Jazz Master

The league of next generation jazz artists brings with it the conundrum of tradition versus innovation. This new class seems to favor the latter over the former, but there are a quite a few whose loyalties lie with tradition. The classic vocal sound of Cécile McLorin Salvant allows you to …

When one considers great jazz performers and pianists, names such as Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton, and Art Tatum, come to mind, and one day Wynton Marsalis’ young prodigy Aaron Diehl may be named among those greats. Born in Columbus Ohio, Diehl began his musical journey as a student and …

Too many times we don’t get the opportunity to learn a person’s story or enjoy their journey until after they have gone. But thanks to the work of renowned director, Dorsay Alavi, the world will have the opportunity to ride the notes that create the melodies of the life of …

With a resume that goes on for days, Grammy-Award winning trumpeter, film score composer, composer and arranger, Terence Blanchard is set to release his 19th album Magnetic as a co-leader/leader in May (2013) on the Blue Note Record Label. The replacement to Wynton Marsalis in the legendary jazz group “The …

Jazz vocalist, song writer and Broadway actor Gregory Porter’s voice is considered a major instrument in the art of jazz. He is a regular performer at Jazz at Lincoln Center. His debut album Water, received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Jazz Vocal and his sophomore album “Be Good” was …

Humanitarian, cultural ambassador as well as an ambassador for Bead for Life, domestic abuse advocate and activist, Grammy-Certificate winner for her collaboration with Stephen Marley on his 2007 “Mind Control”, 40 Under Forty Achievement Award winner, Hearing Our Voices Award winner, and MTV’s Made Coach and the recipient of the …

Soul music was conceived in a one-room tabernacle south of the Mason-Dixon. This moment was overseen by sweat-drenched Pentecostal souls losing themselves in the Holy Spirit. A natural birth, there was no central air in this house of God. It was a literal hell on Earth. Divine irony, I suppose. …

James Louis Johnson once said, “Jazz is restless. It won’t stay put and it never will.” Although jazz originated in the Southern United States, its infectious rhythms and notes have spread throughout the entire world, encapsulating just about every culture it touches. Born and raised in Israel, Uri Gurvich was …

Cuban born pianist and composer Aruan Ortiz expertly blends contemporary jazz with Afro-Cuban rhythms and classical music. The up and coming artist began studying music at the age of eight. Ortiz, classically trained in both the piano and the violin, has won numerous awards with both instruments. As a violinist, …

This is a jazz trio of leaders. For twelve years The Bad Plus has been consistently doing what they enjoy and love; making music. It is their unconventional style that has brought them incredible recognition in the jazz world and allowed them to connect to a vast audience. Dave King …

Rudresh Mahanthappa photo by Jimmy Katz The sound of a culture goes far beyond geographical boundaries. It resonates within the very DNA of its people. Saxophonist and composer Rudresh Mahanthappa, a second generation Indian-American, skillfully harmonizes classical Southern Indian sounds of his heritage, with soulful modern sounds of American jazz, …

Jazz musicians spend the majority if their careers just traveling from gig to gig. Master Trumpeter Roy Hargrove breaks down in this interview with iRock Jazz the demands of traveling, the sacrifices that musicians make, and the real reasons musicians get paid.