At this time in the Boston jazz scene, there are no ongoing spaces for big bands and, predictably, the number of such ensembles has shrunk.
Ryles
Jazz Commentary: Survival of a Scene in Boston
Local music venues — especially those with “off” music like jazz — are caught in a vice, with real estate escalation on one side and corporate-dominated digital technology on the other.
Coming Attractions in Jazz: August 2010
By J. R. Carroll Vacation time? Not for the musicians of New England. An amazing amount of live music this month, not a little of it free and open to the public. Photo by Denise Sullivan Treme trombonist and vocalist Glen David Andrews bridges gospel and New Orleans jazz at Johnny D’s in Somerville, MA […]
Coming Attractions in Jazz: March 2010
By J. R. Carroll March is the month for Elder Statesmen—and drummers. Bassist Buster Williams has played and recorded with, well, damn near everyone, and currently leads his own Something More Quartet; they’ll be coming to Scullers on March 2 at 8 p.m. Photo by Mandy Hall, available under a Creative Commons Attribution license. Drummer […]
Coming Attractions in Jazz: February 2010
There may not be any Lester Young tributes scheduled for Presidents’ Day, but the entire month of February is nothing less than a valentine to jazz piano. By J. R. Carroll Pianist Jason Moran hasn’t yet encountered a piece of music (or even raw sound) that he couldn’t transform into a jaw-dropping improvisation. Johannes Brahms, […]
Coming Attractions in Jazz: January 2010
By J. R. Carroll If January inspires a desire for warmer climes and a trip to the tropics isn’t in the cards, you can still come in out of the cornstarch and dry your mukluks as musicians who’ve brought their traditions to Boston from around the world turn up the heat. Zili Misik and their […]
Coming Attractions in Jazz: December 2009
By J. R. Carroll December is always an exasperating month for jazz fans: The first week is crammed with more events than any human without self-cloning abilities can possibly attend; after that, the major clubs close their doors many evenings in order to host private parties (hey, something has to pay the bills). The upside […]
Coming Attractions in Jazz: November 2009
By J. R. Carroll After the New England Conservatory’s well-deserved turn in the limelight last month in celebration of the 40th anniversary of their jazz studies program, the Berklee College of Music comes to the fore in November with a strong series of performances on- and off-campus. Photo by Jesus Angel Hernandez de Rojas, available […]