Apr 2, 2024 12:59 PM
Saxophonist, Sonic Explorer Casey Benjamin Dies at 45
Casey Benjamin, the alto saxophonist, vocalist, keyboardist and producer who stamped his distinctive sounds on the…
Legendary guitarist Les Paul celebrates his 90th birthday with an upcoming album, Les Paul & Friends featuring a slate of guitar talents who learned a thing or two from the master artist. Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Steve Miller, Keith Richards and Kenny Wayne Shepherd are among the artists who show up on the nonagenarian’s first album in 26 years.
Paul, who still plays a weekly gig at New York’s Iridium Jazz Club, doesn’t possess the nimble fingers of his heyday, he is battling arthritis, so on the album he lets the younger guns take on the lead and solo parts, while providing some signature riffs, trill and staccato exclamations to the arrangements during post production.
Paul’s birthday is marked with other releases as well in the form of music, text and hardware. Capitol Records reissued Les Paul With Mary Ford: The Best Of The Capitol Masters on June 7. Hal Leonard Publishing is set to release The Les Paul Legacy in October, and Russ Cochran Publishing released Les Paul In His Own Words, a limited-edition autobiography by the guitar innovator. Gibson Guitars, which distributes the famous Les Paul guitar line will release 12 special edition guitars, one for each month of the year, to commemorate Paul’s 90th.
Apr 2, 2024 12:59 PM
Casey Benjamin, the alto saxophonist, vocalist, keyboardist and producer who stamped his distinctive sounds on the…
Feb 27, 2024 1:40 PM
“I might not have felt this way 30 to 40 years ago, but I’ve reached a point where I can hear value in what people…
Apr 5, 2024 10:28 AM
Albert “Tootie” Heath, a drummer of impeccable taste and time who was the youngest of three jazz-legend brothers…
Mar 12, 2024 11:42 AM
“There are a few musicians you hear where, as somebody once said, the molecules in the room change. Geri was one of…
Apr 9, 2024 11:30 AM
Big Ears, the annual four-day music celebration that first took place in 2009 in Knoxville, Tennessee, could well be…