Nicole Johanntgen: Henry

Still only in her mid-thirties, Zurich-based German alto saxophonist/composer Nicole JohA nntgen has been performing and tirelessly exploring music for over twenty years. With half a dozen recordings as leader under her belt, JohA nntgen turns to New Orleans for inspiration on Henry. Named after her... [ read more ]

Ashley Kahn: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece

This interview was first published at All About Jazz in November 2000 and is part of our ongoing effort to archive pre-database material. Ashley Kahn, the author of Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece (Da Capo Press, 224 pgs.), is Music Editor at VH1, and was the primary editor o...

David Friesen Circle 3 Trio: Triple Exposure

For most, a triangle is the shape that readily springs to mind when analyzing, discussing, and/or conceptualizing a trio. There's no mistaking roles and positions, after all, when there are three clearly defined sides. A circle, on the other hand, offers no beginning, no middle, and no end. In many... [ read more ]

Dave Noland: Ripple

Ripple is Dave Noland's second album as a leader, a self-produced endeavor that follows the tenor saxophonist's 2007 recording for the Jazz Excursion label, Nomad. With a mix of four original tunes and three standards, Ripple showcases Noland's considerable talents as a composer, arranger, and impro... [ read more ]

Concha Buika: I Feel the Warmer Side of Life When I Sing

When Spanish singer Concha Buika sings, songs uncoil from her like smoke. Whether she sings jazz classics, Jacquel Brel, Chavella Vargas songs or her own songs, there is a warm intimacy in her husky and seductive voice that easily envelops listeners. 15 years after her debut, Mestizuo, a record with...

Allison Philips Trio: Allison Philips Trio

Straddling her residencies between New York City and Amsterdam, trumpeter Allison Philips has been performing since age fourteen, eventually landing at venues that have included Le Poisson Rouge, Iridium, and The Jazz Standard. Leading a quartet, she played the 2014 Bern Jazz Festival in Switzerland... [ read more ]

Lee Fields and The Expressions: Special Night

Pop culture often gets ahead of itself in writing off styles no longer in vogue among the younger set -even when tremendous music is still being made by the original creators.So while big band swing was considered hopelessly dated by the 1970s, Count Basie, Buddy Rich, Harry James, and Les Brown wer... [ read more ]