By John Stevenson On Kaiso, his third recording as a leader, Trinbagonian trumpet maestro, Etienne Charles, cooks up an ambrosial bouillabaisse of New World music genres, with the jazz and calypso genres standing out as piquant flavours. In the Efik-Ibibio language and culture of the Nigerian delta region, the term …
Review by John Stevenson It’s always refreshing to be reminded of the terpsichorean origins of jazz. There was a time when after the bandleader counted off “one-two, a-one-two-three-four”, everyone knew it was time to dance and time to swing. Trombonist and vocalist Jeff Bush and his top-notch bandmates go back …
By John Stevenson The last few years have been particularly kind to veteran Trini-Bajan jazz pianist, Edwin Ebenezer Gilkes, popularly known as “Ebe”. In 2010, after playing professionally for more than half a century he released his much-welcomed very first CD. Earlier this year, he was formally presented with one …
By John Stevenson On Be It As I See It, drummer Gerald Cleaver casts his creative gaze on a seminal moment in 20th century African-American history: The Great Migration from the agrarian South to the industrial, frigid North. Released on the FSNT label, the recording showcases Cleaver’s captivating aggregation, Uncle …
By John Stevenson Reggae superstar Bob Marley spoke of a “natural mystic blowing through the air” on one of his many hit songs. Hristo Vitchev, the Bulgarian-born jazz wunderkind, also conveys a strong sense of the mystical and listeners get a fair taste of this aspect of things on his …
By John Stevenson You could call it a case of Shakespeare’s bout with the blues. That’s one way of describing Duke Ellington’s 1957 masterpiece, “Such Sweet Thunder”, written in response to a commission from the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario, Canada. According to noted jazz commentator A. B. Spelman, the …
Interview by John Stevenson The word maverick is bandied about quite liberally when describing the talents of the young London-based, Cameroon-born singer-guitarist-composer, Muntu Valdo. This spring, he released “The One & The Many” on the Warner Jazz label to critical acclaim – a truly inventive CD that combines his ethnic …
Interview by John Stevenson Not only is pianist Fred Hersch a composer of the first order, he is also an impressive interpreter of fine songs stretching all the way back from Tin Pan Alley to Brazilian Bossa Nova, and the Bebop and post-Bop era. Standard fare for most jazz pianists …
Interview by John Stevenson Finding a CD featuring jazzy interpretations of King Crimson’s ‘Matte Kudasai’, Joe Jackson’s “Stepping Out”, and Stevie Wonder’s “Golden Lady”, among others, should not, on the face of it, be too much to ask for. However, with the recording industry obsessed with labelling and pigeon-holes, demographics …
