One cannot adequately assess the history of the Newport Jazz Festival without examining the recordings captured at the event through the years. In many ways approaching the recorded history of Newport is a gargantuan task. Discogs currently reflects 3,292 Newport Jazz releases. Many of these are reissues of albums, and several more may be mislabeled […]
In the second part of our Conversation with Lonnie Liston Smith (read part one here), we discuss his time with Miles Davis, his work with the Cosmic Echoes, and his discovery of a young Marcus Miller. PostGenre: After Pharaoh Sanders, you joined Miles [Davis]’ band. You were even part of the session for On the […]
Across their almost twenty volumes of the Jazz is Dead series, performer-producers Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge have exposed listening audiences to under-discussed legends among us who continue to shape music. Of particular focus have been the luminaries who made incredible improvisation-based music during the era of jazz’s alleged demise, the 1970s. Though occasionally […]
The fifth outing in Ropeadope’s Experiment series is markedly different from its predecessors. While all releases to date adopt a general ethos of giving maximum freedom to its participants, an ad hoc collection of those from the host city, prior output has primarily emphasized a particular native subsect of music. The Philadelphia Experiment (Ropeadope, 2001) underscored Philly soul and […]
Youthful zeal often brings a desire to show your technical capabilities. Young athletes try to sprint as rapidly as possible, while their musician counterparts often try to fit in as many notes into a solo as possible. But age frequently leads people to realize that while such showcasing skills are great, they are mere tools […]
To many, George Benson needs little introduction. During his career thus far, the guitarist-vocalist has been nominated for twenty-five Grammy Awards, winning ten. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And in 2009, the National Endowment of the Arts awarded them one of the highest recognitions: the title of Jazz Master. Much […]
During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the cello established itself as a mainstay in Western European classical music due to its capacity to provide both an intimacy to small chamber ensembles and grandeur to large symphony orchestras. The instrument’s appeal in this space is undeniable; few can listen to Bach’s Cello Suites, specifically the prelude, […]
For the last quarter of the 20th century, Italian labels Black Saint and Soul Note issued an influential series of recordings by Black American artists, including the World Saxophone Quartet and its members Hamiet Bluiett, Julius Hemphill, Oliver Lake, and David Murray. These records were hardly blowing sessions, but their loose-limbed vibe brought the expressive […]
For April, Brian Kiwanuka and Rob Shepherd provide capsule reviews of four recordings by saxophonists who are pushing music in new directions: Ingrid Laubrock’s The Last Quiet Place (Pyroclastic, 2023) [which you can also read more about here], James Brandon Lewis’ Eye of I (Anti, 2023), Ben Wendel’s All One (Edition, 2023), and John Zorn’s New Masada Vol. 2 (Tzadik, […]
Artistic expression has a unique power to flourish even when the soil is arid and lacking nutrients. The COVID pandemic, which destroyed many societal bonds, structures, and lives, nevertheless presented opportunities for artists to craft new works and explore additional avenues of creative expression. Even as social distancing made congregation difficult, many artists were able […]
