Nona Hendryx…An Undying Voice in the Music Pt. I
Nona Hendryx…best known for her days with LaBelle and the Bluebelles and eventually with LaBelle has continued on her diverse journey in music and the arts. Her solo career yielded a Grammy Nomination for her album “The Heat,” which was released in 1985. Her biggest commercial success came in …
A Journey into Jazz with Helen Sung – Part II
“To me, jazz is still taught from the master to the apprentice. It’s not just communicating technical information or knowing theory or knowing which scales to play on which chords. To me, jazz encompasses life, too. It’s a world view. It’s an attitude.” – Helen Sung Women of jazz …
A Journey into Jazz with Helen Sung – Part I
“I don’t consider myself to be the bravest person….I went through some pretty embarrassing moments, falling on my face and making mistakes. But there’s something about the music. Like I said before, it’s so alive.” – Helen Sung Helen Sung is a pianistic virtuoso whose musical beginnings have allowed …
The Passion of Terri Lyne Carrington
“Keep supporting Jazz. Its a great art form that should never be forgotten.” These are a few words from Terri, letting us know how much her passion is for Jazz; it still rises in her. Terri Lynne Carrington, a 2011 Grammy award winner for her CD, The Mosaic Project, has …
Jimmy and Albert “Tootie” Heath—a jazz perspective over six decades in the making Pt. II
IRJ: You all are in Chicago now. What brings you two to Chicago? JIMMY: We’re playing now at a place called the Jazz Showcase. We’re the Heath Brothers Quartet. My older brother passed away and I’m in the middle. I’m older than Tootie. We’ve been here for four days. We …
Jimmy and Albert “Tootie” Heath—a jazz perspective over six decades in the making Pt. I
Heath Brothers On a recent Sunday morning, the iRock Jazz team caught up with two members of the legendary Heath Brothers, Jimmy and Albert “Tootie” Heath. Over a span of six decades or more, the brothers have collectively performed with a “Who’s Who” among world-renown jazz performers. The list …
Kris Bowers: Success within Range
Musicians are often lauded for their ability to display a certain level of technical range, which translates into the total amount of notes a specific instrument can produce. Others equate range as the capacity to exhibit vast dexterity, enter into varying terrains of styles and reach both niche and …
Sonny Rollins: In Search of the Man in the Music
“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” –Victor Hugo Saxophonist, bandleader and composer Theodore Walter “Sonny” Rollins was born on September 7, 1930, and grew up in Harlem, New York in a community that was known also as Sugar Hill, …
Paul Carrick Brunson: Matchmaker or Love Coach?
Whether you call him “Matchmaker” or “Love Coach,” “he’s blowing up big time” on OWN TV and on tour in a city near you “Paul is much more than a matchmaker, he’s a life coach.” -Oprah Winfrey “Every experience that is ever had is a culmination of our current …
A Gradual Change of the Guard: Ben Williams at the Detroit Jazz Festival
“You have to deal with your art. If you can go to bed at night and be happy with what you are doing, you’re on the right track.” – Ben Williams When the opportunity to play with a jazz legend was given to Ben Williams, he didn’t hesitate. The …
Sonny Rollins: A Conversation with a Legend
Jazz will always be here and depending on the people we have coming up, jazz will always be something that other music will come to get their inspiration from. – Sonny Rollins There are few people that can call the likes of John Coltrane and Miles Davis their immediate peers. …
Rockin’ with Kahil El’Zabar
Kahil El’Zabar has been playing music nearly all of his life. One could say that he was a musical prodigy who learned from music’s best in class. As a teenager, he was a professional jazz musician touring the world. Today, he continues performing around the world to audiences that …