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Ahmad Jamal: An American Classic
![Read "Ahmad Jamal: An American Classic" reviewed by Chuck Lenatti](jpg/74f1d98593480cca530302a46c8a34c8-3.jpg)
by Chuck Lenatti
1930-1958: From Pittsburgh to The Pershing Frederick Russell Jones was born on July 2, 1930, to a working-class family in jny: Pittsburgh. His friends called him Fritz. As a boy, he delivered newspapers to Billy Strayhorn's family. He converted to Islam around 1950 and took the name Ahmad Jamal. His family identified him as ...
Dickey Betts: Another Man Done Gone
![Read "Dickey Betts: Another Man Done Gone" reviewed by Doug Collette](jpg/5060523299e1f650e40d8ed7c689ae90.jpg)
by Doug Collette
Although Forrest Richard 'Dickey' Betts did not share the surname of the Allman Brothers Band to which he contributed so significantly, in terms of success both creatively and commercially, he was arguably as responsible for the seminal blues rockers' legacy as the two namesakes of the group, Duane and Gregg. And it does not ...
Petr Kotik: Beyond Race, Beyond Genre, There’s Music
![Read "Petr Kotik: Beyond Race, Beyond Genre, There’s Music" reviewed by Kurt Gottschalk](jpg/a81988f292d7bdbfcaa5934acf3e6228-2.jpg)
by Kurt Gottschalk
Petr Kotik has walked among giants. To the extent that he is recognized in jny: New York City, where he has made his home for 41 years, it is as an associate of John Cage and Morton Feldman with an apparent fixation on Gertrude Stein. In his Czech homeland, he is held in higher esteem--in part, ...
Bernardo Sassetti: The Pianist Who Danced With Silence
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by Nathalie Tamara Freson
If a musician's degree of brilliance is measured by the emotions they awakens in his listeners, then Bernardo Sassetti was a genius. And that he certainly was. With a prolific career (which resulted in a discography and filmography of close to 30 CDs), Sassetti spent the first few years playing alongside illustrious figures of ...
Ain’t Nothing Stopping Us Now: The Tower Of Power Story
![Read "Ain’t Nothing Stopping Us Now: The Tower Of Power Story" reviewed by Jason Elias](jpg/a62a138c3569bb2ec816f21675061224.jpg)
by Jason Elias
For over 50 years Tower of Power has been the favorite of those who love R&B/soul, funk and sophisticated jazz. While the band is often known for its revolving door of lead singers, the band's founders, Emilio Castillo (saxophone) and Stephen Doc" Kupka (baritone sax) have remained their constant. The Bay Area band's first album East ...
Camilo Valencia: One Heart At A Time - A Remembrance (1959-2003)
![Read "Camilo Valencia: One Heart At A Time - A Remembrance (1959-2003)" reviewed by Dr. Alex Sino](jpg/91ed5e1a75e330b4f767e2921594ba11.jpg)
by Dr. Alex Sino
Camilo Valencia, a soul brimming with boundless passion, sadly died on September 6, 2023 after undergoing a third heart transplant. He thus carried the weight of four hearts throughout his journey, each pulsating with an ardent desire to share his musical gifts with the world. During his career, Camilo Valencia racked up credits working ...
Lilian Terry: Forever Sisters Of The Soul - Renaissance Jazzwomen
![Read "Lilian Terry: Forever Sisters Of The Soul - Renaissance Jazzwomen" reviewed by Kerilie McDowall](jpg/928dd30e08676dcbf551d4cc55144b63.jpg)
by Kerilie McDowall
I was warmly accepted by a giant such as Duke Ellington during his last seven years. He chose to be my friend, demanding my annual presence during his concert tours in Europe as his good luck charm," and as his sounding board for all the phrases he would dictate to me, to be used later in ...
Roy Ayers: A Retrospective
![Read "Roy Ayers: A Retrospective" reviewed by Jason Elias](jpg/fe2753b73f9b7f0cc918a608c60ca296.jpg)
by Jason Elias
Vibraphonist, singer and producer Roy Ayers is a master of many musical styles and genres, from acid-jazz, jazz-funk to romantic ballads and dance tracks. While many of his contemporaries seemed to fail when they tried different sounds, Ayers always made sure a certain of musicality and identity was apparent in all of his work.
Johnny Vidacovich: Magnet In The Middle
![Read "Johnny Vidacovich: Magnet In The Middle" reviewed by Thomas Cole](jpg/598aad8a9f5148fd0071f4187df581d0.jpg)
by Thomas Cole
The ever changing cast of the Johnny Vidacovich Trio defies the meaning of that word--trio . Historically, jazz trios with a drummer in the middle have included such notables as Art Blakey, Gene Krupa and Max Roach but none of those groups changed cast members on a weekly basis or deviated very far from what they ...
Remembering Carla Bley: Jazz Innovator Extraordinaire
![Read "Remembering Carla Bley: Jazz Innovator Extraordinaire" reviewed by Ian Patterson](jpg/8dd6f21ae757741b1d829926b1621286.jpg)
by Ian Patterson
Carla Bley, composer, arranger, free-jazz pioneer, band leader, pianist and independent, whose compositions became jazz standards, has died at the age of 87. She had been diagnosed with brain cancer in 2018. Bley's most famous recording was her sprawling, genre-elusive triple album Escalator Over the Hill (JCOA Records, 1971). On the back of this ...