Contributors' Corner - Feature Stories
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Buddy Guy Blues'd It Up At Toronto's Massey Hall
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Legendary blues guitarist Buddy Guy, made his annual musical pilgrimage to Toronto’s Massey Hall, Saturday, April 21, 2007. He again was supported by his fabulous blues band, featuring Ric ‘Jaz Guitar’ Hall on rhythm/lead guitar; the great Marty Sammon on keyboards; Tim Austin on drums; and Orlando Wright on electric bass. All these musicians are virtuosos in their own...
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Concert Review by Joe Curtis
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An Enchanted Evening
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Roberta Gambarini, New York based, Italian born and raised, has firmly established herself as one of the best jazz vocalists of our time. Just my opinion, no, this is the voice of many, including jazz legend, renowned drummer Jake Hanna. When I asked Mr. Hanna his feelings on playing with Roberta Gambarini, he replied without hesitation, “She is one...
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Concert Review by Paul J. Youngman
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Randy Bachman Does His Jazz Thing Too, At Massey Hall
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It was certainly a truly historic musical celebration of the blues, jazz, folk and some Middle Eastern musical influences at Toronto's Massey Hall, Friday, April 13, 2007. It was just the opposite of a 'bad luck' evening of music for this ‘13th’ -- courtesy of three of the most renowned and respected guitarists around: Randy Bachman (Guess Who/BTO), Jeff...
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Concert Review by Joe Curtis
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Salif Keita in Berkeley
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Salif Keita, 58, a 40-year veteran of the music scene, numbers among Africa’s top musical stars. A man in motion, Salif might be anywhere from Canada to Christchurch within the space of just a few weeks. Born into a royal family, Salif found himself barred by social custom from becoming a musician. As an albino, Salif was an outcast;...
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Concert Review by Harry S. Pariser
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Imani Winds At University of Baltimore
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Last year, in a concert review on this site, I wrote "Jazz lovers would do well to check out Imani Winds." Their recent concert performances continue to reinforce this idea. I caught them again recently at the University of Baltimore's Student Center. Again, I should emphasize that this is not a jazz ensemble. It is a classic woodwind quintet...
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Concert Review by Peter Westbrook
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Eric Bibb
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Attending an Eric Bibb concert is a lot like sitting down with an old friend and having coffee. The blues singer / guitar virtuoso’s performance is anything but high powered, as he opts instead to create a warm, friendly ambiance. On April 21, Bibb played two forty-five minute sets at Calgary’s Theatre Junction at the Grand.
The night consisted...
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Concert Review by Joe Montague
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Misha Piatigorsky
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It was a full night around town – guitarist John Abercrombie at Birdland, saxophonist Ravi Coltrane at the Blue Note, guitarist Pat Metheny with pianist Brad Mehldau at Carnegie Hall, guitarist Bill Frisell at the Village Vanguard – and jazz performances were of the pickin’. Waiting at the front doors of the Iridium Jazz Club was a couple who...
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Concert Review by Cheryl K. Symister-Masterson
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Pat Metheny and Brad Mehldau
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Like a picture pulled from a photo album, guitarist Pat Metheny looked the same as he did in 1977 – the last time he appeared at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House in downtown Poughkeepsie. He still wears his hair long and he still dresses in casual attire – faded jeans, knit top and sneakers. Pianist Brad Mehldau had a...
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Concert Review by Cheryl K. Symister-Masterson
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Anita Baker Live at the Barbados Jazz Festival 2007
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An air of both impatience and anticipation hangs in the air at Sir Garfield Sobers Auditorium on the outskirts of Bridgetown, the capital of the Caribbean island nation of Barbados. Legendary singer Anita Baker is set to take the stage to perform at the 2007 Barbados Jazz Festival. First, everyone stands to sing the Barbados national anthem. Then the...
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Concert Review by Harry S. Pariser
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Randy Weston with Billy Harper at Yoshi's
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At around eight PM on the second Thursday in April, Randy Weston takes the stage at Yoshi's to begin a four-night run at the intimate Oakland, California club. Weston hasn’t performed in the Bay Area in recent years save at large halls festivals, so this is a rare chance to see this accomplished octogenerian master of the jazz piano...
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Concert Review by Harry S. Pariser
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Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith Blues Band
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The Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith Blues Band played Toronto’s Silver Dollar Room, Saturday, March 3, 2007, and filled this excellent blues venue with some of the finest Chicago blues around.
Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith, is a much-revered and appreciated bluesman, who was the one and only Muddy Waters’ drummer for over 20 years, (replacing renowned Waters Band drummer Francis Clay in 1961),...
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Concert Review by Joe Curtis
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Johnny Winter at The Phoenix Concert Theatre
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Johnny Winter never fails to please! This icon of all that is good in blues and rock ‘n’ roll guitar playing … whether it be scorching rhythms, outstanding melodic leads, or slithery slide – was all here to savour and enjoy by this packed house of Johnny Winter fans at the Phoenix Concert Theatre, here in Toronto, Ontario, on Monday,...
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Concert Review by Joe Curtis
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Toru Dodo Trio at The Blue Note Jazz Club’s Jazz Brunch
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Jazz does have a sense of humor. Pianist Horace Silver has proven that throughout his career with titles like “Doodlin’”, “Filthy McNasty”, “Finger Poppin’”, “The Sophisticated Hippie”, “Funky Bunky”, and “Rockin’ with Rachmaninoff”. Fellow pianist Toru Dodo may not have such colorfully named tunes on his new release Dodo 3 (Jazzcity Spirit Productions, Inc.), but his charming wit brought...
