Melodic, lush and spiritual are the first three words you might think when you hear the new music by Gediminas Karkauskas in his debut release “Lost Suite.” The accomplished pianist, now based in Ireland and originally from Lithuania, presents six original pieces that describe the finer things in life that money can’t buy. In the... Continue Reading →
Picture sax player Ricky Parrell bobbing and weaving on his bike throughout the boulevard-width streets right outside Washington DC. When it’s time for a breather he locks up his bike. The key he uses? It’s become fodder for his jazzy imagination. Inspired by the significant keys he’s owned and loved, this DMV (DC/Maryland/Virginia)-based musician... Continue Reading →
Somehow, smiling while keeping his embouchure as he plays sax, Audley Reid is a sight to behold and a feast for the ears. The groove and funk spilling from his horn catches the audience in an acoustic vise. He’s performed internationally including in his native Jamaica. A strong figure in the Chicago smooth jazz scene,... Continue Reading →
It can be the cool “So What” by Miles Davis or the thoughtful jazz chestnut “On Green Dolphin Street” or something fast and spicy. No matter: Claudio Roditi’s trumpet speaks in a way that fills a room with sweet honey sounds. He left his native Rio de Janeiro while in his early 20s to study... Continue Reading →
There are no fewer than 20 top-notch musicians in Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band. Founded in 1999, Goodwin’s idea was to assemble a band to record an album “and nothing more.” It wasn’t his intention to get gigs for the band but that’s what happened; first, on the request of his alma mater, and then... Continue Reading →
Composer/pianist/teacher Phillip Keveren, who earned his musical pedigree from Cal State U and the University of Southern California, was driven to re-interpret the fugues and cantatas of Bach into jazz. Sample it here: Why morph JSB into jazz, one may ask? Phillip says to blame it on the Swingle Singers. This early acapella group from... Continue Reading →
“Cease and desist or I will have my lawyer contact you!” These are the words that froze my heart and sucked the breath from my lungs. Moments later, when I regained composure, I read the rest of an email that was curt, poorly composed and just plain stupid. Legally speaking. My first book was a... Continue Reading →
Bob Bernotas might not be a jazzy household name, but he’s been writing about the genre for many years. With a successful monthly newsletter and as the host of a show by the same name on an East Coast college radio station, he’s dabbled in clarinet and sax but holds a soft spot for the... Continue Reading →
My first book was non-fiction. It's a cool little paperback about the jazz scene in the Delaware Water Gap in Pennsylvania (there are some international jazz masters living there and I interviewed them). Moderate success on that front. Without a clue and lacking prior experience, I taught myself the discipline of writing a book and... Continue Reading →
