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Jazz in the Burbs? Enter Pete Miller’s

 

Once when I was a student at Binghamton University, I was taking a taxi cab back to campus from the Greyhound Station.  The gregarious driver and I struck up a conversation about music and he asked what genre I enjoyed.  “Mostly jazz” I answered, to which he became very excited and asked if I liked Art Pepper and John Coltrane.  I immediately answered in the affirmative so we took our …more…

Old Friends, New Recordings

 

As a former New Yorker now living in Chicago, it is always great when old New York jazz friends come to town.  This month was especially a treat with bassist Tal Ronen rolling through the windy city.  Ronen, who is easily one of the best bassists of his generation, is a regular at New York stalwart clubs, such as Smalls, 55 Bar, and the Fat Cat.  Recently, he has been …more…

Feel the Sway with Matt Wilson’s Arts and Crafts at the Green Mill

 

As one steps back and takes a good look at all of the jazz that is out there, all the different musical directions that have developed and are developing right now, it can be overwhelming.   To boot, much jazz music is quite serious in nature (don’t get me wrong, much of that serious music is quite inspiring) but when one is listening to a jazz suite composed over the John …more…

Jazz Spotlight: Vocalist Rose Colella

 

In the age of American Idol, singers are often unfortunately graded on how hard they can belt.  Rose Colella sings with understated nuance in a way that brings to mind Blossom Dearie, Shirley Horn, and Billie Holiday.  Colella does not use a song’s lyrics as a “show off” vehicle, she massages each lyric with deep musical sensitivity and emotional maturity.  She uses a gentle whisper to caress a melody or …more…

Chicago’s Iconic Experimental Jazz Scene

I was recently attending the annual conference for the International Society for Improvised Music and I got into a conversation with trombonist, Jeff Albert.  First of all, Jeff is a pretty awesome dude: he is currently working on his Ph.D in Experimental Music, experimenting with the possibilities of computers and improvised music, and was recently named a Rising Star in the Trombone category for Down Beat Magazine… plus, Jeff is …more…

The State of Jazz Clubs: Chicago and New York

 

I was attending a wonderful show by vocalist Arlene Bardelle and I reflected on the unique perspective that my wife and I (as well as a few others) have from observing the jazz scenes of both the windy city and the big apple.  As jazz clubs continue to financially tread water, refine their lineups to fit more popular tastes, or simply close down, many in the jazz community question what …more…

Jazz Spotlight: Tenor Saxophonist Chris Madsen

The history of the tenor saxophone runs as deep as it does wide in jazz, from Bean to Brecker, to the extent that one can almost question what else can possibly be done on the instrument.  Fortunately for the skeptics, the jazz community does continue to turn out unique tenor saxophone stylists and among them is Chicago-based tenor player Chris Madsen.  The first thing one notices about Madsen is his …more…

Jazz Spotlight: Sarah Marie Young

With the eclectic nature of Chicago’s music scene, filled with the blues, jazz, gospel, and R & B, it is a real joy to check out the vocal stylings of Sarah Marie Young.  An alumni of Columbia College’s heralded vocal jazz program, Young has been impressing Chicago audiences since 2004.

One aspect of Young’s singing that really amazes is her ability to sing jazz, R & B, as well as her …more…

“The Artist”?…Try Seven Artists!

Recently, my wife and I went to the movies to see “The Artist”.  The film (which is silent) is a love letter to grand old cinema, with references to Welles, Chaplin, Wilder, and many more. The theater was packed with people watching from the stairs in rapt attention without a peep from a soul in the audience.

Why?

There is something fantastic about a work that wittily references the past and exudes …more…