Thinking outside the box when the subject of jazz is discussed has become increasingly difficult during the last 20 years, especially so when examining the genre as an American art form. What has transpired in that amount of time has been a transitory attitude having little if any historical significance. In Houston, Texas, Da Camera of Houston an arts...

A major milestone has been achieved by KHJZ 95.7 “The Wave” in Houston, Texas. The radio station celebrated five successful years of smooth jazz programming with a concert entitled “Wave Day 5” featuring Fourplay, Boney James, Roberta Flack, Michael McDonald and Houston’s own saxophonist Dean James. In that amount of time, KHJZ has annually celebrated their success with a multi-faceted array of...

Bill’s main asset onstage is that he’s...

The young pop-jazz singer performed...

Cuban jazz masters can get classical too, especially when you have a strong classical background, such is the case with Hilario Duran and David Virelles. Duran a pianist who came to prominence in Cuba along side Arturo Sandoval is a living legend and...

When you meet smooth jazz / blues guitarist Patrick Yandall offstage, he is quiet, gracious and congenial, but when he straps on his guitar he adopts a different persona, that of a master of blistering guitar licks whose fingers dance nimbly over the frets on the neck of his guitar. Yandall is also capable of taking a more laid-back...

The brief showers didn’t dampen spirits here. Those wanting shelter came into one the several inside venues, including the large Jazz Theater where the concert was televised, joining those who didn't...

On August 7th 2007, I visited Sweet Sounds Downtown as I had on all other Tuesdays. Having seen, heard, and spoken with Yuri Turchyn (violinist) who performed 2 weeks earlier with a group called Arturo, I was looking forward to hearing Grupo Yuri. They did not disappoint. They performed near the train station parking lot on South Street. A...

LMT Connection is one of the best ‘live bands’ around. Their energetic ‘sound’ is captivating to say the least, and always gets the dance floor hoppin’! Their sound is unrelenting funk, R&B and blues … with a skill honed from over a decade playing together. They have a weekly Wednesday night gig at Toronto’s top funk and R&B club,...

Breathtaking might be a word one could use to describe Karrin Allyson’s performance at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley in Seattle Washington on Saturday September 22nd. You could just as easily use the adjectives, sassy, sexy and magnificent to characterize her show. Wearing a persimmon colored dress with black trim, Allyson, backed by a seasoned group of musicians, which included, acoustic...

Erik Satie’s music, upon first listen would seem deceptively simple; often made up of a repetitive...

Well, that’s the scene during the Sunday Jazz Brunch, a highlight of each Labor Day Weekend West Coast Jazz Party, now in...

The theme for the 14th annual Guelph Jazz Festival - People Get Ready, The Future of Jazz is Now, held true to that concept and could even have been stated as the future of jazz is among us; it is youthful, energetic, alive, well and ever creative. The festival for those who may not be aware is the penultimate...

The Buddy Guy Blues Band played an absolutely superb concert outdoors this past Saturday, September 8, 2007, at Chuck Jackson’s 9th Annual Southside Shuffle Blues Fest in Port Credit, Ontario. There was what looked like a ‘sea of people’, taking in all the amazing blues coming from the huge outdoor Main Stage. There was such a big turnout to see Buddy...

If the opportunity to experience the ultimate concert appearance has never availed itself, then “Guitars & Saxes’ is a performance that has to be seen as a point of reference. Of all the so-called super bands performing today, “Guitars & Saxes” is a musical franchise of sorts; considering the fact that the concert is one of the most consistent...

During the summer of 2007, the City of Houston was inundated with numerous rainstorms and a severe tropical depression, all of which culminated into some exceedingly unusual weather during a time of the year when it hardly if ever rains. For more than 45 days, Houston had experienced unprecedented flooding and undue hardship that was weather based. But on...

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