As Nextbop prides itself on presenting jazz of the present moment and the future, at first glance it may appear unusual for the site to review music recorded over sixty years ago. However, when provided with their proper historical contexts, the two previously unreleased live performances captured on Louis Armstrong Live in Europe, one from Nice, France on February 23, 1948 and … [Read more...]
Watch the Video for ChimyTina’s Cover of Wham!’s “Last Christmas”
ChimyTina, the duo of vocalist Martina DaSilva, leader of the jazz vocal harmony group The Ladybugs, and bassist Dan “Chimy” Chmielinski (Wynton Marsalis, Marc Cary, Brad Mehldau, and Joey Alexander) began collaborating in 2014 for what has now become a semi-regular video series featuring bass-vocal renditions of classic standards such as “The Best Things In Life Are Free”, … [Read more...]
Harish Raghavan on ‘Calls for Action’, his Creative Process, and his Advice for Young Musicians
Bassist Harish Raghavan has had a prolific career playing sideman to some of the biggest names in modern jazz music. Yet it took him over ten years since establishing himself in NYC to record under his own moniker. His debut album Calls for Action (which you can stream below), out now via Whirlwind Recordings, is a profound accomplishment, both refined and thought-provoking, … [Read more...]
Dan Weiss on ‘Utica Box’, his Career, and Music in General
Drummer and percussionist Dan Weiss released Utica Box last month on Sunnyside Records (read our review here) featuring Jacob Sacks on piano, and Thomas Morgan and Eivind Opsvik on bass. We caught up with Weiss to discuss the album, his career, musicians he admires, and what he's listening to these days. Read the interview below.Can you tell us more about your new album, … [Read more...]
Ben Williams’ ‘I AM A MAN’ Album Reviewed
On February 1, 1968, a malfunctioning garbage truck fatally crushed two black Memphis sanitation workers - Echol Cole and Robert Walker. Their passing was in many ways directly the fault of Henry Loeb, the city’s white supremacist mayor. Loeb previously served as the Memphis’ Public Works Commissioner, a role in which he undertook several steps to impose unduly harsh conditions … [Read more...]