I’m going to go out on a limb here and make a statement that might just come back to haunt me, but I think that Smooth Jazz often doesn’t get the credit it deserves as being as legit as its traditional and more “hip” cousin.
Review of New York jazz guitarist Ben Tyree’s new album re: Vision
Drummer and keyboardist Gary Husband has long been a fixture in the Jazz-Rock arena. He is currently touring as additional drummer and keyboard player with John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension. He has appeared as sideman with such luminaries as Jeff Beck, Allan Holdsworth, Gary Moore and Andy Summers.
Drummer Ranjit Barot is the son of a legendary classical Indian dancer. He has spent the past several years appearing as a sideman, producing other artists and writing award winning film scores. His prowess as a composer is highly regarded in World and Fusion music circles.
Musical chameleon John Scofield is presented here in a live concert setting. New Morning: The Paris Concert was recorded April 23, 2010 in Paris, France.
For three decades, guitarist Mike Stern has astonished jazz audiences the world over with his quest to push the envelope of what is possible on his instrument, the electric guitar. Now, more than ever, Stern is busy working on a variety of projects that further fuel his insatiable and often child-like curiosity and creativity.
The majority of musicians in my age bracket and younger are familiar with Louis Armstrong. His popular hits “Hello Dolly” and “What a Wonderful World” topped the radio charts and made him a household name and multiple television appearances kept him in the spotlight throughout the 1960’s. The music and the presentation was light hearted and commercial, but characterizing Armstrong as a Jazz musician during this period of time would honestly be very difficult.
Dweezil Zappa has been rather busy over the past couple of years. Both out of choice and out of need he decided to analyze and study pretty close to everything pertaining to the music of his late father, Frank Zappa, the legendary musician, composer, arranger, producer, film director, political activist, and bandleader.
Review of D.C. area guitarist Mark Mosley’s latest album, TLC.
Guitarists Steve Abshire and Paul Wingo join forces here to pay tribute to two departed friends. Herb Ellis and Barney Kessel were members of “The Great Guitars” with Charlie and Joe Byrd. They also made their individual marks as legendary players over brilliant and lengthy careers. Abshire and Wingo honor their contributions to the genre with Detour Ahead, a compelling collection of jazz standards.
