jazz Archive

For more than two decades now, The New Mastersounds have been creating and refining their winning brand of fusion/funk/what-have-you. Right out of the gate, the result of their creative endeavors was impressive indeed. Their debut long-player, Keb Darge Presents The New Mastersounds (re-released on vinyl in 2021 and reviewed here) was a solid offering, but

Pianist Michael “Dodo” Marmarosa was a bebop musician whose most celebrated period was the 1940s to ‘60s (he passed away on 2002). In his early years, he played with a number of the highest-profile bands including those led by Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw and Gene Krupa. Later he worked extensively as a sideman, and occasionally

While it is unlikely ever again to have a fan base on par with its 1950s-’60s heyday, hard bop jazz remains very much alive. And even with all manner of recording technology advancements, the way to hear hard bop is live and in person. There’s a thrilling interactivity that comes with experiencing the music as

A visceral, moving and thought-provoking project, Freedom First is unlike most anything else you’re likely to hear in 2022. Against a varied backdrop of jazz improvisation (and sometimes more structured compositions, poet/ writer/spoken word artist Keith Lamar offers his ruminations on an array of weighty subjects. In that sense, the album is a musical cousin

Asheville’s own second line outfit Empire Strikes Brass celebrates their tenth anniversary In May 2012 Pauly Juhl was approach by a friend who wanted a New Orleans-style second line jazz band to play at a wedding rehearsal. A veteran of Dixieland jazz since his high school days, Juhl says that he “jumped to the opportunity.”