The Same Thing, the new release by composer/musician Darrell Katz and the Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra utilizes Katz’s skills as a leader, a musician, and an educator. He explains how the music for the recording came together. Jazzreview: What inspired the music for The Same Thing? Where did these songs come from? Katz: The material on The Same Thing, except for the title track by Willie Dixon which was arranged …

Luck, some people have it and others will do anything to acquire it. People in the eastern hemisphere of this planet believe that you are either born with it or not, whereas western hemisphere cultures believe that you can make it. The new NuGroove Records discovery, De’Nate, formed by multi-instrumentalist Nate Harasim and sultry vocalist Deborah Connors, are a combination of both. It is fate that brought these two talented artists together as NuGroove Records President, David Chackler sugge …

Chris Greene describes his quartet and their music with a few phrases that takes audiences into the heart of the band, "We’re a small band of only four members. We don’t require a large light show, pre-recorded tracks or a super fancy PA system to give a good show. Each one of the members of the band is proficient in multiple musical styles, and each is among the best in the city at their respective instruments. However, this would all be for naught if we didn’t play together as a unit or w …

Singer, songwriter and bass player Glynis John Martin (aka Black Ice) delivers a familiar sounding R&B/smooth soul mixture on his self-titled debut release, Black Ice, which recalls of Motown artists like Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye. Martin’s familiar sound might be partly due to the fact that he was exposed to Motown’s music from having been born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, the incubator for Motown’s artists; or maybe it is based in the fact that he has played as a sidema …

Who are The Klezmatics? Filmmaker Erik Greenberg Anjou takes audiences into the microcosm of this group in his new documentary film, The Klezmatics: On Sacred Ground, set for a 2009 release. The Klezmatics, whose name is derived from the term "klezmer," which is a traditional style of dance music practiced by a sect of Eastern European Jews that date back to the 15th century, was originally formed in 1986 in New York City’s East Village. The group has undergone many changes in their li …