Jan 9, 2025 12:50 PM
Tord Gustavsen’s Beloved Norwegian Soul
ECM Records has long enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with Norwegian jazz. The tradition dates back to its early years…
“The hymns are at the core of my musical self,” says pianist Tord Gustavsen. “They are my ‘standards’ as a European ‘jazz’ musician.”
Jan 9, 2025 12:50 PM
ECM Records has long enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with Norwegian jazz. The tradition dates back to its early years…
“We as humans are adapting to machinery and technology that we created,” says Prieto, adding that the results are mixed, at best.
Dec 26, 2024 1:14 PM
Back in the prehistoric era of music, before the internet and digital age, roughly from the late 1940s to the late…
“Hope is important, and it always shows up in my music,” Mitchell said.
Dec 17, 2024 9:40 AM
Flutist Nicole Mitchell put new friends through changes for the 2024 album Bamako*Chicago Sound System (FPE), which she…
“A lot of people now see me walk with a cane, and they think it’s me being hip,” Orrin Evans said. “But it’s a combination of me being hip and needing a cane.”
Dec 12, 2024 2:00 AM
Pianist Orrin Evans wants to have a word. “I’ll be 50 in March, and I have been doing this for 30 years,” he said…
“I love doing ballads,” Mike Stern says. “It’s just a part of me, some part of emotionally how I feel sometimes.”
Dec 3, 2024 12:52 PM
Stories of major shifts and rebirths among musicians during the past five years are common, from weathering the…
Jazz journalist Michael Jackson, left, dispenses a live Blindfold Test to drum master Billy Cobham.
Nov 19, 2024 12:26 PM
Drum king Billy Cobham, who, believe it or not, turned 80 in May, ruled the roost at January’s Panama Jazz Festival.…
“I really want to provide a positive example for other women coming up in music,” says saxophonist Nubya Garcia.
Oct 29, 2024 12:35 PM
Nubya Garcia is feeling more free than ever before. Spending much of 2023 and 2024 taking a break from her previous…
“I truly do love learning the history and what came before, and that’s what I practice,” says Meg Okura, pictured here with Kevin Hays. “But that’s not necessarily what I do as a composer.”
Oct 29, 2024 12:01 PM
Japanese native Meg Okura is a New York City-based Jewish-American composer and violinist. A graduate of Juilliard with…
“Being a musician, you’ve got to wear a whole bunch of different hats,” says indie artist Curtis Taylor. “You’re doing advertising, and you’re doing flyers for your own shows.”
Oct 29, 2024 11:54 AM
Being an independent musician in 2024 frequently requires adopting a DIY approach. For trumpeter Curtis Taylor’s…
Bill Charlap with trio mates Kenny Washington, left, and Peter Washington, right.
Oct 22, 2024 9:22 AM
Hunched over a round table in the Algonquin Hotel — where, a century ago, New York’s reigning wits famously…