American Idol’s unintended effect on the public is felt at nearly every performance, according to up-and-coming Los Angeles-based singer Jules Day. “There are at least a few people at every gig that insist on trying to mold me into an American Idol-type singer with their after-the-show suggestions.  They feel they’ve been given the green light
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Interview by John Stevenson Robert McIlhiney James, a.k.a Bob James, continues to spearhead the smooth jazz genre. Born on Christmas Day, 1939, this jazz fusion dean, keyboardist, producer and arranger is also presently known as co-leader of the group Fourplay. Their new CD, Let’s Touch the Sky, seals in those magical ingredients that have characterised
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By John Stevenson On Be It As I See It, drummer Gerald Cleaver casts his creative gaze on a seminal moment in 20th century African-American history: The Great Migration from the agrarian South to the industrial, frigid North. Released on the FSNT label, the recording showcases Cleaver’s captivating aggregation, Uncle June. The CD is dedicated
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By John Stevenson Reggae superstar Bob Marley spoke of a “natural mystic blowing through the air” on one of his many hit songs. Hristo Vitchev, the Bulgarian-born jazz wunderkind, also conveys a strong sense of the mystical and listeners get a fair taste of this aspect of things on his potent debut offering “Song For
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By John Stevenson You could call it a case of Shakespeare’s bout with the blues. That’s one way of describing Duke Ellington’s 1957 masterpiece, “Such Sweet Thunder”, written in response to a commission from the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario, Canada. According to noted jazz commentator A. B. Spelman, the Duke’s tribute to the plays
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Interview by John Stevenson The word maverick is bandied about quite liberally when describing the talents of the young London-based, Cameroon-born singer-guitarist-composer, Muntu Valdo. This spring, he released “The One & The Many” on the Warner Jazz label to critical acclaim – a truly inventive CD that combines his ethnic Sawa roots, with attractive vocals,
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Bill King: From musician to managing a club. How has your world changed? Jeff Healey: It’s a learning experience and will continue to be. I could sit here for a couple hours and go over things I’ve learned in the last eight months. It certainly has made me appreciate a lot more from the musician’s
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Interview by John Stevenson Finding a CD featuring jazzy interpretations of King Crimson’s ‘Matte Kudasai’, Joe Jackson’s “Stepping Out”, and Stevie Wonder’s “Golden Lady”, among others, should not, on the face of it, be too much to ask for. However, with the recording industry obsessed with labelling and pigeon-holes, demographics and focus groups, such a
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David Murray’s recorded output has included solo dates, sessions with quartets, quintets, octets, big bands and duos, for numerous European labels (notably Italy’s Black Saint), as well as for Japan’s DIW label. In addition, he has recorded with Music Revelation Ensemble, Clarinet Summit, and Jack DeJohnette’s Special Addition (ECM). Murray is also a founding member, with Hamiet Bluiett, Oliver Lake and Julius Hemphill, of the World Saxophone Quartet, an ensemble with whom he continues to record and perform.

David Murray’s recorded output has included solo dates, sessions with quartets, quintets, octets, big bands and duos, for numerous European labels (notably Italy’s Black Saint), as well as for Japan’s DIW label. In addition, he has recorded with Music Revelation Ensemble, Clarinet Summit, and Jack DeJohnette’s Special Addition (ECM). Murray is also a founding member, with Hamiet Bluiett, Oliver Lake and Julius Hemphill, of the World Saxophone Quartet, an ensemble with whom he continues to record and perform.