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 — than tax abatements for Amazon.
Jazz
Jazz Concert Review: Newport Jazz Festival 2019 — Exalting Diversity
“It’s not something to be tolerated,” saxophonist Kamasi Washington said. “It’s something to be celebrated.”
Music Remembrance: Adeus, João Gilberto, Free-Spirited Creator of Bossa Nova
Melhor do que isso só mesmo o silêncio, melhor do que o silêncio só joão (The only thing better than [music] is silence, the only thing better than silence is João)—Caetano Veloso (“Pra Ninguém”)
Jazz Concert Review: A Third Report from the 40th Montreal Jazz Festival — Harmony Amidst Chaos
This year’s Montreal Jazz Festival Festival would have been more successful had it not been for all the construction ripping apart the city.
Jazz Concert Review: The Montreal Jazz Festival Turns 40, Part Two
A sense of promise remains a hallmark of the Montreal Jazz Festival — always end by looking forward.
Jazz Concert Review: The Montreal Jazz Festival Turns 40, Part One
The Montreal Jazz Festival is overwhelming in a way, but somehow genial, and finally inspiring.
Jazz Album Review: “Swing Symphony” — Quintessential Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis’ Swing Symphony is his third effort in the grand form.
Jazz CD Review: Satoko Fujii’s “Confluence” — Invigorating Experiments
Satoko Fujii and Ramon Lopez are clear-eyed adventurers; this is free jazz that shimmers with inquisitive transparency.
Jazz Appreciation: The Double Six of Paris — A 60th Anniversary Appreciation
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.
Jazz CD Review: Anthony Braxton – Quartet (New Haven) 2014 — Freely Creative Music
This set of discs will be a delight for any fan of advanced (and incredibly sustained) creativity in music.