The growing number of all-female ensembles in today’s jazz world is something that has been greatly admired by many female (and male) musicians in the business. The overwhelming...
In October 1958, Duke Ellington performed at the Leeds Music Festival, sharing the billing with other stars of the jazz world such as Humphrey Littleton, Cleo Laine and Johnny...
Yesterday I happened to be speaking with a colleague who is quite familiar with the current Polish jazz scene. I mentioned the article below, first published here some 7 years...
In the years between 1939 and 1945, three different but somewhat related styles of music grew out of swing: rhythm and blues, spearheaded by Louis Jordan, the early-1940s Lionel...
Today marks the 100th anniversary of Charlie Parker’s birth. It’s impossible to imagine the evolution of jazz and modern music in general without the indelible influence...
Since last year Prague has had posters everywhere reminding Czech citizens of the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution; “30 Years of Freedom,” state the posters showing a...
The History of European Jazz: the Music, Musicians and Audience in Context, edited by Francesco Martinelli (Equinox, 2018) On a recent visit to Istanbul, in Europe’s most...
In October 1966, not long after Eddie Gomez joined the Bill Evans Trio, Evans and Gomez made a brief trip to Scandinavia for a series of concerts before returning back to New York...
Anna Harwell Celenza’s book “Jazz Italian Style” published by CUP (Cambridge University Press) was published earlier this year and I was hooked. I need to clarify: this is...
Nina Simone is one of the best interpreters in popular music. She wrote over 40 songs, including some of her best such as Mississippi Goddam and Four Women. However throughout her...
The technique of overdubbing is second nature to recording artists and sound engineers. You record layers of musical performances one after another until you are satisfied that...