by Don Berryman Bassist and composer Steve Swallow has released a finely crafted new album, Winter Songs, on ECM records with a seasoned sextet that includes Chris Cheek on tenor saxophone, Mike Rodriguez on trumpet, Steve Cardenas on guitar, Gil Goldstein on piano, and Adam Nussbaum on drums. It is Steve Swallow’s first release as […]
Festival International de Jazz de Montréal (FIJM) is one of the biggest music festivals in the world, with so much music art, souvenirs, and food, that it often spills out beyond the official Festival itself. Here are two events that took place during FIJM that show just how widespread the creative influence reaches during the […]
The 2025 Montreal Jazz Festival, officially known as Festival International de Jazz de Montréal (FIJM), took place from June 26 to July 5. FIJM is one of the biggest in the world, with a huge program of legendary performers and up-and-coming musicians. Over 350 concerts were presented, and two-thirds of them were free outdoor shows […]
By Don Berryman The Phoenix Trio is a new all‐star ensemble featuring three of the most creative and accomplished jazz musicians today; tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, bassist Joe Martin, and drummer Marcus Gilmore (who is the grandson of the great Roy Haynes). This trio performing all original music was recorded by Jimmy Katz & James […]
By Don Berryman Steven Bernstein of Sexmob fame released a pair of albums – one being the seed of the other. He is known for his prowess on the slide trumpet (a.k.a. the soprano trombone) in the group Sexmob that formed in 1996 and is still going strong 30 years later. For this new project […]
As a kickoff event on May 27, the Blue Note Jazz Festival (BNJF), in cooperation with Linda Moody, Ina Dittke, James’ longtime agent, and producer Danny Kapilian, presented the James Moody 100th Birthday Celebration at Sony Hall in New York City, since 2025 would have been Moody’s centennial year. Revered saxophonist/flautist James Moody, born in […]