John Patitucci and his 1859 Gagliano bass. (Photo: Melanie Futorian)
Despite being one of the world’s most celebrated jazz bassists, @JohnJPatitucci says that it took him 40 years “to get up the courage” to do his recent one-man show in NYC. He explains why, reflects on his life and music, and discusses the future of the Wayne Shorter Quartet in my new interview with him.
When Don Cheadle and Vince Wilburn, Jr., Miles Davis’s nephew, set out to capture Miles’s life on film, they had to figure out a “non-corny” way to do it. It had to be a film that Davis would have wanted to be associated with – not a traditional biopic. And they had to get the music right. Which meant that Cheadle, already a competent jazz sax player, had to learn to play the trumpet well enough to play actual Davis solos. The score used a mix of original Davis recordings (Cheadle is playing along, but you hear Miles), and original music composed by Robert Glasper, featuring the gifted young trumpeter Keyon Harrold. For the DownBeat cover story, I had extensive conversations with Cheadle, Wilburn, Herbie Hancock, Miles’s first wife Frances Taylor Davis, Glasper, and Harrold. I loved the film, and I think I’m in good company (see Manohla Dargis’s review in the New York Times). I’d love to know what you think. You can read it here.
What’s it like to compose new music on the spot with Wayne Shorter? See my int’w with the members of his quartet in the March DownBeat. http://ow.ly/hMo15
Wayne Shorter at Jazz at Lincoln Center (photo by Fran Kaufman)
With an hour to go before a sold-out concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall, the Wayne Shorter Quartet had no idea what they would be playing. Talk about being in the moment… Here’s a link to my review in DownBeat. http://www.downbeat.com/default.asp?sect=news&subsect=news_detail&nid=1907
The New York Voices — 25 Years of Vocal Excellence (DownBeat, June 2013)
The under-appreciated New York Voices (Darmon Meader, Kim Nazarian, Peter Erskine and Lauren Kinhan) are one of the most accomplished vocal jazz groups ever. This year they celebrate their 25th anniversary with their first live album.
Eliane Elias at the Toronto Jazz Festival (DownBeat, 7/2/13)
At the Toronto Jazz Festival in late June, perhaps my favorite moments were with the astonishing Brazilian pianist/singer Eliane Elias and her trio. Here’s the first of my two festival reviews in DownBeat.
Rufus Reid: Still Evolving (DownBeat – June 2014)
Rufus has played with everybody from Dexter Gordon to Stan Getz, and now is writing award-winning big-band compositions. My look back at his career from the June DownBeat.
Saxophonist Craig Handy – Serious Fun (DownBeat, March 2014)
Singer Dee Dee Bridgewater used to call him “my Handy-man.” Now he’s back with a new album that blends the music of organist Jimmy Smith with contemporary jazz and N.O. second-line. My interview with Handy from DownBeat (March ’14).
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