There may be a longshot chance that you are unfamiliar with the mrudangam. It is a South Indian percussion instrument that Rajna Swaminathan has introduced into American music since she became a part of the New York City jazz community in 2011. She is a protégé of the renowned mrudangam maestro, … [Read more...]

Alun Morgan, 1928-2019 The influential and prolific British critic Alun Morgan has died. Morgan’s critiques, reviews and album notes were among the most widely read of those by any contemporary jazz critic. " His longtime admirers included fellow critic Mark Gardner, whose own reputation in … [Read more...]

A welcome surprise: I had no idea that veteran pianist Fred Hersch and the relatively new piano star Sullivan Fortner had worked together. As it turns out, they made a joint appearance at Jazz At Lincoln Center in 2016. Here they are on that occasion in a duet on Ornette Coleman’s 1959 composition … [Read more...]

The extracurricular, non-Rifftides" assignment that I mentioned in the February 2nd post is done, barring revisions. As mentioned, it involves notes for a CD box set of everything that trumpeter and singer Chet Baker recorded for Riverside Records in the late 1950s. Baker’s Riverside association … [Read more...]

Blogging has been sporadic (at best) lately because I’m into a non-Rifftides writing project about Chet Baker that is taking even longer than I thought it would. I’ll fill you in on it when I come up for air. In the meantime, let’s remember the February 2nd birthdays of two saxophonists, … [Read more...]

Michel Legrand, the pianist, arranger and prolific composer of film scores, died today at his home in France. He was 86. Dozens of Legrand’s melodies became popular hits, among them “The Windmills Of Your Mind,” “What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?” and “Watch What Happens.” The … [Read more...]

Helen Sung: Sung With Words (Stricker Street Records) In this poetry and jazz collection Helen Sung further validates her position as one of the most accomplished pianists In the New York jazz community, which has an abundance of fine pianists. The quintet supporting Sung thrives on her … [Read more...]

Way North: Fearless And Kind (M A P L) Way North’s three Canadians and a New Yorker are reminiscent of the kind of ensemble you might find playing on a corner in the French Quarter of New Orleans. For all of their sophisticated musicianship, that’s the kind of jovial feeling the quartet … [Read more...]

Jim Wilke informs us that his weekend" Jazz Northwest presentation will be a program of music that Duke Ellington was inspired more than sixty years ago" to begin adding to the world's canon of liturgical music . Here is Jim's" announcement, which includes a link to KNKX " and the … [Read more...]

  Dave McKenna In Madison (Arbors) From the 1999 edition of Leonard Feather and Ira Gitler’s The Biographical Encyclopedia Of Jazz: "McKenna brings to the piano a prodigious left hand that is a rhythm section unto itself to go along with his dexterous right. Factor in the vast … [Read more...]

  We learned today that trombonist Urbie Green died last Monday, December 31, in the Poconos mountain region that he called home for many years. He was 92. A musician idolized by his contemporaries—and particularly by fellow players of the trombone—Green’s earliest big band years … [Read more...]

Bassist Bill Crow writes "The Band Room" column in Allegro, the monthly journal of the New York chapter of the American Federation of Musicians. Now and then, Bill allows Rifftides" to borrow one of his anecdotes. This one is too good not to share: Richard Chamberlain posted the following story on … [Read more...]

It is not news that Canadian musicians continue to emerge into jazz prominence. Canada has long enriched this music with important players, composers and arrangers. A complete list of them would fill this page and several more. To mention a few, think of the contributions of Gil Evans, Kenny … [Read more...]

  Quotes To Inspire A Lovely 2019 New Year’s Day – Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. — Mark " Twain The only way to spend New Year’s Eve is either quietly with friends or in a brothel. … [Read more...]