Jazz
These pieces are an intellectual challenge to the listener as well as a sensual pleasure. They should send saxophonists back to the practice room.
For many years now, the Francis Davis Jazz Poll has collected brief lists of important jazz figures who passed in the previous year.
This doesn’t sound like any other quartet I know.
Major record labels were once notorious for trying to entice jazz musicians into selling out; they now find it more expedient to ignore them, leaving them to sell themselves.
The special categories tend to get overlooked, or sampled erratically, in the new releases lists, so Francis Davis thought a nudge might help.
The magazine’s jazz critics look back over the past year and highlight their favorite albums and live shows.
The heart of Friday’s performance came in stark impressions borne through Anjimile’s vulnerable voice — along with a little help from his friends.
Samara Joy uncorked her gospel pipes, the likes of which probably haven’t been heard on mainstream secular stages since Aretha Franklin.
Biographer Judith Tick is reverent about the singer without falling into hagiography: with honest scrutiny, she asserts the enduring value of Ella Fitzgerald’s achievement for generations to come.
Jazz Reviews and Appreciations: Sheila Jordan at 95 and Ran Blake at 88
It is something of a miracle that we can still hear Sheila Jordan and Ran Blake in live performance, and those experiences should be treasured by their audiences because those opportunities are so precious.
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