Yusef Lateef: R.I.P., Gentle Giant (One Year Later)
Sean MurphyWe have lost one of the great, indeed one of the greatest, ones. Yusef Lateef, aged 93 years young, was finally stopped by cancer on December 23. I say "finally"…
7 + 1 From McCoy Tyner For His 76th
McCoy Tyner turns 76 years young today. In a saner and more soulful world, Tyner would be a household name. As it is, he remains an American treasure, a remarkable…
Pete La Roca, R.I.P. (Two Years Later)
It will be an ongoing, and very somber, progression, watching so many old-school jazz musicians (many of whom recorded on the epic Blue Note label during the glory years of…
Jon Madof’s Brilliant Corners: Zion80 ‘Adramelech’
Jon Madof has been making many people—like this fan—happy for over a decade. The scope of his projects, particularly the trio he masterminds, Rashanim, has been a source of ceaseless…
Butch Warren, R.I.P. (One Year Later)
I know I sound like a broken record on these occasions but the simple fact of the matter is this: there are artists leaving our planet who can't --and in…
10 for NYC by 10, on 9/11
New York City would be unimaginable without jazz, and vice versa. Here then is a tribute for --and by-- several musicians who help define and celebrate the cultural mecca of…
In Defense of Good Sax, Part Three (The Joy of Saxless Jazz)
Starring John Zorn and Marc Ribot. So what happens when one of the most prolific and staggeringly gifted sax players (and composers) of our era, John Zorn, conducts his music…
Wayne Shorter: JuJu at 50
Fifty years ago, today, this masterpiece dropped on an unworthy world. Borrowing Coltrane's band, Wayne Shorter proved he could bring the ruckus like the best of them. This, in fact,…
Charlie Haden, R.I.P.
i. 1959 was a watershed year for jazz music (arguably the greatest single year for jazz in all history–which is saying a lot). Here’s a taste: Miles Davis Kind of…
Ornette Coleman and The First Day of the Rest of My Life
Topic: The Album You'd Give Anything To Hear Again for The First Time I still remember everything about it. Fall semester, senior year. The more I learned at college, the…