Jazz
In any piece, the remarkable pianist Jason Moran might go to the very edges of the harmonic movement, until he on the verge of free jazz.
Read MoreThe 35th anniversary concert proved that Coltrane’s music and memory continue to strongly hold sway in the hearts and souls of musicians and audiences alike.
Read MoreFrom honors for Boston jazz heroes to many flavors of the “Spanish tinge”, it’s an eventful month, especially for NEC’s 40-year-old Contemporary Improvisation department and the annual John Coltrane Memorial Concert as it turns 35.
Read MoreJazz musician Don Byron is nothing if not eclectic, but his own playing is always penetrating, challenging, energizing, and his compositions vehicles for both intense exploration and tenderness.
Read MoreChick Corea and Gary Burton were celebrating their recent disc, “Hot House,” which they said was meant to recall the sixties, when the two were starting their careers. But the sixties were never quite like this.
Read MoreIt was a rocking night, full of fun and energy. It was intelligent, maybe even a bit brainy at times.
Read MoreMark Harvey and the Aardvark Jazz Orchestra: It’s hard to remember what the Boston jazz community was like before Harvey came along. In fact, the term “jazz community” would have seemed far-fetched at best if anyone had used it.
Read MoreIntimacy has been the key note of bossa nova performance ever since the initial murmurings of Joao and Astrud Gilberto, and singer Eliane Elias can whisper with the best of them.
Read More[Update: Tonight’s performance at Scullers by Mozik and special guest Rebecca Parris is still on. Rumor has it that the set will include Herbie Hancock’s “The Eye of the Hurricane”.] All treats, no tricks —it’s a great month for jazz in New England. The Aardvark Jazz Orchestra turns forty, and so does NEC’s Contemporary Improvisation department. Meanwhile, a raft of musicians make deep dives into electronica.
Read MoreHonesty is Best Policy Disclosure: I was in the hall to hear Mostly Other People Do the Killing. I’d heard the band on CD, and I knew that the only way I could appreciate them fully was to attend a performance.
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Arts Commentary: Rich in Creativity — But Nothing Else