Two pianoless quartets + two restless leaders = some of the best music of the last few years.
Music Profile: Violinist, Teacher, Composer, and Arranger Mimi Rabson — Making a Life in Art
The life of a working musician is not a second-class life, and Mimi Rabson’s is Exhibit A: “I try to get past the limits of the definitions and get to the joy.”
Jazz Appreciation/Album Review — Carla Bley, 84 and Counting
Carla Bley’s last three CDs are not a casual sequence, and hearing all of them together, as I did recently, provides a refreshing reminder of her greatness.
Jazz Album Review: “The Prospector” — A Saxophone-Bass-Drums Combination to Treasure
Nothing detracts from the essentials here – three fine players in creative conversation.
Arts Commentary: Meditations on Separation
This is what I feel can add: the perspective of a native-born son of the Rochester metro; and a view from the bridge through jazz-colored glasses.
Jazz Preview and Appreciation: Cécile McLorin Salvant Is Coming to Jordan Hall
Cécile McLorin Salvant understands that she is heroic.
Jazz Review and Perspective: Stan Getz (and Everyone Else) in 1961 – “Getz at the Gate”
Saxophonist Stan Getz knew whom to listen to and whom to borrow from, and the repertoire for the 1961 Village Gate gig was particularly satisfying.
Jazz Review and Appreciation: The Music Never Stops – Betty Carter Live (Again)
A landmark concert from 1992 is a chance to rediscover Betty Carter’s greatness, to appreciate again how this artist was special to the very essence of her soul.
Jazz Appreciation and Preview: James Carter — Life Begins at Fifty
Whom can we thank at the Boston Symphony Orchestra for choosing James Carter to be the featured saxophone soloist in March 23’s concert at Symphony Hall?
Jazz CD Preview and Survey: Years of Utter Beauty, Part 2
Part one of this survey looked at one upcoming performance and five CDs where music takes the leading role. This post looks at the other side of the coin, where the words are the wellspring for the music.