Rare Charlie Parker Recordings
Friday October 31, 2008
On November 11th, Charlie Parker - Bird in Time 1940-1947, will be released on ESP-Disk'. The four disc set features interviews with Parker and some of his contemporaries, ... Read More
Thelonious Monk Competition Winner
Tuesday October 28, 2008
Jon Irabagon, an alto saxophonist based in Astoria, Queens, won the 21st annual Thelonious Monk Competition this weekend in Los Angeles. Judges for the competition included Wayne Shorter, Greg Osby, ... Read More
Thelonious Monk Festival
Sunday October 26, 2008
To kick of its Hall of Fame series for the 2008-09 season, Jazz at Lincoln Center presents the Thelonious Monk Festival from Thursday, November 20th through Sunday, the 23rd. There ... Read More
Anita O'Day Documentary
Friday October 24, 2008
Anita O'Day's satiny voice and whimsical rhythmic phrasing made her one of the best jazz singers of her time, alongside Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Billie Holiday.
The 2007 documentary Anita ... Read More
Tito Puente Celebration
Monday October 20, 2008
Fans of Latin jazz, mark your calendars for the Manhattan School of Music's two-day tribute to Tito Puente, "El Rey" (The King) of timbales. On Sunday, November 2nd, MSM will ... Read More
R.I.P. William Claxton and Neil Hefti
Friday October 17, 2008
This week saw the loss of two important figures in jazz. William Claxton, jazz photographer, died at age 80 on October 11th in Los Angeles. Just a few miles away, ... Read More
Inner Circle Showcase
Monday October 13, 2008
This week, from Tuesday, October 14th, through Thursday the 16th, the Jazz Standard will host performances by artists from Greg Osby's new label, Inner Circle Music. The label includes a ... Read More
All Nite Soul at the Jazz Church
Friday October 10, 2008
This Sunday, October 12, St. Peter's Church (the Jazz Church) will host the 38th annual All Nite Soul jazz marathon. The all night festival starts at 7:00 pm, and will ... Read More
Louis Armstrong Biopic
Wednesday October 8, 2008
Forest Whitaker, who played Charlie Parker in Clint Eastwood's 1988 film "Bird," will direct and star in another jazz biopic. Whitaker will portray Louis Armstrong in "What a Wonderful World," ... Read More
Duke Ellington Jazz Fest Review
Tuesday October 7, 2008
Check out my review of the shows I saw on the first full night at the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival in Washington, D.C. Over the four days I was ... Read More
Sixth Installment of the Keepnews Collection
Friday October 3, 2008
Orrin Keepnews founded Riverside Records in 1953, and within a few years it became one of the leading jazz record labels. While Keepnews was the producer, the label signed Randy ... Read More
Portland Jazz Festival is Revived
Thursday October 2, 2008
In September, the Portland Jazz Festival announced that after five years it was calling it quits. The festival, which the Jazz Journalist Association had named one of the top five ... Read More