Nouveau Jazz Showcase

October 14, 2019. Jazz vocalist Sara Gazarek had made five critically acclaimed albums, mostly straight-ahead, light and breezy repertoire that left everyone feeling good. Everyone except Gazarek. The vocalist and composer in her mid 30s was navigating some darker moments, and performing the old stuff didn’t feel authentic anymore.

October 7, 2019. In every jazz fan, there’s a little buffalo soldier; in Monty Alexander, there’s more than just a little. That’s why the Kingston, Jamaica born-and-raised jazz pianist has married the two sides of his musical soul on his latest album Wareika Hill, a reimagining of Thelonious Monk tunes through the lens of the music we most associate with Jamaica: Reggae.

September 30, 2019. Confessions may be her debut album for Mack Avenue Records, but vocalist Veronica Swift, who is 25 years old, has been doing this jazz thing for a while. Swift had a relatively normal childhood for someone who recorded her first album with saxophonist Richie Cole at age nine and made her first appearance at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola at 11.

September 23, 2019. Imagine Sting playing just one more sold-out gig with Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers as The Police. Or maybe Alexander Hamilton and George Washington getting together to teach the new country they built how to say goodbye, just "one last time."

There’s something about listening to John Coltrane’s “Cousin Mary” that feels like home. No doubt that’s how Coltrane felt about his real-life Cousin Mary (the composition’s inspiration) and the home he shared with her near 33rd and Oxford during his brief but formative residency in Philadelphia.

September 9, 2019. Two things jump out when you look at the cover of Antidote, Chick Corea’s new album: 1) The NEA Jazz Master is very comfortable striking a flamenco pose. 2) For a guy who's 77 (but, really, for any age), the man’s got a terrific head of hair.

Philadelphia-based percussionist, composer and educator Arturo Stable is originally from Santiago de Cuba.  He's performed with an impressive roster of artist including Paquito D'Rivera, Esperanza Spalding, Yosvany Terry, Elio Villafranca, Christian McBride and Gonazlo Rubalacaba.  Arturo can also be heard on Terri Lyne Carrington's 2013, Grammy winning recording Money Jungle.

September 2, 2019. It’s very easy for friends to become chosen family in the City of Brotherly Love. Terell Stafford, Dick Oatts, Bruce Barth, Tim Warfield, David Wong and Byron Landham created Family Feeling not only because of jazz scene ties, but by the camaraderie that comes from being part of the Temple University family.

August 26, 2019. Saxophonist Dave Wilson may be the coolest thing to come out of Lancaster since Dutch Wonderland—and Dutch Wonderland is pretty cool. For family fun, you can’t beat the log flume. But if the aim is to recreate a sophisticated evening of live jazz in the comfort of your own home, you really can’t beat One Night at Chris’, the fifth recording from The Dave Wilson Quartet.