By Mark Smotroff for AnalogPlanet A fabulous new retrospective collection being released via BMG on November 4 that celebrates Jamaican-born jazz pianist Monty Alexander is the latest offering from the Montreux Jazz Festival archives. Called simply Monty Alexander: The Montreux…
By Stephen Kallao and Kimberly Junod for NPR Music There are charismatic people, and then there’s Michael Mwenso. The leader of Mwenso & the Shakes is full of energy, charm and most importantly, joy. That joy is ever-present when…
Kevin Le Gendre witnesses a stirring performance by the preeminent US pianist at Kings Place, London By Kevin Le Gendre for Jazzwise Magazine Yet it is an Iyer original, “Autoscopy,” that raises energy levels by a flurry of catapulting percussive…
The lauded bandleader dazzles with his sophisticated high-calibre band By Nick Hasted for Jazzwise Magazine “This is the cat!” Archie Shepp raved in his liner notes to On The Tender Spot of Every Calloused Moment, Ambrose Akinmusire’s landmark fifth studio…
NPR’s Juana Summers talks with Dianne Reeves, whose song “Endangered Species” was sung by Sheryl Lee Ralph when she accepted an Emmy for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy. By Juana Summers for NPR
For Nonesuch Records The members of the legendary original 1990s Joshua Redman Quartet—Joshua Redman (saxophone), Brad Mehldau (piano), Christian McBride (bass), and Brian Blade (drums)—reunited after twenty-six years for 2020’s RoundAgain; they return now with LongGone, featuring six original…
“The close precision and frothy power of her voice stand out immediately…so does the depth of her comfort within the jazz tradition.” – The New York Times Once-in-a-generation vocalist Samara Joy has signed with Verve Records and will release…
Makhathini infuses an impetuous and majestic Afro-centric pulse on the opener, “Unonkanyamba”. The laid-back posture of the horn players against this rhythmic verve creates an infectious polyrhythmic feel. Gliding atop the texture, the soloists succeed one another. The confident tenorist…
From Tiny Desk Concerts of NPR • Chick Corea & Gary Burton — Two of the most beautiful and sublime musicians ever. It almost seems like their collaboration was tailor-made for a Tiny Desk concert. This has always been one…
Happy Birthday To Us! MWI is seven years old today. SEVEN YEARS OLD. Thank you Monty for lending us your incredible Birthday Improvisation from the Verbier Festival. His gift to us is now our gift to you as we celebrate…
