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Take Five With Clarinet And Composer Kinan Azmeh
by AAJ Staff
Meet Kinan Azmeh Hailed as a “virtuoso, intensely soulful" by The New York Times and “spellbinding" by the New Yorker, Syrian-born, Brooklyn-based genre-bending composer, clarinetist and improvisor Kinan Azmeh has been touring the globe with great acclaim. He has collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma, John McLaughlin, Daniel Barenboim and the New York Philharmonic, among others. Azmeh is the winner of Germany's Opus Klassik Award for his solo album Uneven Sky (Dreyer Gaido, 2019) and is featured on the Grammy-winning album Sing ...
Continue ReadingTake Five with violinist and ETHEL member Kip Jones
by AAJ Staff
Meet Kip Jones Kip Jones (violin) is known for his ebullient and innovative solo performances in a style he describes as “experimental folk." Kip is a member of the acclaimed ETHEL string quartet and can often be found performing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as its Ensemble-in-Residence. Kip is preparing to premiere Monk arrangements for string quartet and bass as part of ETHEL's upcoming March 13 th Carnegie Hall debut with Maestro Ron Carter. A modern musical ...
Continue ReadingTake Five with Saxophonist Zishi Liu
by AAJ Staff
Meet Zishi LiuZishi Liu is a jny: Boston-based saxophonist and music curator originally from China. He made history as the first Chinese artist to play at Boston's famed Regattabar in collaboration with Blue Note Jazz Club in 2025. His work has been featured by WGBH, contributing to the broader narrative of Asian representation in jazz. His music explores the tension between familiar and foreign themes, drawing inspiration from Coltrane's later works and the evolving sounds of '90s Asian ...
Continue ReadingTake Five with Saxophonist Noah Peterson
by AAJ Staff
Meet Noah Peterson While his troubadour days are behind him, Noah continues to have musical adventures. From his many bands and explorations of different genres of music Noah always has his fingers in something. His latest adventure includes his brand new quartet recording of all original music Coming Home To You and the rebirth of The Noah Peterson Soul-Tet (recording coming later this year.) Noah has regular performances in San Antonio, TX with some stellar combos. Instruments: Saxophone, ...
Continue ReadingTake Five with Bassist Anthony Muthurajah
by AAJ Staff
Meet Anthony Muthurajah Anthony Muthurajah is a Bahrain-born Sri Lankan bassist whose musical journey began at age 12 as a church band drummer. He later picked up the guitar and bass, and at 17, moved to Chennai, India, where he became immersed in the gospel scene. In 2010, he moved to Kuala Lumpur to study at the International College of Music, where he switched to bass guitar as his primary instrument. By 2011, Anthony became an active session ...
Continue ReadingTake Five with Guitarist Jamie Pye
by AAJ Staff
Meet Jamie Pye Jamie Pye is a jny: London-based jazz guitarist and composer with roots in both Australia and New Zealand. He performs in various line ups and contexts; from intimate duo residencies to headline performances as a bandleader showcasing his original music. He is often part of house bands for jam sessions around town, or as a sideman on other projects. In 2023, Jamie completed his first 10-date national tour around New Zealand, including appearances at the ...
Continue ReadingTake Five With Trombonist-Composer Naomi Moon Siegel
by AAJ Staff
An award-winning trombonist, improviser, composer and educator, Naomi Moon Siegel is committed to creating a positive, transformative music culture beyond conventional genre norms. She has been an innovative performer and recording artist since graduating from Oberlin Conservatory in 2006. Siegel kicked off her professional career on the West Coast in jny:Oakland, California, and came of age as a composer and bandleader in jny:Seattle's thriving improv scene. Siegel is a staunch advocate for intersectional gender justice in jazz and music settings, ...
Continue ReadingTake Five with Vocalist Teodora Brody
by AAJ Staff
Meet Teodora Brody Born in Romania, and now based in Switzerland, Teodora Brody initially trained in classical jazz and rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s singing with legendary jazz pianist Johnny Răducanu . Acclaimed for her extraordinary vocal power and creative vision, Teodora pioneered the fusion of jazz with Doina--Romania's improvisatory folk singing tradition--and is widely credited with introducing international audiences to this extraordinary, deeply emotive music. Always searching for new musical ...
Continue ReadingTake Five with Pianist / Composer Joe Elefante
by AAJ Staff
About Joe Elefante: Joe has traveled 4 continents playing and conducting jazz and musical theater. Joe founded the Joe Elefante Big Band in 2001, which was the house band at Cecil's Jazz Club for three years, and was featured on ABC's Nightline and in the Wall Street Journal. He was named a Jazz Ambassador by the Kennedy Center, and has toured Eastern Europe and the Middle East as a jazz pianist for the U.S. State Department. He has also been ...
Continue ReadingTake Five With Saxophonist / Composer Wataru Uchida
by AAJ Staff
About Wataru Uchida Wataru Uchida is a saxophonist and composer who has been leading jazz projects in New York City since 2003. He studied saxophone performance and composition with Chico Freeman. In 2001, Wataru worked as a teaching assistant of Rory Stuart's rhythm analysis class at New School University Jazz & Contemporary Music program. In 2010, Wataru released his first CD Blue Morpho, recorded with NY-based Brazilian jazz artists, Romero Lubambo, Helio Alves, Nilson Matta. The ...
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