Jazz Beyond Jazz

Organist Greg Lewis, wearing a monk's robe, plus guitarist Ron Jackson and drummer Damion Reid, tore up with full respect the knotty compositions of the late great Thelonious Monk last night at 55 Bar in Greenwich Village. About a dozen people heard them over a 90 minute period (they played a full set, took a break and performed one more extended tune before turning the stage over to guitarist Mike Stern) but it was one of the most enjoyable sets I've caught for months. Playing a Hammond C-3, which he explained was a B-3 restored and put … [Read more...]

Who should be the next NEA Jazz Masters? With last night's triumphant and deeply moving webcast of the NEA's 2012 Jazz Masters induction ceremonies came welcome news the annual fellowships for these major American artists will continue -- at least the financial awards of $25,000 per Master. More significant to many jazzers than the $ is the official government validation of the lives and careers of men and women which typically require substantial sacrifice and determination to create lasting, enriching marks. So who should the next honorees … [Read more...]

The glory of living American jazz musicians filled Jazz at Lincoln Center last night to celebrate the 30th annual National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Masters fellowships -- and some of the best news was the vitality of the music they played (webcast audio by WBGO and Sirius Radio, video at arts.gov). But of equally significance immediately was spread of the word that the Jazz Masters program will indeed continue into the future in regards to financial awards for selected Masters, for sure.  As for celebratory ceremonies and … [Read more...]

The National Endowment of the Arts, formally inducting its 30th class of  "Jazz Masters" with a concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center January 10 2012 that is being webcast live on WBGO Jazz 88.3FM  and SiriusXM Satellite Radio's Real Jazz Channel XM67, (starting at 7:30 pm ET) has announced that Jazz Masters will again be named and receive honoraria of $25,000 in 2013. Although this blog reported last February that the NEA 2012 budget had cut out the Jazz Masters program, as well as awards for American Folk Heritage and Opera … [Read more...]

Josef Skvorecky's The Bass Saxophone is one of a handful of fine novels identifying the extraordinary powers of jazz as an art form, a process, a heritage -- which makes it more than something to listen or dance to. Several obits for the Czech writer (d. Jan 3, age 87) who was long exiled in Canada have failed to mention his admiration and understanding of this American gift to the world, but the Atlantic Monthly gives him his due. Like Milan Kundera and Vaclav Havel, Skvorecky infused his depictions of a jazz-inflected … [Read more...]

The New Year starts bang! with performing arts presenters, artists and the journalists who cover them convening --  GlobalFest world music and  Winter Jazzfest musicians' showcases -- the NEA Jazz Masters fête  and shortly thereafter the  Chamber Music America conference, all in NYC. As pres of the Jazz Journalists Association, I'm happy to announce a four-session mini-conference on Media for Audience Development taking place (free to the public, registration requested) within the larger Association of Performing Arts Presenters … [Read more...]

Wynton Marsalis plays the immortal jazz of Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong tonight  (Dec 29) 7:30 pm & 10:00 pm ET on Facebook and Livestream  live from Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola in Jazz at Lincoln Center, NYC. This is repertoire that the newly named CBS cultural correspondent relives better than anyone else, and it's great to hear material written for the Hot Peppers, Hot Fives  and Sevens in 2011, 80 to 90 years since it was the very newest music in the world. I highly recommend checking this out -- free, after all -- but … [Read more...]

Sam Rivers and Don Pullen performed together -- I had completely forgotten. "Capricorn Rising" is an 11-minute almost entirely duet track from a 1975 album of the same name. And in the ensemble Roots the two were joined by saxophonists Arthur Blythe, Chico Freeman and Nathan Davis, bassist Santi Debriano and drummer Idris Muhammad, recording the album Stablemates and captured on video, playing "Lester Leaps In" -- perfect example of stretching "jazz" while honoring it (name those quotes and allusions!). howardmandel.com Subscribe by … [Read more...]

December 26 is a birthday I share with some great musicians -- John Scofield and the late Quinn Wilson, for two. But yesterday I was thinking of a Christmas baby: pianist Don Pullen, 12/25/45- 4/22/95. A Don Pullen Arts Exhibit opens today in Roanoke, VA, his home town, produced by the Jefferson Center and Harrison Museum of African American Art, and that's a fine tribute. But I hate to think that Pullen's music may be falling out of consciousness or access. His very first records with drummer Milford Graves are extremely rare … [Read more...]