The new CD from Tibor Debreceni is a grand little self-produced package that displays a mastery of many instruments plus a hardcore ability to swing from the highest places. The track “Peace Within” ambles along with a bluesy feel, taking its time and breaking for a lovely muted trumpet solo that causes instant comfort followed... Continue Reading →
The Sun-Mi Hong Quintet certainly knows tone and shading, coloring and rhythmic play. As leader and percussionist, Hong skillfully guides the music by adding texture on drums, allowing each member of the ensemble equal space and bandwidth. Collectively, it’s a jazz breeze. Her 2020 album “Self-Strewn Portrait” was beset some of the now well- known... Continue Reading →
Debbie Burke has published her sixth book, this time about klezmer. While her books are primarily about jazz - both fiction and nonfiction - this time she's reached way back in her family tree more than a hundred years ago to muse about her paternal grandfather who came from Lvov. What music would her ancestors... Continue Reading →
An incredibly luscious, stirring song whose ambience is delicate and nuanced, all 13 minutes of the new song “Eberhard” from recently passed pianist/composer Lyle Mays are like a much-anticipated train excursion through picture-perfect landscapes. The breadth of instrumentation adds to the journey as the listener is treated lovingly with a softly intricate sax solo, flavorful... Continue Reading →
Imagine a vibe that evokes dubstep, reggae, Dixieland and big band and you have a sliver of a glimpse of the Intergalactic Brasstronauts. Leader and sax player Sam Thornton and his band have a new CD called “Music for the People” which is best described as a huge, screaming heap of fun. An incredible 16... Continue Reading →
The value of space between notes that are placed perfectly into a fascinating tonal tapestry is the strength of the new album “Phylum” by vibist Nazareno Caputo. The track “Dulce” is so much like skipping stones with unexpected harmonies and shifting rhythms, and the interplay between vibes and percussion is pure play. Soft, gradual, mysterious... Continue Reading →
Benjamin Sutin is a jazz/klezmer violinist, composer, educator and founder of Klazz-Ma-Tazz who finds both jazz and klezmer inspirational. He is a leader and sideman who has played venues including Dizzy's Club Coca Cola, the Lincoln Center's Appel Room, the Apollo Theater and many others. For more info on his band, please see the new... Continue Reading →
In his debut as a leader, sax and clarinet player Andrew Woolf’s “Song Unsung” makes a huge splash. The title song begins almost with an orchestral feel; as if the sax’s double-reeded cousin, the bassoon, is there instead, cracking open the scene with a mournful declaration. The harmonies have a distinct Copland-like feel, a bright... Continue Reading →
A new book by jazz author Debbie Burke looks at the history of klezmer and lavishes the most love on today’s klezmer artists. In-depth, personal interviews with over thirty musicians, authors, ethnomusicologists, historians, klezmer professionals from radio and the movies, and others involved in sustaining this art from the shtetls of Eastern Europe include the... Continue Reading →
Debbie Burke - jazz author 
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