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 →
“Tasty Jazz Jams for Our Times Vol. 2” is out!
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 →
John Dengler and the Deer Head Inn
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 →
Forming “Future Memories” to a Very Visitable Place: New Music from Mareike Wiening
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 →
Behind and Between the Notes: The Inside Scoop at JazzMasterSavvy
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 →
From a Smoky Jazz Club to a Smoldering Romance – “Athena’s Piano” by Allen Johnson
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 →
VALENTINO MALTOS Stirs Up a Hot-’n’-Smooth Concoction in “ButterScotch”
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 →
An Exquisite Journey Held in His Hands: “Castelfidardo” from Jonny Kerry
Releasing December 17, the new CD "Castelfidardo" by jazz accordionist Jonny Kerry is more than what you think, no matter what you’ve heard from the instrument thus far. (The title refers to the Italian town where accordions are famously crafted.) In Kerry’s capable and loving hands, the accordion sings with joy for life whether paired... Continue Reading →
Voicing a Story with Anna Winthrop
The tease of releasing songs one at a time rather than dropping a whole body of work in one album is easily forgiven when you realize that a sublime three minutes will do…for now. “All of Me” is the first single to be let out into the wide world for songwriter/vocalist/pianist Anna Winthrop as part... Continue Reading →
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