In this second part of our conversation with Sonny Rollins, we do a deeper dive into one specific area we circled in the first. Music plays a significant role, including some coverage of his various outings as a sideman and his retirement from performance. But in our continued discussion, the focus is more on Rollins’ […]
Fans have long recognized Sonny Rollins as among the upper echelon of figures in improvised music. Some have even ventured to call him “the greatest living improviser.” Critics and those in the music industry seemingly concur. Not only has Rollins been awarded several honorary doctorates, but he is the recipient of the Grammy Award for […]
One can summarize much of the COVID-19 pandemic in one word: isolation. Travel restrictions made walls between countries seem higher. Shutdowns and social distancing only further underscored divides within local communities. And quarantine itself was the direct removal of individuals from those around them. With this backdrop, South Australian drummer Alexander Flood’s latest, The Space Between (Stretch […]
In our prior conversation with Fred Seibert, we discussed his role as a young producer and engineer capturing Cecil Taylor and other artists. Despite working with heavyweights like Rudy Van Gelder and Tony May, Seibert ultimately chose not to make music his career. Instead, his focus became, primarily, television. At the beginning of the 1980s, […]
Many artists can make great music. Very few can change the course of musical history. Cecil Taylor was one of the latter. By breaking apart conventions, both on and off of the bandstand, he opened up new realms and possibilities. While Ornette Coleman – another brilliant trailblazer – is often credited with creating free jazz […]
We continue our conversation with Mitchell and Allen with a deeper dive into Dancing Shadows (Mahakala Music, 2022), including Mitchell’s choice in compositions and the absence of a piano. We also discuss the influence of straight-ahead music and music from different cultures around the globe. And we conclude with thoughts on the influence of the […]
“I never wanted to be a part of planet Earth, but I am compelled to be here, so anything I do for this planet is because the Master-Creator of the Universe is making me do it. I am of another dimension. I am on this planet because people need me.”- Sun Ra Throughout his life, […]
In 2001, Ropeadope Records released The Philadelphia Experiment, a unique collaborative effort by three artists from the city of Brotherly Love who built off of their community’s rich musical history to create something new. Part of the project’s success came from the diverse musical backgrounds of its three leads. From hip hop and R&B came […]
We ended the first part of our conversation (available here) with Bob James by discussing artists who have sampled his work over the years. Part two begins by examining the influence hip hop has had on his own music. We then continue a tour through the history of the compositions on his forthcoming trio album, […]
Across his almost six-decade career, Bob James’ music has meant many things to different people. To those who have an interest in Creed Taylor’s iconic CTI Records, the memorable label that incentivized artists to merge jazz with ideas from other genres, James is a familiar name. Between his own significant releases and his contributions to […]
