magazine Saxophonist T.K. Blue, known earlier in his career as Talib Kibwe, dedicates The Rhythms Continue, an expansive suite of 19 tracks to his long-time bandleader and mentor, NEA Jazz Master Dr. Randy Weston, who passed away a little over a year ago. Comprised of compositions by Blue, Weston and Weston’s long-time arranger … Read More
Hot House Magazine and Jazzmobile Present the 6th New York City Readers Jazz Awards at Birdland Jazz Club on November 24th, 2019 at 4PM Celebrating 55 Years of Jazzmobile, 37 Years of Hot House Mark Ruffin, Host of Real Jazz on Sirius XM will be honored and Cobi Narita will receive Lifetime … Read More
by Elzy Kolb, Hot House Another Reason To Celebrate Trumpeter Kenyatta Beasley’s new release, Frank Foster Songbook (ArtVsTransit), pays tribute to his mentor, the acclaimed saxophonist, composer and arranger who is perhaps best known for his work with the Count Basie Band and his own Loud Minority Big Band. The two-CD set was originally planned as a conventional … Read More
