All three groups in this Blue Note anniversary concert were distinctly different. One was shaded with a hip hop influence, one proffered organ trio jazz-funk and one, all female, had singing…
To hear Nat King Cole move from an anonymous member of a backing chorus to a world-class vocal soloist is well worth the time this boxed set demands. The post Jazz CD Review: Nat King Cole H…
The Bad Plus are telling stories, but the trio doesn't seem to want to follow wherever they might lead, which narrows their music's emotional range. The post Jazz Album Review: The Bad Plus'…
You can go home again, daddy-o, but you're not the same person you were the first time around. The post Film Reconsideration: The Beats's "Pull My Daisy" at 60 appeared first on The Arts Fus…
For me, about half of the compositions here successfully reflect the artistic visions of the painters that inspired the music. The post Jazz Recording Review: "Jazz and Art" " Paying Musical…
Johnny Hodges was originally a Cambridge/Boston guy, and one of the most interesting sections of Con Chapman biography is his knowledgeable description of the local jazz scene in the 1910's …
Robert Macfarlane's ability to limn the pull between beauty and cataclysm provides a dynamism that elevates this book well above the level of simple "nature" writing. The post Book Review: "…
I left thinking that holding a blues (or a jazz) festival in every city and town would not be a bad idea. It's a better way for municipalities to spend their money -- with a surer payoff -- …
D. A. Pennebaker was inventive, dogged, and had the ability to win people's trust. The post Film Remembrance: D. A. Pennebaker " Documentarian Extraordinaire appeared first on The Arts Fuse.
2019 is the 60th anniversary of the formation of the Double Six of Paris, so it is a good time to shine a spotlight on the group's spectacular work. The post Jazz Appreciation: The Double Si…
It's an uncommon pleasure to see band members enjoy themselves the way Tip City did. The post Jazz Concert Review: Christian McBride & Tip City " Mastery and Joy appeared first on The A…
Bolden is an intense film, depicting a life lived in a horrifically racist time and place. The post Film Review: "Bolden" " Putting Flesh on a Jazz Myth appeared first on The Arts Fuse.
"The half-hearted support of jazz by American broadcast TV, be it commercial or PBS or cable, has been an insult not only to the artists, but to the public as well." The post Film Interview:…
I did want to use this CD as a springboard to engage with the question of how using material of a certain age tends to pre-select -- and limit -- listenership. The post Jazz CD Review/Commen…
Coders had nothing in their intellectual toolbox that would help them understand people. The post Book Review: "Coders" " Brave New World, Coded appeared first on The Arts Fuse.
Despite the fact that clarinet (and occasional sax) player Pee Wee Russell was one of the most distinctive voices in jazz history, his name remains unknown outside of infra jazz circles. The…
Far more people would recognize Chet Baker's name than Jack Sheldon's -- and that is unfortunate. The post Jazz Commentary: Jazz and the Single Trumpet Player appeared first on The Arts Fuse.
Rarely does a book leave me questioning the ways in which I understood, or thought I understood, the construction of some of the most formative solos in jazz history. The post Book Review: "…
When it comes to jazz, you can be pretty confident that when you put excellent players together -- whether they know each other or not -- something very good will happen. And it did. The pos…
1917 was an important year, but perhaps not important enough to justify the sweeping title of the book. The post Book Review: "Making Music American " 1917 and the Transformation of Culture"…
The seven-man musical wrecking squad from Austria called Mnozil Brass has created a combination circus band, village band, marching band, and vaudeville orchestra. The post Jazz Concert Rev…
Path of Totality is a distinctive recording, put together with great attention to form and detail -- and performed with enormous skill. The post Jazz CD Review: Quinsin Nachoff’s ̶…
This volume is clearly critic Nate Chinen's resounding response to the "jazz is dead" chant.
The success or failure of this show rests primarily on the physical presence, voice and acting of the actor playing the celebrated lyric tenor Roland Hayes.
Sophisticated Giant paints a convincing picture of an extremely charming, intelligent, resilient, and talented man.