Etienne Charles: Jazz always was the music of the future, never the past
Jazz trumpeter and composer Etienne Charles is yet another powerful presence in next generation class of jazz artists. The native Trinidadian has released two albums, “Culture Shock” and “Folklore”, both to critical acclaim. An alumnus of the Julliard School and the Henry Mancini Institute, he currently serves as Assistant Professor …
Jean-Paul ‘Bluey’ Maunick: Soul Music is Alive in the UK
Creating a band, in and of itself, is a task that requires skill, passion, motivation and patience. Creating the most diverse band on the planet takes genius. Jean-Paul ‘Bluey’ Maunick, front man, composer, singer and guitarist of the multi-national UK funk, soul and jazz band Incognito has displayed such genius. …
Freda Payne: Sophisticated Lady Pt. 1
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images It’s the early 1970’s, the era where Black Power was still at its high, Afros were the norm, Blaxploitation films were the top movies to see and Black actresses like Pam Grier, Tamara Dobson, Lonette McKee, Denise Nicholas, Vonetta McGee and Freda Payne were …
Pharoah Sanders: A Spiritual Journey Through Music
Jazz, the genre that has sub-genres within the culture itself. There is Swing, Bebop, Harmony, Afro-Cuban, Modern, Smooth, Cool, Avant-Garde and Free or what some call Cosmic/Mystic/World Fusion Jazz. This sound of the 1970’s includes artists such as Sun Ra, Lonnie Liston Smith, Ronnie Laws, Yusef Lateef, Alice Coltrane …
Celebrating 50 years of Music with Dionne Warwick
Luther Vandross and Dionne Warwick “Some people make things happen, some watch things happen, while others wonder what has happened”. –Author Unknown Dionne Warwick is the first. Singing since the age of six, Dionne Warwick has carved out a path that has resulted in nearly sixty charted hits since “Don’t …
Alfredo Rodriguez Makes New Sounds from All Spaces
Alfredo Rodriguez photo by Anna Webber Oil and water. These are two items that do not mix. Some would say science and spirituality don’t mix either. Well, when listening to pianist Alfredo Rodriguez’s album Sounds of Space, it’s difficult to support the idea that barriers exist being the technological and …
Terence Blanchard: The Man with the Crescent Touch
When examining the arc of one’s artistry, what must be considered above that individual’s personal aptitude of his respective skill is the fact that you are a product of your environment. Terence Blanchard is an arc type for this principle, extracting the rich spirit of his New Orleans upbringing from …