The National Endowment of the Arts has doubled down on celebrating jazz beyond "jazz" -- music that has exploded historic parameters or preconceptions of "jazz" conventions -- by naming as 2016 Jazz Masters the saxophonists Pharoah Sanders and Archie Shepp -- both protégés of the late, great John Coltrane -- and Gary Burton, an innovator of technique and content who's embraced pop, country, folk and rock influences, studio experiments and classical finesse in creation of his own original sound, taken up with pleasure by musicians and listeners … [Read more...]
Surprises and stalwarts in an NYC jazz weekend
Five acts, all jazz headliners, in 3 hours at the Jazz Foundation of America's Loft Jazz Party, plus Chicago drummer-composer Mike Reed's thrilling People, Places & Things quartet and alto saxist Darius Jones' trio at Drom in the East Village -- bountiful blues, soul, swing, groove, creativity, tradition, big names and newcomers in NYC on Saturday and Sunday. It's like this all the time in the jazz capital of the universe, but good not to take it for granted. … [Read more...]
Safety net tears: E*Trade ends emergency funds for jazz musicians
A new hole in the safety net for jazz musicians: In an e-mail message sent February 18, Jazz Foundation of America executive director Wendy Oxenhorn reports: Our magnificent E*TRADE Emergency Housing Fund has allowed us to pay rents and mortgages all these years when elderly musicians fell ill, and when Katrina struck. Because of this fund we have never lost anyone to homelessness or eviction in the past 8 years! What ETRADE did for us all these years was amazing but we have just been told that they can no … [Read more...]