Jazz Interviews

DIANNE REEVES

INTERMISSION | 15 minutes with … Dianne Reeves Chatting with the jazz vocalist before her concert with Gregory Porter. n 2016, Dianne Reeves was the veteran and Gregory Porter the up-and-coming artist on a bill at the Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts in Costa Mesa, California. Several months before the concert – which was …

DIANNE REEVES Read More »

KARRIN ALLYSON

ALL ORIGINAL Karrin Allyson With the 2018 release of her first recording of originals, a look back. Two qualities that distinguish enduring jazz vocalists, beyond the ability to sing in tune, are the character of the voice and phrasing. A great contemporary example is Karrin Allyson. Allyson’s current tour, which comes to Catalina’s Jazz Club …

KARRIN ALLYSON Read More »

A JONES FOR MILES

A JONES FOR MILES Musician, composer and educator Sean Jones is in the trumpet chair for SFJAZZ Collective’s 2016-17 tribute tour to Miles Davis. by CRISTOFER GROSS n 1988, Sean Jones was a 10-year-old learning to play drums in Warren, Ohio when he heard that his grandfather played trumpet during World War II. That, and …

A JONES FOR MILES Read More »

BILLY MITCHELL

WIDENING THE CIRCLE Billy Mitchell sparks musical appreciation at concerts and in classes while entertaining audiences and passing the flame to adolescents. by CRISTOFER GROSS ianist-composer-bandleader Billy Mitchell performs music onstage and magic off. The onstage music usually is played with "The Circle of Friends," a loose association of like-minded musicians who get together for …

BILLY MITCHELL Read More »

TIERNEY SUTTON

TWO-BASS HIT TIERNEY SUTTON The great jazz vocalist releases great recordings while holding fast to a great group of musicians. ierney Sutton, who was born in Wisconsin and later moved to New England, was living in the San Fernando Valley, a few miles from where I grew up, when we arranged to meet for the …

TIERNEY SUTTON Read More »

VIBRAPHONIST STEFON HARRIS

VIDEO Harris and Blackout Can’t Go Wrong at TED Conference With Nicholas Payton and David Sanchez 90 Miles in Copenhagen RECORDINGS Click image to purchase recordings by Stefon Harris on Amazon. Cloud of Red Dust Stefon Harris The Grand Unification Theory Stefon Harris Evolution Stefon Harris Music of Horace Silver SFJAZZ Collective Music of Stevie …

VIBRAPHONIST STEFON HARRIS Read More »

INTERVIEW: JANE MONHEIT

INTERMISSION | 15 minutes with … Jane Monheit Playing favorites with the sultry jazz vocalist. Vocalist Jane Monheit was at her home outside New York City when we reached her for background on an article to promote her October 2012 concert at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. She would share the bill with guitarist-singer …

INTERVIEW: JANE MONHEIT Read More »

JOSHUA REDMAN

VIDEOS Note Taking Harris and Blackout Can’t Go Wrong at TED Conference. WATCH Note Taking Going 90 Miles in Copenhagen with Nicholas Payton and David Sanchez WATCH RECORDINGS Click image to purchase recordings by Stefon Harris on Amazon. Cloud of Red Dust Stefon Harris The Grand Unification Theory Stefon Harris Evolution Stefon Harris Music of …

JOSHUA REDMAN Read More »

RAMSEY LEWIS

HAVING AN ‘IN’ Ramsey Lewis The ‘Legends of Jazz’ Man Celebrates a Gold Record’s Golden Anniversary. n writing about jazz artists for Segerstrom Center for the Arts (SCFTA), I frequently turn to a 2006 PBS program for background. The 13-segment Legends of Jazz features interviews with and performances by 30 jazz artists, including many I …

RAMSEY LEWIS Read More »

Scroll to Top