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 →
There's nothing like wailing out on your sax or hitting those highs on your trumpet when you have a gorgeous showpiece as well; something that's individual to you and expresses who you are. Robert Majzik (a Hungarian craftsman now residing in Tokyo) has been engraving for over 35 years. He's working on a (secret) new... Continue Reading →
There’s a famous photo of Louis Armstrong that the young Valery Ponomarev first saw in Amerika Magazine sold in Russia during the Cold War. He decided to paint his own version of it in watercolor. He had already been grabbed by American jazz and the painting is a symbol of his creativity and free spirit.... Continue Reading →
With grunts and growls and poppin’ those harmonics, alto/tenor sax player Adam Nolan from Ireland waxes poetic on his new CD called “Prim and Primal” with his trio, comprised of Derek Whyte on bass and Dominic Mullan on drums. “The Magic Carpet” turns arpeggios inside out while the bass stays strong and true; drums stir,... Continue Reading →
A guy with a thing for the blues and CSNY finds himself immersed in jazz and turns into a lifelong student. Guitarist James Robert Murphy has worked those etudes and now his breakout as a jazz musician in the new CD “Park North, the 2920 Sessions” shows he has the passion, the material and the... Continue Reading →
A single track born of a year of deprivations: lockdown restrictions, travel restrictions, social distancing, and the inability to practice or perform together. Still, with all those chains in place, beautiful music has emerged. Whether because of the constraints or in spite of them (or both), sax player and leader Oli Morris has been inspired... Continue Reading →
Debbie Burke - jazz author 
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