Jan 24, 2023 11:48 AM
Remembering Jeff Beck
One of an iconic triumvirate of ’60s rock guitar gods, along with Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck set the…
As part of the annual jazzahead! Festival and trade show—which hosts scores of musicians, producers, label and media representatives, distributors, as well as festival bookers and club promoters—The European Jazz Meeting is planned for April 26 at Kulturzentrum Schlachthof in Bremen, Germany. The showcase is set to host 16 acts from France, Portugal, Iceland, Germany and Italy, among others.
Uli Beckerhoff, a jazzahead! artistic director, singled out France-based Naïssam Jalal from among the field, saying she’s a performer “whose beguiling voice and improvisations on various flutes with a wonderfully varied range of timbres carry us off into distant worlds.” He went on to praise The Makiko Hirayabashi Trio, which includes percussionist/drummer Marylin Mazur and bassist Klaus Hovman in addition to the troupe’s namesake, Copenhagen-based pianist, who Beckerhoff said has “a very personal, dynamic and truly poetic way of expressing herself.”
Recently, festival organizers have worked to include representation from a wider range of European nations. And for the 2019 installment, Bulgaria will host a stand at the trade show. But Sybille Kornitschky, jazzahead! project manager, still sees more work to be done.
“At the present time, we are also concentrating more on Southern Europe, which is clearly under-represented in terms of its national scenes,” she said in a press release, while also noting that Greece, Portugal and Turkey don’t yet have representation at the trade fair.
“We would definitely like to change that,” Kornitschky concluded. DB
“In the pantheons of guitar players, Jeff was the chosen one,” said Steve Vai of the late Jeff Beck.
Jan 24, 2023 11:48 AM
One of an iconic triumvirate of ’60s rock guitar gods, along with Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck set the…
Dec 13, 2022 3:52 PM
Need some additional gift ideas for the jazz fan on your shopping list? Check out DownBeat’s Best Albums of 2022.
Author Richard Koloda spent two decades researching this addition to the legend of free-jazz saxophonist Albert Ayler.
Dec 13, 2022 12:15 PM
When considering what to buy those who are impossible to buy for (guilty, as charged), loved ones can’t go wrong with…
Gretchen Valade
Jan 3, 2023 12:45 PM
EDITOR’S NOTE: As this edition of the DownBeat Enewsletter was about to go out, we learned of the passing of jazz…
“Often, the vibraphone can create this abstract, mellow mood,” says Marsalis, shown here with journalist Michael Jackson.
Jan 17, 2023 2:15 PM
Drummer/vibraphonist Jason Marsalis, in town with the New Orleans Groovemasters, took time for a listening session and…