Jazz
We should look forward, eagerly, to hearing more lost, or previously issued music, from Jazzhaus. And be grateful to the European public for supporting these concerts and broadcasts.
The new Mingus box set from Mosaic is a treasure trove — jazz lovers should get their hands on one of the 7,500 limited edition copies.
With major clubs closing their doors for private parties, December can be a little thin for mainstream jazz. But if you like to walk on the wild side, this is your month.
Wondering about what to give the arts and culture lover on your gift list? No problem—the sage writers for The Arts Fuse (with an assist from our readers) come to the rescue with thoughtful suggestions.
Chucho Valdés moved almost seamlessly from African-Cuban rhythms and chants in Yoruba or Spanish to a hip modern jazz style. The latter, paradoxically, owes much to the brilliant runs and glissandi of Art Tatum, the bluesiness of Horace Silver, and the power of the left hand chords of McCoy Tyner.
Richard Vacca’s The Boston Jazz Chronicles will be a foundational document that other researchers will turn to again and again as they delve into more specific niches of Boston jazz history and unearth as yet unknown artifacts of this era and its neglected body of music.
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.
The 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.
From 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.
Jazz 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.
Arts Commentary: The Kennedy Center and the Boston Symphony Orchestra — A Tale of Two Crises