Thursday, Nov. 17
No serious jazz fan (especially in his or her native Washington) will dispute that Duke Ellington was the greatest and richest composer in the music's history. But this serious jazz fan will argue that Charles Mingus was a close second. The iconic bassist was a disciple of Ellington, one who supercharged his [...]
There is no Simon Cowell among the judges on The Sing-Off. Ben Folds is the toughest among them, but he always frames his criticisms as constructively as possible, while Sara Bareilles and Shawn Stockman are cheerleaders who give occasional gentle nudges of advice. Which means it's not always easy—particularly as the competition narrows and the [...]
Thursday, November 10
It seems that Troy Andrews' star is on the rise. At least in terms of the name he works under: Trombone Shorty. Perhaps you know him from his appearances at the DC Jazz Festival, or from his appearances on the round of late-night talk shows. Perhaps you're one of the (apparently) few people [...]
No list of today's major young jazz talents can exclude alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Zenón embarked on his journey as a jazz musician at Boston's Berklee College of Music, moved on to the Manhattan School of Music, and took the jazz world by storm. Before long he [...]
As beautifully as they performed it, Afro-Blue's take on Tom Petty's "American Girl" on last night's The Sing-Off was misguided from the start.
The group's intro video reminded us that the judges have called out the Howard group repeatedly for overcomplicating their arrangements. But from the moment they began their rock submission (for "Rock and Country [...]
Friday, November 4
The trajectory of Bill Haymon is certainly the opposite of most jazz musicians'. To wit, he started in New York—born and raised—worked his way into the jazz scene there as a flutist (and erstwhile tenor saxophonist), and eventually moved to D.C.. Ask Haymon, though, and he'll tell you that he never took his [...]
Afro-Blue heard a familiar criticism on last night's installment of The Sing-Off.
"Really ambitious arrangements," Shawn Stockman noted of their performance, a medley of three Janet Jackson hits for Superstar Week. "Sometimes you guys might overthink some parts of the arrangements, where it may not really need any of that stuff you're most known for."
Sara Bareilles [...]
Afro-Blue set the bar impossibly high during their interview segment on The Sing-Off’s Hip-Hop Week last night. They were performing what was billed as The Fugees' "Killing Me Softly," but mentioned the song's connection to Howard alum/erstwhile D.C. resident Roberta Flack. "We have to pay tribute to Roberta," members said. "Of course we hope The Fugees [...]
Thursday, October 20
Fusion! Boy, has that word been a mindfuck for 40 years of jazz. But the blending of jazz with rock—and just about everything else it encounters—has undergone a revitalization in the last decade or so, particularly in Europe. One of the performers leading the charge across the Atlantic is the trumpeter Eric Vloeimans. [...]
The Enterprise, the new jazz club and theater that's now occupying the old Professional Pharmacy at 2917 Georgia Ave. NW, held its grand opening Tuesday. The new establishment's open house ran from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; a mayoral ribbon cutting was scheduled for noon. At 7 p.m.the performances began: The Pin Points Theater company staged [...]
