Dan Ouellette

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Dan Ouellette's news entries:

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    On Shadow, Wright has taken the words of vocalist Nina Simone to heart — that an artist must reflect her times.

    Lizz Wright: The Artist as Gardener

    Twenty years ago, Lizz Wright emerged as an astounding new voice in music with her superb 2003 debut, Salt, spiced with…

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    “I do march to the beat of my own drum,” says Ross Pederson, and that drum has led him to release Identity on his own label.

    Ross Pederson & Individualism

    With a propensity for chasing a rainbow of stylistic colors, Ross Pederson has embarked on a quest to speak as many…

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    ​“They were so in tune with each other, every note just works,” O’Connell said of Bill Evans and Jim Hall’s duo take on “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You.”

    Blindfold Test: Bill O’Connell

    In his first Blindfold Test, pianist and composer Bill O’Connell worried a bit about guessing artists correctly but…

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    “The idea of joy was really important,” says Souza in the wake of the pandemic and the toppling of Brazil’s authoritarian regime.

    Luciana Souza: Chasing Comets

    Just when it feels like the darkened clouds are bearing down with ominous portends, when it feels that the music has…

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    The blues compilation Tell Everybody! (21st Century Juke Joint Blues) was produced by Dan Auerbach, guitarist for The Black Keys.

    Dan Auerbach Tells Everybody!

    The viable flow of the blues continues to cultivate. Elemental and rooted, it has percolated through the American…

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    Claes Brondal (left) with Joe Lovano at the Hamptons Jazz Fest.

    Jazz Swings the Hamptons

    Eighty miles east of the world’s jazz capital, the tony South Fork Long Island enclave of the Hamptons has long been…

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    “It’s fun to put different people together to play my music,” Halvorson says. “They all take it seriously.”

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    ​“When things go right, it’s like dipping your hands into a nice sink of water,” Towner says of “Empty Stage,” from his new album, At First Light.

    Ralph Towner Achieves a Milestone

    After more than 30 years of living as an expatriate in Italy, the amiable Ralph Towner is sitting comfortably at his…

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    “I wanted Kurt [Rosenwinkel] to kill it and he did,” saxophonist Jim Snidero says of the title track from Far Far Away.

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    “Many artists have taken a shot at bossa nova, but Quietude is different. It is authentic,” Elias said of her new album.

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    Gifts is Acuña’s latest album — and his first in 17 years as a leader.

    Alex Acuña Offers His Gift

    When Alex Acuña bought his home 37 years ago in the Lake Balboa neighborhood of Los Angeles County, the Peruvian-born…

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    An all-star jam during the Blue Note at Sea Cruise.

    Return of the Jazz Cruises

    The pandemic not only shut down clubs, concert halls and festivals, but tours ground to a halt and the urge to travel…

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    “This is right up my alley,” Marc Johnson said of a Gary Peacock cut.

    Blindfold Test: Marc Johnson

    Bassist Marc Johnson says, “Rhythmically, a bassist has to perform very secure and confident phrases to really…

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    ​Benevento calls the outcome of his deep walk through polyrhythmic grooves, electrifying self-jams, West Africa-derived dance music, songs based on poetry and short lyrical ditties his “small batch psychedelia.”

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    Dee Dee Bridgewater (right) with the five finalists for the American Pianists Association’s next Cole Porter Fellowship.

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    “Don Cherry had his own original thing going on ... and you can’t duplicate it,” Randy Brecker says.

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    “Where else could this happen than New York?” Joe Farnsworth says about his favorite city.

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    “It’s all about community,” Todd Stoll says of J@LC’s jazz outreach.

    JALC’s Big Jazz Ed Outreach

    Having joined the Jazz at Lincoln Center education program 10 years ago, Todd Stoll has overseen the organization’s…

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    ​In Harmony is culled from live 2016 and 2017 duo performances by modern-day legends Roy Hargrove and Mulgrew Miller.

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    James Francies is among the 25 artists DownBeat thinks will help shape jazz in the decades to come.

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    Jimmy Heath, who was a 2003 NEA Jazz Masters fellowship recipient, is now a member of the DownBeat Hall of Fame.

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    The Vagabond merges Aaron Diehl’s jazz background with his increasing interest in the classical world, in part stemming from his work with composer Philip Glass.

    Aaron Diehl Melds Worlds Of Music

    In late January, Aaron Diehl elegantly delivered an intimate solo-piano show in front of a packed house at Mezzrow in…

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    Saxophonists Angela Morris (left) and Anna Webber engage “a form that comes with a lot of baggage” in the Webber/Morris Big Band.

