Ramsey Lewis: A Life with the In Crowd
Ramsey Lewis has enjoyed an incredible career of more than 50 years in jazz. From his early days, he has maintained strong ties with the people and culture of Chicago. In this recent exclusive interview with iRock Jazz, Ramsey Lewis looks back on his early days as a musician and …
Vanessa Rubin: Sheer Wisdom and a Depth of Experience
Vanessa Rubin is a jazz vocalist, composer, producer, and actress who has graced the jazz scene since the early 80s. She has worked with Etta Jones, Frank Foster, Lewis Nash, Patience Higgins, Kenny Burrell, Grover Washington Jr, and Steve Turre to name a few. Rubin studied under Barry Harris at …
Roy Haynes: Still Keeping Time
Eighty years after picking up the drumsticks, Roy Haynes has inspired and influenced generations of musicians. Keeping with his credo, “now is the time,” Haynes has stayed current and innovative across decades in an ever changing art form. During his illustrious career as a jazz drummer and bandleader, he is …
Chaka Khan: Achieving Musical Immortality
In a career that includes ten Grammy-Awards, multiple platinum albums, and an influence immeasurable in scope, all I can think about is “Be Bop Medley.” It seems strange, I know. Here we are celebrating four decades of Chaka Khan and for whatever reason my mind is fixated on this solitary …