Creation begins in the most internal constitution of the creator. Whatever language the creator uses to describe something outside, that person is correlating an assortment of givens with the dynamics that animate them. In this case, the creator is pianist and composer Matthew Shipp and his creation is Sacred Geometry. Shipp premiered his work for strings and piano at...

For the second time in as many weeks, Houston’s 57 West Jazz Café brought to bear a sorely needed entertainment resource that is best described as an intimate and personal club jazz experience. Having only opened for business on November 10th for the very first time, 57 West Jazz Café began an auspicious debut with guitarist Joyce Cooling; what came next...

The Original Superstars of Jazz Fusion concert with Roy Ayers, Lonnie Liston Smith, Jean Carne, Wayne Henderson, Bobbi Humphrey, Ronnie Laws & Jon Lucien was a tremendous success. The fusion occurred between the promoters, a co-production of Toronto Downtown Jazz and REMG Productions and the...

Houston, Texas is the fourth largest city in the United States. Culturally speaking, the city is internationally diverse, artistically enhanced and economically sound with as much to offer as any other major city. But the jazz scene in Houston does leave much to be desired. Historically, Houston once had a strong and distinctive jazz presence. There were numerous venues...

For more than 40 years, Carlos Augusto Alves Santana has pushed the envelope of rock guitar by melding blues, jazz fusion, R&B and salsa into a level of creativity that has been seldom paralleled by any other musician of his generation. As a Grammy Award-winning musician and Latin-rock guitarist, Santana has epitomized the sound of music by blending the...

In an ever increasing environment where smooth jazz radio programming is in a continuing state of flux, it is refreshing to note a few successes as they occur. KHJZ 95.7 “The Wave” celebrated its 4th year of programming on October 28th; a feat that is very significant, especially in an arena where station after station has flipped to a...

This is the second October in a row that Blue Note jazz club has had the great fortune of booking Milton Nascimento for a week-long engagement in New York City.  A friend of mine who grew up in Sao Paulo tells me that Milton plays in front of huge crowds in Brazil (and around the world) so the opportunity...

Paris Escovedo, son of famed percussionist Thomas “Coke” Escovedo; has emerged to bring Latin back to the world of jazz. “Coke” Escovedo was an original member of the Carlos Santana band in the 1970s, who later created his band entitled Azteca, and through his untimely passing, Paris is building upon the tradition set forth by his father. Paris has...

If there's one thing there's not a shortage of, it's tenor saxophonists. There are many, but few are at all like Branford Marsalis. Many saxophonists can be summed-up in a few glib words, but Branford (I hope he forgives my familiarity) has a style that reflects many styles, many "schools," many eras, yet there's nothing pastiche about him. Classic...

Backed by a scintillating performance from her rhythm section the Los...

Tenacity and intensity go hand in hand. Even though such descriptive nouns might imply a network...

Jazz lovers would do well to check out Imani Winds. Officially a classical chamber ensemble, they are opening up new areas of expression for this genre, drawing upon jazz and world music...

The Billy Bang Quartet is a group that knows where it is going.  Violinist Bang as leader has cast a musical...

I returned to Calgary recently after a three year hiatus and discovered that the once bastion for country music bars has given wings to blues and jazz venues of the highest quality. On Friday October 6, 2006 I had an opportunity to take in a splendid jazz performance by two of Canada’s premier instrumentalists/vocalists Joe Sealy and George Koller...

Canada's premier blues venue the Red Onion showcased two of Canada's top blues performers on  September 29th. Morgan Davis a 2004 Juno Award (Canada's Grammy) winner (Painkiller was Blues Album of the Year) electrified the crowd with spine tingling and note bending guitar riffs. Among the members of the band backing him this evening was drummer Duris Maxwell one...

Meditation can assume many forms. For Matthew Shipp, that meditation is playing the piano. Shipp...

Reviewing smooth jazz related activities is not a very easy endeavor to embark upon; in fact and in all actuality, providing an unbiased perspective on these opportunities often generates a myriad of emotions. On one end of the spectrum I am torn between my ambivalence for smooth jazz radio and my loyalty to jazz as an indigenous American art...

With a...

Get your CD in the SPOTLIGHT!