The Thelonious Monk Society For American Arts presents Reflections of Monk: Inspired Images of Music and Moods; an extensive multi-media exhibition, which features the work of forty-five nationally and internationally renowned artists including Romare Bearden, James Denmark, Paul Goodnight, Betty Blayton, Ann Tanksley, Verna Hart, and Chuck Stewart. The exhibit, which honors … [Read more...]
Jazz Gallery Director Rio Sakairi Produces Benefit Album For Disaster Close to ‘Home’
It is with great honor that I wrote the biography for this project. Please take a moment to read about it and support. We can make a difference.-- Angelika*** "Call me romantic, but I believe in the power of music and its ability to heal and uplift," proclaims Rio Sakairi, Director of Programming at The Jazz Gallery, an internationally recognized breeding ground for … [Read more...]
Marcus Miller: Suspending the Rules
As Marcus Miller catches me up on a major project he’d been working on over the last couple years, he stops mid-sentence to give me some background, humbly explaining, “I had produced an album called Tutu for Miles Davis.”No big whoop, right?When you talk to the bassist, composer, producer, arranger, and film scorer, his down-to-earth and disarming demeanor is center … [Read more...]
Orrin Evans Releases ‘Flip the Script’
At an impressive nineteen albums in, pianist Orrin Evans sets out to do exactly as the title of his latest suggests. Flip The Script (Posi-Tone), out this month, refers not only to a last-minute repertoire overhaul just before the recording date, but the turning of a new leaf in his career and personal life.One of the boldest voices in the BAM (Black American Music) … [Read more...]
The Modern Standard: What Is It?
Inspired by spring’s indecisiveness a couple weeks ago, I decided not to brave the wind and rain this particular day, but to do some season-inspired cleaning instead. Thumbing through my music library, I settled on some classic Blue Note repertoire to help me through my chores: Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers’ Three Blind Mice, to be specific. As the gorgeous and fittingly … [Read more...]