Tenor sax player Tim Armacost has taken all that he knows about music and brilliantly placed it into the new book The Jazz Saxophone Book (Sher Music, 2022). A large spiral-bound book full of clear instruction, easy-to-follow examples and personal commentary, this book is a friendly and highly accessible helping hand for sax players just... Continue Reading →
An astounding biography has recently emerged which discusses the life, faith and music of pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams. Author and jazz composer/pianist Deanna Witkowski has penned a well-researched study with fascinating insights into a time punctuated by race relations and the Civil Rights Movement. Mary Lou Williams, Music for the Soul (Liturgical Press,... Continue Reading →
Chuck Sher Instruction from the masters and the icons of jazz is one genre of literature that always has an eager audience. Whether it’s learning how to improvise, a new take on well-loved chestnuts or how to master the key changes, musicians need their fingers and their ears to be in tip-top shape. How does... Continue Reading →
Just released: "Tasty Jazz Jams for Our Times/Vol. 2" which features the best and the brightest on the global jazz scene today. With a foreword from jazz fusion pioneer Jeff Lorber and a special note from New York City singer/songwriter/author Grace Garland, the book packs more than forty jazz artists in its pages. A quick... Continue Reading →
In an article here from 2020, I talked about the legacy of the Deer Head Inn in a small burg of northeast Pennsylvania called Delaware Water Gap. Through the doors of this restaurant/inn/gathering place for jazz have walked countless jazz musicians with many more following in their footsteps. Greats from Phil Woods (who lived just... Continue Reading →
Just released on Greenleaf Music is a magnetic collection of tracks woven together called “Future Memories” from drummer Mareike Wiening and her quintet featuring Rick Perry. She goes from the dreamy and spirit-massaging “Northern Sail” with smooth changes carried by a tasty sax and sultry guitar to a sweet, curt bebop expression of thoughts in... Continue Reading →
If you ever wanted to see how the masters learned jazz and found their voice, there’s tons of material online to do that. Rare is the in-depth, enlightening interview that imparts nuggets of specific practical wisdom with directness, humor and a lot of heart. The real stories-behind-the-stories of how to learn and grow in jazz.... Continue Reading →
When a music lover reads a book about music, they want to be able to feel the bass in their bones, hear the trumpet wail in all its tinny glory and absorb the hot vibes pulsing off sax, all to a sassy and brassy vocalist. Add in time-tripping and you have an idea of the... Continue Reading →
It starts with a succulent flourish and the sax taking the lead into smooth feel-goodness and he’s done it: Valentino Maltos launches into the new single “ButterScotch.” Hearkening to the R&B he loved as a youngster and his long history with the sax, Maltos brings in harmonizing vocals and a deeply polished bass sound for... Continue Reading →
Debbie Burke - jazz author 
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