Demanding to be heard, now and then one of the LPs in the surviving Rifftides collection of" vinyl records sends vibes—appropriately in this case. The album called Sunstroke appeared in 1979 on the Muse label with Charlie Shoemake" on vibraharp in his first album as a leader. His stellar rhythm … [Read more...]

This is Labor Day or, if you prefer the Canadian spelling, Labour Day. There is" official observance of the day established in Canada in 1872 and the US in 1887 to honor the economic and social contributions of working people. It long ago expanded to a three-day holiday weekend that marks the … [Read more...]

Less than a month after he amused a huge audience at the opening event of the Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival, the Swedish actor, comedian and drummer Janne “Loffe” Carlsson has died. Carlsson was a surprise performer at Ystad, included because of his close relationship with the late singer and … [Read more...]

Curious about the name of a small, imaginative jazz record company called Cuneiform, I asked Joyce Feigenbaum, the company’s publicist, who is married to the owner, how the label’s name came about. This is her reply: I'm actually an art historian by academic training (B.A. & M.A.), not an … [Read more...]

The most recent visit to Sweden stays with me more than three weeks after my return. In great part, that is because music I heard at the Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival refuses to leave my head. A piece played in Ystad by more than one group hangs on persistently and delightfully. It is “De SÃ¥lde Sina … [Read more...]

Clark Terry and Bob Brookmeyer co-led one of the great small bands of the last half of the twentieth century. In the group Terry (1920-2015) concentrated on the flugelhorn, which he played—as he did the trumpet—with fluency, feeling, technique and humor that make him to this day a model and … [Read more...]

John Abercrombie, a guitarist of stylistic flexibility and uncompromising musical vision, died today in a hospital in New York’s Hudson River Valley. He was 72. Abercrombie suffered a stroke early this year and succumbed to heart failure. For an extensive obituary that incorporates videos and a … [Read more...]

As summer progresses and the rose garden takes on a certain fetching raggedness, it’s time for a Rifftides tribute to the season. There may be dozens of pieces of music that would be appropriate. The staff has chosen three classics. Dave Brubeck wrote “Summer Song,” with lyrics by his wife … [Read more...]

Bill Mays and I have frequently been asked whether our History Of Jazz Piano project would ever be available to the public. After a good deal of discussion, attention to detail and audio remastering, the answer is yes. The concert is now a free download on Bill’s website. We have performed … [Read more...]

There are several jazz pieces called “Eclipse.” Tenor saxophonist Gato Barbieri, the Japanese group called Kyoto Jazz Massive, and the Mexican singer Bere Contreras, among others, have performed or recorded compositions with that name. The best known “Eclipse,” though, remains the one … [Read more...]

It is an open secret long acknowledged nearly everywhere: the best jazz musicians in other parts of the world are in a league with top players from the United States. Evidence of that excellence—if further evidence was needed—surfaced this summer in Prague when visiting American trumpeters … [Read more...]

The Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival ran six days and was packed with so much music that there was no chance of hearing it all. Here are brief impressions of a few more performances. Gilbert Holmström New Sextet In the Per Helsas Gard courtyard, the 80-year-old tenor saxophonist led five younger … [Read more...]

At the Ystads Konstmuseum, the Carsten Dahl Experience was, indeed, an experience. After launching his career as a drummer, Dahl taught himself piano in the early 1980s and quickly developed formidable technique that was on full display with his quartet of fellow Danes. At the beginning of … [Read more...]

Catching up is a noble ambition, but the quantity of music at the Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival and the tight scheduling make it all but impossible to be comprehensive. My notebook is overflowing with impressions. Here are brief reports on a few performances. The festival’s opening concert was by … [Read more...]

Joy In An Ancient Ystad Church Swedish bassist Hans Backenroth and Danish guitarist Jacob Fischer played in the 11th century Klosterkyrkan, not far from Ystad’s center. Among the most experienced European jazz artists, they found ways of dealing with the acoustical challenge created by the … [Read more...]

At the Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival, the American trumpeter Bobby Medina led a big band in a program that drew on his bebop credentials and his Latin American heritage. Claus Sörenson’s XL Big Band of musicians from throughout southern Sweden was impressive in its versatility as it negotiated … [Read more...]

The 2017 Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival launched with a tribute to Monica Zetterlund (1937-2005). The singer’s legacy in her homeland seems to steadily expand, and the attendance reflected her continued presence in Sweden’s cultural life. The concert, “Monica Z—Forever and Ever,” attracted … [Read more...]

Following flights across the United States and the Atlantic Ocean and a gorgeous car ride from Copenhagen to Ystad, the Rifftides staff is looking out the window of our room in the storied Saltsjöbad hotel (opened in 1897) on southern Sweden’s Baltic shore. The customary collection of summer … [Read more...]

I am running soon for a plane headed to Sweden. But first: I must tell you about a discovery by blogger, Rifftides reader and tune-detective-first-class Tarik Townsend. Mr. Townsend (pictured) writes that he has found a recording of one of the most elusive quotes that Paul Desmond ever worked into a … [Read more...]