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 …
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 …
Quebec City, April 27, 2011 – For the 44th consecutive year, the capital will be grooving to the beat of the Festival d’été de Québec this July. The two Festival weekends already promise to be hot, and the news that Elton John and Metallica are playing the Festival is making …
Bill King Editor. I can honesty admit to an adrenaline rush when the lens sharp focuses, backgrounds flesh out in brilliant color, action on the bandstand reaches a climatic crescendo and I’m watching all of this from a half inch rectangle – my private world away from the surrounding crowd. …
It’s truly sad when a person whose music has played as background to your life passes. Ray Bryant was there for many of us looking to hear jazz with a blues flair and catchy themes. Bryant spent several years hanging around Toronto during the late nineteen eighties. I got to …
MONTREAL, June 3, 2011 /CNW Telbec/ – Telefilm Canada is pleased to announce that, for a second year running, the Canadian participation at the Shanghai International Film Festival will pay tribute to our industry’s vitality and creativity. The events include: Focus Canada, which showcases 10 feature films from June 11 …
CD Review: Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, The Sesjun Radio Shows By Bill Donaldson Jazz listeners who continue to enjoy the music of the innovators of the genre—but who bemoan the fact that no new recordings are available after their music-making stopped—will appreciate the fact that Naxos once again …
The Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute: The JCOI Readings Sunday and Monday, June 5 and 6, 2011 Miller Theatre, Columbia University 116th Street and Broadway, NYC http://www.columbia.edu/about_columbia/map/dodge.html The Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia University and the American Composers Orchestra will present the first-ever Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute Readings, the culmination …
