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 …
Distinguished with the Swing Without him, the Rolling Stones were probably long gone: The drummer Charlie Watts has almost fifty years the beat behind the band compositions by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Today he celebrates seventieth birthday. Edo Reents Keith Richards once said that Charlie Watts was the only …
OTTAWA – IATSE Local 471, which represents stagecraft, projection, wardrobe, hair and make-up labour in the Ottawa and Kingston area today announced a contribution of $10,000 to the Actors’ Fund of Canada in support of its mission to provide emergency financial aid to entertainment industry workers in crisis across Canada. …
Multiple Grammy Award Winner Performs with Howard University’s Afro Blue Reunion Choir at the Warner Theatre June 7, 2011, Washington, D.C.— Adding to the remarkable array of celebrated artists who have been and are headline artists, the DC Jazz Festival (DCJF) proudly welcomes 10-time Grammy Award winner Bobby McFerrin to …
TICKETS ON SALE NOW TO NEW YORK GALA – FREE SATELLITE PARTIES ACROSS THE U.S., LIVE STREAMING VIDEO NEW YORK CITY – The 2011 Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards, the 15th annual announcement of honors for great music presented by an international organization of professional music writers, photographers, broadcasters and …
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 …
TORONTO, June 6, 2011 /CNW/ – Re:Sound Music Licensing Company announced today it has filed tariff proposals with the Copyright Board of Canada that would extend the term of several of its current tariffs and increase the potential income for music creators in Canada. Re:Sound’s proposed tariff rates largely reflect …
Hot on the heels of recent announcements that Adele eclipsed Madonna’s record for the longest spell at the top of the album chart, selling millions of records in the process, that Take That sold out a record eight consecutive shows at Wembley Stadium in minutes, and that The O2 Arena …
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 …
Bill King: From musician to managing a club. How has your world changed? Jeff Healey: It’s a learning experience and will continue to be. I could sit here for a couple hours and go over things I’ve learned in the last eight months. It certainly has made me appreciate a …
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 …
