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In the beginning there was jazz. A deviation from the conservative pathway of European musical tropes, jazz was America’s original counterculture. Largely defined by the ingenuity of its artist, it found structure in a lack thereof, improvisation its blueprint. With such an inherent flexibility, jazz engaged many a strange bedfellow, …

Joe Locke is an award-winning vibraphone player who has played with a Who’s Who of jazz legends both past and contemporary, including Dizzy Gillespie, Pepper Adams, Mongo Santamaria, Grover Washington Jr., Dianne Reeves, Ron Carter, Randy Brecker, and many more. His varied tastes have also led him to sessions or …

Omari Hardwick has made a name for himself in the entertainment industry with his passion, dedication, and undeniable, natural talent.  Hardwick’s film credits include Lionsgate’s KICK-ASS alongside Nicolas Cage, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Buena Vista Pictures’ THE GUARDIAN opposite Kevin Kostner and Ashton Kutcher, MGM’s BEAUTY SHOP alongside Queen Latifah, and Sony Pictures Entertainment’s GRIDIRON GANG opposite Dwayne …

Authors Gerald McCauley and Benjamin Bove to talk about their new book and accompanying Blu-ray documentary Down the Rhodes: The Fender Rhodes Story is the first and only book documenting how the Rhodes changed the sound of music and was part of the greatest hits and most influential music ever recorded. …

Ellene Masri, songwriter and performer, has just release her debut self-produced album, “MUSIC”, a mixture of various cultural influences inspired by her mixed roots, her travels around the world and her many musical encounters under her own label “Music talk”, November 1st. She has already been previewed in the UK …

Jaleel Shaw, alto saxophonist grew up in Philadelphia, PA, where he studied with saxophone instructors Rayburn Wright and Robert Landham. He also studied with jazz instructor Lovette Hines, whose students have included Bassist Christian McBride, Organist Joey Defrancesco, Drummers Johnathan Blake & Ari Hoenig, Vocalist Bilal, Trumpeter Daud El-Bakara, and …

Ashley Khan is a journalist, music historian, producer, and adjunct professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. In addition to contributions to the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Down Beat, Jazz Times, and Mojo, Khan has authored Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece …

Lee England, Jr. never imagined an introduction to string instruments as a child would foreshadow his future as a nationally-recognized instrumentalist. At six years old, he was immediately drawn to the violin and rushed home to tell his parents he wanted one. Although it gained his interest, the classically trained violinist …

It’s easy to take Alice Russell for granted. I realized that about halfway through her recent set at Yoshi’s in San Francisco, California. It was around this time that while fully engaged, I was growing comfortable within this auditory space. I was enjoying myself, of course, but my mind was …

Wallace Roney is a Philadelphia born trumpeter who is an in demand player who has had lots of ups and downs in his career. Although showing promise early on, his professional career didn’t really take off until he was almost 30-years old. Miles Davis has always been Wallace Roney’s most …

Leon, a multi-talented performer, continues to please his abundant and loyal fans while swaying newcomers with his memorable performances as an actor. Leon continues this trend in 2013 with several new movies. Leon stars in Troy Byer’s romantic comedy “Ex-Free” the drama “Soul Ties”, based on the book by Tee …

Contemporary jazz keyboard player Alex Bugnon, nephew of trumpeter Donald Byrd, grew up going to the Montreux Jazz Festival in his hometown in Switzerland. He attended the Paris Conservatory of Music for two years, then moved to the U.S. and went to the Berklee School of Music, meanwhile performing as …