Contributors' Corner - Feature Stories
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Drums Live III
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The stage is set; drums align the stage - stretching from stage right to stage left, colorful, glowing, large sets with glistening chrome hardware, varying size cymbals of all manner of design and lots of percussion accoutrements. At the front of the stage a hi-hat, a snare and a bass drum are set up, spaced evenly apart with a...
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Concert Review by Paul J. Youngman
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Da Camera of Houston Celebrates 20 Years
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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...
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Concert Review by Sheldon T. Nunn
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Wave Day 5 Hits Another Milestone
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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...
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Concert Review by Sheldon T. Nunn
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Big Bill Morganfield Cooks It Up Just Right
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It’s always a pleasure to see the Big Bill Morganfield Blues Band whenever they perform here in Toronto, Ontario. Whether it’s the Silver Dollar as it was this night and others, or at a one-off blues fest at the Toronto waterfront, outdoors a few years ago, Big Bill is always here to please.
Bill’s main asset onstage is that he’s...
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Concert Review by Joe Curtis
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McKay Shows She's an Original
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Only in Nellie McKay's world does Cole Porter's "Don't Fence Me In" become a song about illegal immigration.
"Give me land, lots of land under starry skies above," she sang, gently strumming a ukulele. "Don't fence me in."
That's McKay in a nutshell. She's an uncommon blend of bite and sentiment. She's both wise and a wiseass.
The young pop-jazz singer performed...
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Concert Review by Donna Kimura
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Jazz Pays Tribute To Gould
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David Virelles Quintet & The Penderecki String Quartet Hilario Duran Trio & The Penderecki String Quartet
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...
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Concert Review by Paul J. Youngman
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Patrick Yandall
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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...
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Concert Review by Joe Montague
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The Gift of Music
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A benefit concert in support of the recent earthquake devastated Peru, to aid in the rebuilding of the church Iglesia de San Clemente in Pisco-Ica Peru. The atmosphere of giving was front and centre at the church of St. Peter’s gathering, musicians of a high caliber giving of their time and talent in order to lend support. Sonia Chan...
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Concert Review by Paul J. Youngman
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50th Monterey Jazz Fest Sells Out
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A new record was set for the 50th Monterey Jazz Festival with 45,000 tickets sold for the three days–all this in spite of rain which came midway Friday evening.
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...
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Concert Review by Larry Taylor
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Baku Llama Review
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Date: 9/25/2007 Format: CD (Album) Baku Llama is a California-based trio releasing their debut album this fall. They have other releases to their name according to their MySpace page - but this release is what they themselves consider to be their first real release, according to the promotional info. Musically this trio seems to draw their influences from a...
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Concert Review by Rick Whitehurst
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The Sweetest Sound Downtown
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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...
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Concert Review by Larry Marc-Aurele
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LMT Connection Funks It Up In Orbit
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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,...
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Concert Review by Joe Curtis
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Karrin Allyson
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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...
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Concert Review by Joe Montague
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Liberation Music Orchestra Receives Encore from Guelph Jazz Fest
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Charlie Haden brought the Liberation Music Orchestra to Guelph, the same line up of musicians as featured on their 2005 release of, Not In Our Name(Verve), the only member of the orchestra missing and un-accounted for, musician Ahnee Sharon Freeman, who was replaced by Vincent Chancey on the French horn. Haden announced to the audience that the concert was...
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Concert Review by Paul J. Youngman
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In The Spirit of Max Roach
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The second act of a double bill, having just returned to earth after witnessing an Anthony Braxton performance during the first act, featured William Parker Ensemble, who performed a one act suite on "The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield" that seemed like a throwback to another period of time. How fitting that the civil rights movement, free thinking and...
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Concert Review by Paul J. Youngman
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Jazz Artists In Evidence at National Flute Association Conference
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The National Flute Association, founded in 1973, is the largest flute organization in the world. According to its website, (www.nfaonline.org): "It was founded to encourage a higher standard of artistic excellence for the flute, its performers, and its literature. It has more than 5,500 members from more than 50 countries, including leading soloists, orchestral players, college and university professors,...
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Concert Review by Peter Westbrook
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Dream of the Red Door:
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Erik Satie (1866-1925) envisioned “furniture music”. The nascent genre was, by half a century, an early precursor to the modern (techno) ambient genre. A concept of music heard in the background adding to the mood but not demanding the full attention of its listeners.
Erik Satie’s music, upon first listen would seem deceptively simple; often made up of a repetitive...
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Viewpoint by Maxwell Chandler
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Improvisation -Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
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The AIM Toronto Orchestra conducted by Anthony Braxton put on an audio sensory show that for the most part sounded out of this world. An 18-member orchestra had been assembled from the rank and file members of The Association of Improvising Musicians Toronto; this organization was founded in late 2004 by Ken Aldcroft, Rob Clutton, Nick Fraser, and Joe...
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Concert Review by Paul J. Youngman
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Sunday Brunch Jazz Cruise
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What could be groovier, sitting back, sailing on the sparkling blue Balboa Bay in Newport, listening to jazz from some of the world’s best players. Making it even better–feasting on delicious food from sumptuous buffet tables nearby.
Well, that’s the scene during the Sunday Jazz Brunch, a highlight of each Labor Day Weekend West Coast Jazz Party, now in...
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Concert Review by Larry Taylor
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Guelph Jazz Festival
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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...
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Concert Review by Paul J. Youngman
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The Buddy Guy Blues Band Reaches Their Bluesy Zenith
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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...
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Concert Review by Joe Curtis
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Jamie Baum and Timepiece at Twins Jazz
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With jazz venues closing, or at least struggling, in the D.C. Area, Twins Jazz seems to be thriving. Whatever the formula is--location, food, location, music, location . . . --it seems to work. It is also close to a Metro station so I solved the parking problem by jumping on a train, and enjoyed an evening with flutist Jamie...
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Concert Review by Peter Westbrook
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Guitars & Saxes Is A Very Successful Franchise
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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...
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Concert Review by Sheldon T. Nunn
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Houston Experienced A Storm of A Different Sort
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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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Concert Review by Sheldon T. Nunn
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Newport JVC Jazz Festival 2007
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For over fifty years the term jazz festival and the city of Newport, RI have been synonymous. While this annual festival has been the host to some of the greatest jazz musicians to ever grace a festival stage, each year the festival line up seems to grow bigger and better. This year, the best way to describe the line-up...
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Concert Review by Chuck Vecoli
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