Jazz Artist Interviews (709)
Get up close and personal with your favorite jazz artists!
Fans of underrated soprano sax man, Marion Meadows, always know what they’re getting whenever this Phoenix-based artist releases a project; inspired blowing, great tunes, and great guest stars contributing excellent performances. Marion has just released his newest CD, and 3rd project for Heads Up, "In Deep." Along with a sensual mix of retro-soul and contemporary hip-hop flavor, Marion throws in a few twists such as his alto and tenor sax playing. As always though, he blends in stellar gues …
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In the 70’s and 80’s, Rik Emmet rose to stardom as a member of the arena rock band Triumph, and to some, Emmet will forever be the axe-wielding power rock icon who penned many great hits. However, the post-Triumph years took Emmet on a different journey; one fueled not by the pursuit of rock stardom or extravagance, but of self-discovery and the desire to make music on his own terms (Rik even passed on an offer to join Tom Scholz’s Boston shortly after the Triumph gig). Rik recorded 3 solo album …
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"Time and change are constants in the universe. They are also constants in our everyday life. Time goes on. Change is inevitable. Both are sayings used on any given day and in a variety of settings. When I first discovered vocal jazz, I believed that I was born too late. I should have been hanging out with Joe Williams in Chicago, trading rhymes with Jon Hendericks, singing all night in a Kansas City jam session; swinging and singing with Big Joe Turner or shouting with Jimmy Rushing. As I g …
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Rueben Wilson is a jazz musician with an uncommonly beautiful, energetic sound and elegant ideas. In his latest CD "Organ Blues," featuring Wilson on B-3, Bernard "Pretty" Purdie-drums, Grant Green, Jr.-guitar and Melvin Butler-tenor sax, Wilson plunges into an intense, high-strung "Blues for McDuff" that keeps the listener bouncing their head as the music is transformed into something altogether new, altogether his. Rueben Wilson has in reserve, a wealth of new melodic ideas and startling shift …
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Bruce Barth is a versatile, busy musician. Whether leading his own trio in performances in New York City's finest clubs, teaming with accomplished vocalists like Carla Cook or Luciana Sosa, sharing his music with Spanish or Japanese audiences, or playing in Steve Wilson's acclaimed quartet, his intentions are clear. He always works to follow his inner voice and stay true to the music. Jazz Review: When we spoke last, you were getting ready for a live recording project that becam …
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David Weiss is a jazz trumpeter - and happy to be known that way. But don't try to force him into either the hard bop or avant-garde fields. When it comes to his favorite musical pastures, Weiss is squarely on the fence between the two or Walkin’ the Line, as the inspired title of one of his recent CDs puts it and he’s quite happy to be there. Listen to his latest release, Breathing Room, and you’ll understand what he means. This is real jazz, eminently listenable, but it’s not …
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After the duo of Acoustic Alchemy released AArt, a studio album that received high accolades, including a third Grammy nomination, guitarists Greg Carmichael and Miles Gilderdale decided to get back into the studio and get back to basics. Their newest release, Radio Contact helps to get back the synergy that Carmichael and Gilderdale are known for on stage. That synergy is the same that prevailed when Carmichael was paired with late co-founder Nick Webb. Carmichael says, "I still f …
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A few years after his departure from the group YES, I had the pleasure of seeing drummer Bill Bruford perform with the budding and always cutting-edge progressive-rock band King Crimson back in the mid-‘70s at New York City’s Schaeffer Music Festival in Central Park. As a young drummer, I was fascinated by his distinct percussion vernacular and approach to the kit. For example, when you expected a snare hit, Bruford would roll off the hi-hat and create an offbeat that not only main …
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Rene Marie is proving that she’s not just another girl singer. Unafraid to take risks, she created one of the most powerful recordings of 2001 with the unlikely pairing of "Dixie" and "Strange Fruit." In addition to being a bold new interpreter, she showed that she’s a gifted songwriter with three original compositions on the album. "Vertigo," her second MAXJAZZ release, was named to numerous "best of 2001" lists last year, and Marie earned her second consecutive Association for Independent …
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There has been a guiding light in Jon Faddis' musical career: Dizzy Gillespie. So much so that most listeners can his Gillespie's unmistakable influence on Faddis' style. Very few trumpeters can play Gillespie's works with the same degree of articulation, range and fire. But Faddis can. Having met Gillespie when he was but 12 years old, Faddis was with him when he died as well. If you talk to other musicians who have played with Gillespie, you find that his influence on all of his friends wa …
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Long time fans of Dallas-based pianist/vocalist, Joe McBride, know it’s always a treat when he releases a new project, and his latest CD, "Keepin’ It Real," does not disappoint. Beginning and ending with versions of "Woke Up This Morning," the Sopranos theme, the CD fuses funk, soul, Latin and gospel into a rich stew of sounds that are sure to please. The project again showcases McBride’s Texas Rhythm Club band, which more than hold their own during the various sonic twists and turns the CD take …
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Keter Betts is not only a great bass player; he is a pretty fine philosopher. Of course, when you have six decades of influential jazz performances under your belt, you learn a thing or two along the way. "There are six billion people in the world and ironically there are no two fingerprints alike," said Keter. "You are one in 6 billion," he continued. "Take what you are, and who you are, and make a difference in the world." Keter has lived by that philosophy and is a firm believer that your …
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Thelonious Monk once said, "Jazz and freedom go hand in hand." There are many ways to approach this tradition; some combine new sounds and meaning, and some find fulfillment in opening up the past and present to the future. Still, others make their own music according to their own light. All these, in their different ways, are what keep jazz going. The band Maroon is bursting into the jazz scene with vocalist Hillary Maroon and keyboardist Benny Lackner. Like the great big band singers of th …
