Putting finishing touches on my profile of Jane Monheit for the June DownBeat. Video preview of her new album is at http://ow.ly/jzHDn
Jane Monheit – “The Heart of the Matter”
Rest in peace, Van Cliburn
Truly the end of an era. Rest in peace, Van Cliburn.
Filed under Uncategorized
Luciana Souza and Romero Lubambo at NYC’s Jazz Standard – my review in Jazz Times
Luciana Souza & Romero Lubambo (photo: Atael Weissman)
RT @jazztimes: Luciana Souza and Romero Lubambo at NYC’s Jazz Standard – my review in Jazz Times http://t.co/vtHYR0b4
Filed under Bossa Nova, Brazilian music, Jazz, Jazz Times, Luciana Souza, Music Writing and Clips
“Making the Invisible Visible” – my DownBeat int’w with the Wayne Shorter Quartet
The Wayne Shorter Quartet
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
Filed under Downbeat, Jazz, Music Writing and Clips, Uncategorized, Wayne Shorter
Handy guide to the Grammy jazz nominees
Handy guide to the Grammy jazz nominees, with video: Exploring The Jazz Field Nominees | GRAMMY.com http://ow.ly/hzFFz
Filed under Jazz
Treasures In The Attic: Finding A Jazz Master’s Lost Orchestral Music (NPR)
Stride piano pioneer James P. Johnson also wrote beautiful symphonic music, lost for years. Highly recommended NPR story: http://ow.ly/hnnaz
Filed under Uncategorized
Wonderful piece on Wayne Shorter in NYT
Wonderful piece on Wayne Shorter, one of jazz’s great seekers, by @NateChinen in NYT. http://ow.ly/hmzD5
Filed under Uncategorized
My DownBeat profile/interview with tenor saxophonist JD Allen (Feb 2013)
Rising tenor sax star JD Allen almost never plays covers, preferring his own brisk, intense, forward-leaning trio compositions. So, when he was backstage at Jazz at Lincoln Center recently, preparing to make his debut as a guest soloist with the JALC Orchestra in a “Best of Blue Note Records” concert, he wondered to himself, “What the hell am I doing here?” Then he came out and made it abundantly clear that he can play anything. I interviewed him a few days later in the cafe at the Brooklyn Museum, and the resulting feature is in the February DownBeat.
Filed under Uncategorized
My profile/interview with Wynton Marsalis from the Dec. 2012 DownBeat
My dinner with Wynton. OK, it was lunch. Great sushi and even better conversation. Here’s my interview/profile of him, as published in the December 2012 issue of DownBeat: “Wynton Marsalis – Profoundly Grateful” (DownBeat, Dec. 2012)
Filed under Downbeat, Music Writing and Clips, Wynton Marsalis
Jim Hall Quartet at Birdland, 10/3 – my review
The great Jim Hall influenced a generation of jazz guitarists. Saw him at Birdland 10/3. My review’s at DownBeat.com. http://ow.ly/eAXbf
Filed under Downbeat, Jim Hall, Music Writing and Clips
Wynton Marsalis opens Jazz@Lincoln Center in Doha, Qatar
Jazz @ Lincoln Center’s new club in Doha, Qatar. New York’s Rodriguez Brothers band, with Carlos Henriques on bass, played during the “soft opening.” The Wynton Marsalis Quintet played the official opening week.
Wynton Marsalis opens Jazz@Lincoln Center branch in Doha, Qatar. Here’s my piece in Downbeat. http://ow.ly/eg7RR
Filed under Uncategorized
My DownBeat interview with Luciana Souza and Larry Klein
Luciana Souza and producer/husband Larry Klein discuss her two new albums, “The Book of Chet” and “Duos III,” their music, their marriage and much more in this interview published in the October 2012 DownBeat. You can read it here.
Filed under Downbeat, Larry Klein, Luciana Souza, Music Writing and Clips
Lee Konitz is 84 and is cooler than you.
Lee Konitz is 84 and is cooler than you. DownBeat is currently running my review of the alto sax legend and his “Enfants Terribles” (feat. Bill Frisell) as their lead story. http://bit.ly/RF1D2D
Filed under Bill Frisell, Downbeat, Lee Konitz, Music Writing and Clips, Uncategorized
Next up: I’ll review Konitz/Frisell “Enfants Terribles” for DownBeat
Brilliant Lee Konitz, 84, and Bill Frisell, a mere 61, lead “Enfants Terribles” @BlueNote NYC. I’ll review for DownBeat tmrw night. http://ow.ly/cZLuA
Filed under Bill Frisell, Downbeat, Lee Konitz, Music Writing and Clips
Coming soon – two new albums by Luciana Souza, and my interview with her in Downbeat
I recently traveled to L.A. to interview the wonderful singer/composer Luciana Souza – and her equally brilliant producer-husband Larry Klein – for a feature story in DownBeat. The article will preview two new albums to be released simultaneously in late August.
