The Rehearsal Studio (Free subscription) | 02/09/2010
One of my friends reminded me of a Master Class we had attended at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music conducted by Robert Mann . She recalled Mann telling a first violin in a string quartet that she had a very polished sound but that her playing was "without direction." I realized that his observation resonated closely with my tendency to invoke a metaphorical use of the noun "journey,"...
All About Jazz (Free subscription) | 02/04/2010
Recorded in late 1965, while keyboard player Joe Zawinul was still a member of saxophonist Cannonball Adderley 's band, Money In The Pocket is a remarkable album--remarkable in that gives absolutely no hint of the shape shifts that would transform Zawinul's work a few years later. The first of three albums he recorded for Atlantic, it's a conventional mix of mid-1960s hard bop and soul jazz. Trumpeter...
All About Jazz (Free subscription) | 02/02/2010
The late keyboardist Joe Zawinul takes the contemporary prize, with Chick Corea and John McLaughlin getting the instrumental award. But singer Kurt Elling wins his first Grammy. In a year when the nominees in jazz featured a welcome number of young and under-recognized artists, Grammy voters couldn't resist the pull of familiar names when it came time to choose a winner...
The Hollywood Gossip (Free subscription) | 02/01/2010
At the biggest music awards ceremony of the year, the biggest artist of this generation was honored like never before. First, Celine Dion, Usher, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, and Smokey Robinson performed of Jackson's "Earth Song" together, while a 3D version of the video from This Is It played in the background. From there, Jackson's two eldest children closed the show, as Prince...
LondonJazz (Free subscription) | 02/01/2010
Best Contemporary Jazz Album- 75 Joe Zawinul and the Zawinul Syndicate Best Jazz Vocal Album- Dedicated To You Kurt Elling Sings The Music Of Coltrane And Hartman Best Improvised Jazz Solo -4 Chicken (Terence Blanchard) Watts (Jeff "Tain" Watts) Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual Or Group- Five Peace Band - Live Chick Corea & John McLaughlin Five Peace Band Best Large Jazz Ensemble...
JazzHQ (Free subscription) | 02/01/2010
Winners in Bold Best Contemporary Jazz Instrumental Album * Urbanus - Stefon Harris & Blackout * Sounding Point - Julian Lage * At World's Edge - Philippe Saisse * Big Neighborhood - Mike Stern * 75 - Joe Zawinul & The Zawinul Syndicate Best Jazz Vocal Album * No Regrets - Randy Crawford (& Joe Sample) * Dedicated To You: Kurt Elling Sings The Music Of Coltrane And Hartman - Kurt Elling...
JazzHQ (Free subscription) | 02/01/2010
Field 10 – Jazz Category 44 -- Best Contemporary Jazz Album 75 Artists: Joe Zawinul & The Zawinul Syndicate [Heads Up International] Field 26 – Surround Sound Category 94 – Best Surround Sound Album Transmigration Michael Bishop , surround mix engineer; Michael Bishop , surround mastering engineer; Elaine Martone, surround producer (Robert Spano, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra &...
Ballad of a Tin Man (Free subscription) | 01/28/2010
Miles Davis - Live-Evil (1971) I first saw the intriguing covers of this overwhelmingly nasty album in the garage of the iPFam abode; the CD belonged to the Jamester. He described it as something like his favorite "dark groove album" by Miles Davis and a real inspiration. I knew it was going to be something like the better-known Bitches Brew but otherwise had no real idea of the kind of music...
Jazz & Blues Music Reviews (Free subscription) | 01/24/2010
The great soulful alto saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley was at the peak of his considerable powers when these two European television broadcasts were taped in the summer of 1963. Presented in black and white, with nicely remastered sound, this DVD captures Adderley leading a short lived sextet with his brother Nat on cornet, Yusef Lateef on tenor saxophone, flute and oboe, Joe Zawinul...
LondonJazz (Free subscription) | 01/19/2010
Why couldn't it happen here? Eh? (O2 Music Experience take note).... In the last two weeks before it closed on Sunday, 20,000 people have been to the "We Want Miles" exhibition at the Cite de La Musique in Paris. The queue to enter was at times up to two hours long. 75,000 people saw it in the three months it was open. I understand that's more than for previous exhibitions dedicated to Jimi...
Rob's Record Reviews And That (Free subscription) | 12/17/2009
Thanks Everybody I hope you've enjoyed reading my blog. Rob's Record Reviews has now been up for over a year and it's being read regularly by people in 25 countries - from NZ to Iceland - never thought I'd get readers from Uganda, India, Thailand and Brazil, but I do! Thanks to those who have commented either through the blog or by email. I'll be back after Christmas, but before I sign off for a week,...
All About Jazz (Free subscription) | 12/17/2009
Jaco Pastorius Portrait of Jaco: The Early Years 1968-1978 Holiday Park Records 2009 If only every jazz artist had an advocate like label owner/project producer Bob Bobbing. Bass wunderkind Jaco Pastorius seemingly leapt into the jazz scene in 1976 with the quadruple punch of his remarkably mature debut, Jaco Pastorius (Epic), a trio date with guitar-god-in-the-making {{Pat Metheny = 9350}} on Bright...
All About Jazz (Free subscription) | 12/11/2009
Steve Wilson prepares for multi-night tribute to Joe Zawinul at the Jazz Standard in NYC, December 17-20, 2009. Wilson appeared on THE CW NETWORK/WGN TV yesterday--the live appearance aired on over 200 stations nationwide, including in Chicago, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and elsewhere. Check out this terrific preview column from JAZZIZ.com...
JazzHQ (Free subscription) | 12/04/2009
Telarc International and Heads Up International, divisions of Concord Music Group, received 9 GRAMMY® nominations, as announced by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) on December 2, 2009. The nominations were in an array of categories including pop, jazz and classical. All nominations were for albums released between October 2008 and August 2009. Winners will be announced...
JazzHQ (Free subscription) | 12/03/2009
Best Contemporary Jazz Album (For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks.) * Urbanus Stefon Harris & Blackout [Concord Jazz] * Sounding Point Julian Lage [Emarcy/Decca] * At World's Edge Philippe Saisse [E1 Music] * Big Neighborhood Mike Stern [Heads Up International] * 75 Joe Zawinul & The Zawinul Syndicate [Heads Up International] Best Jazz Vocal Album (For albums...
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