With continued financial woes to face, the aftermath of a war on foreign soil still to be wrapped up, and snipers here in our own backyard, 2003 really wasn’t much to write home about. As has been the case for centuries, man’s art tends to reflect in some shape or form the social conditions of the time and so it should come as no surprise that jazz fortunes were at a low point this past year to say the least. The industry continued to feel the effects of a reissue boon over the last ten years th …

As jazz continued this year to solidify its stature as the proverbial little fish in the big sea of corporate conglomeration, more of the same seemed to be the order of the day. Now it’s possible that the older I get the more jaded I become. Still, of the hundreds of discs that came my way this year, the law of diminishing returns seemed to kick in with a vengeance as it had in 2003 and the number of albums of new music that were truly outstanding could definitely be counted on two hands. Int …

Of course it goes without saying that jazz has continued to struggle to find its place within a market that has changed dramatically over the past few years. In many ways, the presentation of jazz recordings from a historical perspective is directly opposed to current technological favorites such as iPods and MP3s. For the jazz fan, the album has always been the main artifact in developing familiarity with an artist. From the cover and liner notes to the programming of the t …

An icon of American music, Ornette Coleman’s innovations of the ‘50s and ‘60s continue to have an impact on forward-thinking jazz, both in terms of the way Coleman broke free of harmonic constraints and the way he placed a formal emphasis on melody. Although he has continued to document his latest developments via recordings, performance opportunities have been somewhat more limited over the years, making his appearance on the campus of the University of Michigan a rare treat. Add to that the fa

The Jazz Journalists Association (JJA), representing more than 400 writers, broadcasters, photographers and new media professionals worldwide, announces final nominees in 40 categories of achievement for the Jazz Awards 2005, its ninth annual ceremony honoring jazz musicians and their supporters. The Jazz Awards is a benefit for the Jazz Foundation of America's Musicians Emergency Fund, and for the Jazz Journalists Association's educational initiatives. Jazz Journalist and Photographer C. An