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A tall glass of cool water, when the sun is shining bright, is always a welcome treat, much like the new "Sensual Journey" CD from the tall glass of cool named Will Downing. The vocalist, who has been wowing us for well over a decade, has just released album number nine, and did not forget the kitchen sink, or the star power of producers like Ronnie Foster, Lee Ritenour, Rex Rideout, Ronnie Garrett, and Kashif, among others. The sum of all the names of these superstar producers and musicians add …
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At 26 years of age, Rick Washbrook found his own voice and songs. It was 1985, and in his mid-twenties, Rick’s natural story telling ability and contemporary song writing foretold he was someone who would definitely hit the charts. Building his ever growing fan base in Ontario, Canada his fans have not forgotten his debut album, Summer Roads, and today, Washbrook is more recognized for his virtuoso guitar playing.From 1985 to 1986, four of the top songs from …
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Claudia Acuña recently invited everyone to join her for a MAXJAZZ CD release party at Jazz at the Bistro in St. Louis from April 23-24, 2004. Recorded mostly in her native Spanish tongue, the songs Luna are vibrant tales of love and life. The clarity of vision and passionate interpretations are simply stunning. Please join us as Claudia Acuña tells JazzReview.com about this new album and her dreams for the future. JazzReview.com: This is your third CD and your MAXJAZZ de …
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Ned Otter is a powerful, relatively young tenor saxophonist that heads his own record label, Two and Four Recording Company. The label has just released "So Little Time," which marks Ned’s album as a bandleader after years of playing behind such legends as George Coleman, Dizzy Gillespie, Red Rodney and Clark Terry. And it is quite an impressive band that he leads on this date: the rhythm section consists of Harold Mabern on piano, Billy Higgins on drums and Daniel Vitale on bass. Otter is joine …
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A Milwaukee native, David Hazeltine has arrived not once, but twice, on the New York jazz scene. Each time, he has advanced his career by earning the respect of singers and musicians as a supreme accompanist. And with the release of a string of CD’s that he has led, Hazeltine has established himself as one of the more articulate and technically adept pianists. Ordinarily known for his straight-ahead acoustic piano work, Hazeltine is expanding his horizons by working now on a Hammond B-3 orga …
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Seeing Carla Cook perform is watching joy in motion. She sings with an ease that makes an audience instantly comfortable with her; yet she can turn on the intensity at a moment’s notice. She glides through a song, nodding to each of her instrumentalists as they take their turn at the spotlight. In acknowledging the applause, she generously includes her sidemen.Carla’s musical background includes training as a choral singer in many different styles, as well as piano and string bass studies. Sh …
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As the pianist/keyboardist for Spyro Gyra for 27 years, Tom Schuman is following his personal inspiration in producing his latest solo effort, "Into Your Heart," a revealing insight into the man and artist who with faith, talent, and the support of a loving family, has come to the realization that beautiful music is the expression of a happy soul. Schuman’s debut release on his own label is filled with persuasive, original compositions, ones that will move you to thought, love, happiness and …
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The music called jazz has undergone many changes in its relatively brief, but surprisingly rich history. Yet all of it, from old New Orleans to new Free Jazz, belongs to one musical family. Some people forge special links with the past, recasting aspects of it in new and personal molds. Others reach forward for new modes of expression, new combinations of music and meanings. Julian Owens threw a lifeline on a string of music, showing others how to grasp it and navigate it beyond all obstacle …
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Ten years ago, the number of female jazz vocalists that fans were familiar with were relegated to a few fading legends and at-the-time unproved talents still searching for their own individual style, such as Dianne Reeves and Cassandra Wilson. Today, listeners can choose from a wide spectrum of singers, from Wilson and Reeves; to the popular stylings of Diana Krall and Jane Monheit; to the eclectic work of Patricia Barber, Jay Clayton, or Grazyna Aguszyk. Somewhere in the mix stands Jacintha …
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Known to many rock and rollers as "Phantom" of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, keyboardist Danny Federici feels that his new self-titled smooth jazz CD is a return to his roots. Federici is a classically trained musician who moved into rock and roll because it "was a great departure from classical lessons. This is what I really like to do and the kind of music I listen to." Before Springsteen, Federici played keyboards with Joan Armatrading, The BoDeans, Gary US Bonds and Graham Parker. W …
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Piano player Satoko Fujii has defied conventions throughout her career as she has sought to find her own voice among the wide variety of musical influences she has received--and sought out. Having studied classical piano throughout her childhood, Fujii finally reached the point in her development where she found it most important to become introspective and discover, first, her true identity, and then the musical expression of her self. Once she developed confidence in her musical beliefs, she r …
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Bassist, Harvie S, formerly known as "Harvie Swartz," doesn’t need to begin convincing anyone of his multi-talented musicianship. As a leader, composer, and sideman for a stellar list of legendary Jazz artists over the years, Harvie is presently creating something new and exciting. "New Beginning" the second album of Harvie’s latest project, "Eye Contact," displays the versatility and harmonic complexity of his compositions influenced by Afro-Cuban and Latin rhythms. But wait, just when you …
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