The world of contemporary jazz
A reminder: the COVID-19 virus is everywhere and will continue to be everywhere until there’s a vaccine. Sorry, just reporting, I don’t make the rules here, the universe does. Here in New York City we’re in Phase 2, which means you can eat out, as long as you’re outside, and even the Strand is letting …
The second Bang on a Can Marathon of the COVID-19 era hits the the ground this afternoon, 3pm-9pm EST. You can view it via this link or with the embedded stream below: Viewing is free, but as always if you can, please help out the musicians and Bang on a Can by buying a ticket …
Miles’ music always had soul, blues, funk, sweat, sex, intellect, abstraction, and hipness.
May 22, 1914, that’s when America and the world got ahold of one Herman Blount—at least that’s what his parents thought his name was. Sun Ra and America are the essential combination: Ra’s mythos is an utterly logical response to the insanity of being an African-American, building much of the greatness of a nation that …
The great Jackie McLean was born on this day in 1931. And when I mean great I mean just a motherfucker, in the way Miles meant it. I came relatively late to McLean. There was something about his playing that put me off for a time, he was saying something I didn’t understand and say …
Everybody’s hurting. In music, jazz musicians are really hurting because for the most part they make their money with live gigs and teaching, so yeah no work (and that work is wage-based, you do the work then you get paid, we’re a long way from when Duke Ellington could keep a band on salary and …
A new box set from Mosaic Records, looks primo, and ready to ship.
On May 1, Bandcamp is once again waiving their fees, so if you buy something 100% of the money goes to the artist (they’ll also be doing this at the beginning of June and July, if you want to gird your wallet). Pi Recordings has started to issue a series called This is Now: Love …
