Here, the title fits the story. Jason Miles, who cut his musical teeth on childhood accordion lessons and then piano lessons in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, has nearly five decades’ worth of rubbing elbows and playing music with some serious icons of the jazz world. Not only is his own personal journey so entertainingly rendered (one of... Continue Reading →
A weekend for lovers—of jazz, people and great food—turned out to be a fascinating study of how the jazz ensemble diversifies its set list for the same captive audience over multiple performances. At the Memorial Day “Eat, Sleep, Jazz” event held in Greensboro, NC’s O. Henry Hotel, a core of five musicians (sometimes joined by... Continue Reading →
An arranger of already revered music, such as the body of work of film composer Ennio Morricone, has their work cut out for them if they wish to re-imagine the music in a fresh way. To take something adored and make sensitive, nuanced changes while honoring its reason for coming alive in the first place... Continue Reading →
There are ways to cover songs that take the material to new places, infusing a new climate altogether. Sax player Carlo Muscat has gathered tunes by some of the biggest names in jazz (Coltrane, Mobley, Rollins, Shorter) and pressed them gently but firmly into a new form. The result is Diversion, released November 2021. The... 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 →
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 →
Bassist and composer Bruno Schorp has written music inspired not so much by the pandemic state of the world for the past year and a half, but our need for art to shine through and lift and inspire us. His compositions are fresh, bold and meaningful. The upcoming EP called “The Depths” (set for release... Continue Reading →
Releasing this month on the Italian label GleAM Records, the new CD “A Congregation of Folks” by front man/sax player Daniele Germani presents some top-notch material. On the track “The Capitalist Creed,” his sax strolls and peeks into the corners, braced by morphing chord blocks on piano and the soft swell of cymbal crashes and... Continue Reading →
Originally created to honor the memory of his deceased father, a just-released film “Song for Our People” from writer/director Mustapha Kahn is an emotional and stunningly produced documentary that is like conversations with friends over a cup of coffee. A studio-full of talented musicians discuss their experiences as Black Americans, and is interspersed with a... Continue Reading →
Debbie Burke - jazz author 
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