Filed under Downbeat, Luciana Souza, Music Writing and Clips
Re-Imagining “Porgy and Bess”
The new “Porgy and Bess,” adapted for Broadway by Suzan Lori-Parks and Diedre L. Murray is up for 10 Tonys, including Best Musical Revival, Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Orchestrations. For the May 2012 issue of DownBeat, I interviewed Diedre Murray on how she and her collaborators re-imagined Gershwin’s score for 21st Century Broadway. (Click the pic to read.)
Filed under Downbeat, Music Writing and Clips, Porgy and Bess, Uncategorized
Bossa Nova is alive and well…
Lunch with Paula Morelenbaum and Bill Broadfoot, prior to Paula’s gig at Birdland
Friday’s sold-out ‘BossaBrazil’ show at Birdland included a tribute to Astrud Gilberto’s landmark recording of “The Girl From Ipanema,” which is approaching its 50th anniversary. At Birdland it was sung impeccably by the Brazilian bossa nova star Paula Morelenbaum, who shared the bill with another Brazilian great, keyboardist/songwriter Marcos Valle. Before the gig, I had lunch with Atlanta composer/arranger Bill Broadfoot & Paula (see photo); the two are collaborating on a new version of another Astrud song, “Only Trust Your Heart.”
Brazilian Singing Star Paula Morelenbaum Headlines BossaBrazil Festival at Birdland April 24-28
Check this out — the internationally acclaimed Brazilian music artist Paula Morelenbaum will headline a Brazilian music festival at Birdland in NYC, April 24-28. And I get to meet her… because she’s the featured vocalist on “Only Trust Your Heart,” the first single release by my talented client, Atlanta bossa nova composer/arranger Bill Broadfoot and his band Rustic Materials. Paula and her husband, cellist Jaques Morelenbaum, toured and recorded with Antonio Carlos Jobim for a decade before the duo became major ambassadors of Brazilian music to the world. Jaques also appears on “Only Trust Your Heart.” See more info about the Birdland gig below…
Delta Air Lines Presents BOSSABRASIL Festival 2012 featuring Marcos Valle and Paula Morelenbaum
Delta Air Lines Presents BossaBrasil Festival 2012
featuring Composer and Keyboardist Marcos Valle
and Guest Vocalist Paula Morelenbaum
and Guest Vocalist Paula Morelenbaum
Sponsored by Hotel Edison NYC and Verizon
Produced by Pat Philips & Ettore Stratta
Produced by Pat Philips & Ettore Stratta
Marcos Valle is one of the major songwriters of Brazilian popular music with songs recorded by Sarah Vaughan, Jay-Z, Diana Krall, Chicago, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck, Toots Thielemans, Joe Pass, Astrud Gilberto, Bebel Gilberto, Sergio Mendes and more.
Paula Morelenbaum is one of Brazil’s most celebrated singers. After 10 years with Antonio Carlos Jobim’s Band she continued to explore the Bossa legacy with numerous recordings, one with her husband critically acclaimed cellist Jacques Morelenbaum and Jobim’s son Paulo and his grandson Daniel. She received international acclaim in the Trio Morelenbaum2/Sakamoto which featured the prominent Composer and Pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto. The NY Times said their performance at Carnegie Hall “…delivered Jobim’s songs with a sense of almost holy rapture.”
Marcos Valle and Paula Morelenbaum will be accompanied by vocalist Patricia Alvi, bassist Itaiguara Brandao, drummer Renato “Massa” Calmon, trumpeter Jesse Sadoc, Jorge Continentino (sax and flute) and Paul Meyers (guitar).
Filed under Bill Broadfoot and Rustic Materials
Calling all Bonnie Raitt fans
Calling all #BonnieRaitt fans — her new album ranks with her best ever. My Amer. Songwriter review: http://ow.ly/aidkS
Luciana Souza Brings Brazil to New York – Downbeat
Luciana Souza brings Brazil to New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center, covers songs from Jobim to Leonard Cohen http://bit.ly/AAPMSO
Allen Morrison - Music Journalist, Jazz Pianist, Songwriter, Lecturer - Long Island, NY 
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