Jazz
July 11 update.The New Orleans-style funeral for jazz on WGBH radio was an amazing coming-together of musicians from across the spectrum of styles. It was an occasion for mourning the loss of Steve Schwartz and the diminution of Eric Jackson, to be sure, but it was also an occasion for celebrating with more than a little wonderment the recognition that we all are, indeed, a community.
Updated. In or out of doors, from Inman Square to the coast of Maine, it’s a hot July in New England. Sounds of the season–or of any season–abound, including a 25th anniversary celebration for Natraj.
Updated. Reeling from the impending cutbacks to WGBH’s programming, the Boston jazz community is beginning to find its footing in organizing a response. First up, a jazz funeral on the 5th of July.
A critically acclaimed player in the New York avant-garde scene, Theo Bleckmann is clearly a Kate Bush connoisseur, and his commentary on her work was as compelling as the performances
Updated. The year 1962, the terminus of Richard Vacca’s new history of Boston jazz, marked an end to an era. Fifty years later, with the cutbacks in jazz programming at WGBH, are we approaching a similar inflection point?
Updated.As many Boston listeners feared, WGBH has put its jazz programming on the road to extinction. What is to be done?
If you’re a Gil Evans devotee, or even a casual appreciator, have I got good news for you: Ryan Truesdell’s Centennial, more than 70 minutes of Evans that we never thought we’d hear, 10 tunes realized so beautifully and brilliantly that they should win a Grammy for Truesdell and a second, posthumous Grammy for Evans.
When the musical whirlwind came to an end the crowd responded with a standing ovation, an enthusiastic testament to the power of this sweat-soaked night of edgy jazz guitar.
If you have a taste for something different that also has some depth and heft, then guitarist/composer Mary Halvorson’s new album may be just what you’re looking for.
Heading north this weekend? Whether you’re traveling all the way to Burlington, VT, or just to the left bank of the Charles, summer 2012’s jazz festival season is off to a fine start. Then, the action mid-month shifts south to New Haven.
Arts Commentary: The Kennedy Center and the Boston Symphony Orchestra — A Tale of Two Crises