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Concert Review by Cheryl K. Symister-Masterson
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Junior Mance At Strathmore Center For The Arts
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As another event to compensate for the postponement of this year's East Coast Jazz Festival, the Fish Middleton Jazz Scholarship Fund (FMJS) organized a President's Day open house in co-operation with the Music Center at Strathmore (www.strathmore.org). A fine arts complex and concert facility located one-half mile outside the Capital Beltway in North Bethesda, Maryland, Strathmore "provides affordable, accessible,...
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Concert Review by Peter Westbrook
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James Newton with The Flutes of Howard University
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Dr. Sais Kamalidiin, Assistant Professor of Flute at Howard University and director of the Flutes of Howard University continues to present his ensemble, with a guest artist, in his annual Flute Fete. Since 2001, the event has featured: Yusef Lateef, Sherry Winston, Frank Wess, David "Fathead" Newman, Dave Valentin, and Harold Jones. This year's Fête was rather special, as...
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Concert Review by Peter Westbrook
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The Rubin Museum of Art Presents: Harlem in the Himalayas
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Percussionist Andrea Centazzo co-founded Ictus Records in 1976. Somewhere amidst his passion for the music and the fickle and indifferent attitudes of listeners, Ictus Records disappeared almost a decade later. But passions can burn for a long time. Though he was not producing recordings for his label, he was producing music - scoring film soundtracks in Los Angeles for...
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Concert Review by Cheryl K. Symister-Masterson
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Stefon Harris Ensemble at The University of Maryland
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Having already presented McCoy Tyner's sextet and the Maria Schneider Orchestra, the 2006/7 jazz concert series at the University of Maryland's Clarice Smith Performance Center has focused on a balance between composition and instrumental performance. The Stefon Harris ensemble which appeared February 11th exemplified that balance as well as anyone could. Harris presented sections from recent commissions and his...
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Concert Review by Peter Westbrook
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Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
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The jazz program has been especially rich at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts this season. As befits a national institution, the center aims to honor jazz masters while also supporting younger musicians and new music. A case in point is the flurry of visitors during the last month.
February 9th, for example, saw bassist/composer Dave Holland bring...
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Concert Review by Peter Westbrook
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Maurice Brown Soul'd U Out
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I recently had the good fortune of being able to review Ernest Dawkins' New Horizons Ensemble DVD, The Messenger, which features the prodigious trumpeter, Maurice Brown. This young musician left such an indelible impression that I immediately resolved to get out and see him perform live if I ever had the chance.
Downbeat Magazine has referred to Brown as "one of the most exciting young trumpeters in jazz—be...
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Concert Review by Veronica Timpanelli
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Thursday Night Coffeehouse Series
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Good music brings out good people. Even multi-instrumentalist Howard Johnson had to comment on the attentiveness of the standing-room only audience in the small campus dining area. Some had cozied up to warm beverages and evening meals while others caught up on their text messages. Those in the throes of studying in the outside lobby drifted in once the...
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Concert Review by Cheryl K. Symister-Masterson
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Sabang Brings Jazz To Wheaton, MD
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The Fish Middleton Jazz Scholarship Fund (FMJS) is a non-profit organization that was created in memory of Elmore "Fish" Middleton to continue his vision of the perpetuation of jazz and supporting emerging jazz artists. Its major event is the annual East Coast Jazz Festival that I have reported on in previous years (www.jazzreview.com/articledetails.cfm?ID=4059). This year's event...
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Concert Review by Peter Westbrook
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Presidents' Weekend Jazz Party Big Success
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Great jazz was seen and heard this last President’s Weekend at the 7th annual Newport Beach Jazz Party before sell-out crowds. As well, since these four-day events began, the music seemed better than ever this year.
Thursday night through Sunday night, there were performances virtually every hour of the day–breakfast jazz brunches, afternoon Pool Stage sessions and, of course,...
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Concert Review by Larry Taylor
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The 2007 All Star Smooth Jazz Cruise Concert Was A Funk Fest
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Of all the jazz related events coming through the greater Houston metropolitan area, the launch of the All Star Smooth Jazz Cruise stands at the top of the list of must do and see events. Tantamount to the cruise, is the pre-launch concert held the night before at Moody Gardens Convention Center in Galveston, Texas. Billed as the most...
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Concert Review by Sheldon T. Nunn
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Boney James is Smooth Jazz's Ultimate Provocateur
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One of the most dynamic saxophonists in jazz blew through Houston on February
11th with a concert that was thought to be a highly evolved presentation of
funk. Anyone with any conceivable knowledge of Boney James will recognize
him as the ultimate funkateer; however, he also manages the versatility to
exhibit a high degree of sensitivity as well.
Riding high...
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Concert Review by Sheldon T. Nunn
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Jazz at Farley Hill in Barbados
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The Barbados Jazz Festival is a very special event. Attended largely by locals and returning Bajans (as Barbadians call themselves), along with a smattering of Americans and resident expats, the festival takes place in several halls (which host evening performances) as well as in Farley Hill National Park in the island’s north where two outdoor afternoon concerts take place....
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Concert Review by Harry S. Pariser
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