Jazz
It was with great sadness that I learned that on the day after Christmas 2011 pneumonia carried off an underappreciated giant of jazz, saxophonist and composer Sam Rivers. His 88 years took him on a long journey from his midwestern origins to decades here in Boston and later in New York to a rich late period in the somewhat improbable locale of Orlando, Florida.
Read MoreWith Reverse Thread, Regina Carter moves beyond conventional boundaries, her music a rich blend of jazz and world music—a cross-cultural exploration of modern and traditional music that expands the boundaries of both genres. Regina Carter. At the Shalin Liu Performance Center, September 24. Her album is Reverse Thread (E1 Entertainment). Carter will be performing in…
Read MoreIn the best of all possible worlds, Duncan Heining’s biography will be the cornerstone of the edifice that time will erect to the memory of George Russell and his gift to music. Whether that will happen or not remains to be seen. In some ways, because of the vagaries of the book business, it’s up…
Read MoreI cite the repertoire only to give you a sense of the breadth of the material Jason Moran and Fred Hersch built on. The glory of the evening was the complete integration of the two pianists’ musical thought.
Read MoreThere’s something special going on among the four musicians in BANN that is very promising—something that makes me want to see the band live. I hope one of our local bookers picks up on them soon, so I don’t have to go to New York City to do so. As You Like by BANN [Seamus…
Read MorePeople who love jazz should read jazz history books periodically, and Kevin Whitehead, jazz critic on NPR’s “Fresh Air” with Terry Gross, has done a great service in giving us a What, Who, Where, and When book with insight and ingenuity. Why Jazz?: A Concise Guide by Kevin Whitehead. Oxford University Press, 136 pp. of…
Read MoreSaxophonist Grace Kelly has to decide what kind of artist she wants to be in her maturity, how long a run she’d like to have, how much she intends to contribute to the jazz tradition—and how she intends to accomplish these things. By Steve Elman. A moment of reckoning arrives in the career of every…
Read MoreI never knew I needed to own a book like this, but I undoubtedly do. If there is anyone you know who loves singing and isn’t a snob about genre, this book would be a great holiday gift. It’s a colossal achievement that is also marvelously idiosyncratic. A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and…
Read MoreLike a guru, Sonny Rollins offered words to live by at the conclusion of the show, words that are his own guidelines as much as they were advice to his fans: “Keep yourself straight and never mind the rest of the world.” By Steve Elman Imagine a great, blank canvas. Now begin to populate the…
Read MoreSo what’s the critic’s function when the music itself doesn’t have critical mass with the public? Surely not cheerleading or hype. But surely not nose-in-the-air either. By Steve Elman. Well, some editors are paying attention. There were two London Jazz Festival (LJF) reviews, occupying a half page in the Times this a.m. Maybe the reason…
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Music Commentary: New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Fest versus French Quarter Fest