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    Saxophonist Eric Alexander regards his playing as “well-spoken, with melody at the center.”

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    Nick Grondin’s new album is titled A View Of Earth.

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    John Scofield performs during a Beatles tribute at Umbria Jazz Winter in Italy.

    Umbria Goes Pop

    In contrast to the summer edition of the Umbria Jazz Festival, Umbria Jazz Winter in Orvieto, Italy, usually drives…

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    Co-artistic Director Derrick Hodge performed multiple sets with various ensembles during the 62nd Monterey Jazz Festival, which ran Sept. 27-29 in Monterey, California.

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    Miles Davis in 1986, around the time he recorded the album Rubberband

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    Pianist Abdullah Ibrahim is making plans for the future and looks forward to recording with a pair of orchestras.

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    Norah Jones is among the artists who pay tribute to Joni Mitchell on a new album and DVD.

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    Reed player Shabaka Hutchings performs with Sons of Kemet.

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    Terence Blanchard performs with his E-Collective ensemble during the Umbria Jazz Festival, which ran July 11–21 in Perugia, Italy.

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    ​Stephanie Chou performs March 29 at Joe’s Pub in New York.

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    Vocalist Anna-Maria Hefele of Supersonus performs at the 25th edition of the INNtöne Jazz Festival in Austria.

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    Ravi Coltrane (left), Drew Gress, Ralph Alessi and Mark Ferber perform Jan. 11 at Le Poisson Rouge in New York.

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    Among his numerous projects, Noah Preminger has written and recorded music based on the films of a distant relative, director Otto Preminger.

    Noah Preminger in Perpetual Motion

    Concept albums help an artist establish an identity. They’re more than a mere exercise in composing songs as vehicles…

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    Gary Burton says his artistic pursuits were based on intuition.

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    Pianist Ethan Iverson collaborates with saxophonist Mark Turner on Temporary Kings.

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    Richmond, Virginia’s No BS! Brass Band performs at the Monterey Jazz Festival.

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    The first recording of Brian Krock’s Big Heart Machine includes performances by an 18-piece band, as well as contributions by producer Darcy James Argue and conductor Miho Hazama.

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    Bongwool Lee grew up playing classical music before switching to jazz.

    Bongwool Lee’s Jazz Epiphany

    Call it a revelatory jazz moment. As a classical music prodigy in Seoul, South Korea, pianist Bongwool Lee was…

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    Singer Kurt Elling, seen here performing at the 2018 North Sea Jazz Festival, also participated in a DownBeat Blindfold Test during the fest.

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    Vijay Iyer (left) discusses a track with journalist Dan Ouellette during a DownBeat Blindfold Test at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

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    Jazzmeia Horn (left) discusses a track with journalist Dan Ouellette during a DownBeat Blindfold Test at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

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    Erroll Garner performs with his trio in Amsterdam in 1964.

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    Each of Shabaka Hutchings’ ensembles showcases a different musical sensibility of the bandleader.

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    Donny McCaslin’s second album for Motéma will be released later this year.

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    Dave Douglas in the studio with members of The Westerlies.

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    José Antonio Diaz (left) leads a workshop at the Diaz Music Institute in Houston, Texas.

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    John Abercrombie (1944–2017)

    Remembering John Abercrombie

    As a tribute to guitarist John Abercrombie, who died Aug. 22, DownBeat has posted the following feature, “The Moment…

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    Pedrito Martinez (left) and Angélique Kidjo perform during the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, Italy, on July 12.

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    John Beasley (center) is the leader of MONK’estra. The group performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival on July 7.

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    Mary Halvorson will make her leader debut at the Village Vanguard in New York City July 18–23.

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    Tigran Hamasyan performed at SubCultre in NYC on March 10. At points throughout his show, the pianist layered wordless vocals that sounded other-worldly in pitch.

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    Chick Corea, seen here performing at the Blue Note in New York on Oct. 27 as part of his 75th birthday residency.

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    Arturo O’Farrill performs at the North Sea Jazz Festival.

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    Ondrej Pivec (left) and Grégoire Maret perform at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, on July 10.


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Dan Ouellette's archives entries:

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    At 25 years old, bassist Esperanza Spalding wasn’t overly concerned with marketability.

    Esperanza Spalding: In Full Orbit

    Esperanza Spalding buoys with moxie-plus, high-octane ebullience, spirited determination and respectful humility in the…

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    John Abercrombie (1944–2017)

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    Bobby Hutcherson (1941–2016) performs at Jazz at Lincoln Center in 2008.