Feature Interviews
Jonathon Long Writes With Character And Meaning On ‘Parables Of A Southern Man’
The Baton Rouge-born Jonathon Long was a child prodigy who was playing guitar by age six and started performing at blues jams in the Baton Rouge club Swamp Mama’s when he was ten years old, alongside local legends Kenny Neal, Rudy Richard and Lil Ray Neal. Known as Jonathon “Boogie” [...]
‘Daddy’s Country Gold’: Melissa Carper on her new record, Nashville’s love affair with jazz and being gay in traditional country music
Leaving behind a landscape of shuttered venues, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Melissa Carper and her partner/bandmate Rebecca Patek, both of Sad Daddy and Buffalo Gals, fled Nashville in September of 2020 for more modest digs on a vegetable farm in Texas. There, the pair of sometimes-Arkansans have weathered the last several [...]
Chicago’s Queen of Guitar Joanna Connor: ‘I Never Let Anyone Stop Me From Playing and Doing it the Way I Envisioned’
Joanna Connor is s a mother, a lover, a singer, a guitarist, a songwriter, an actress, and a badass blueswoman who can’t be subdued. In the words of the songstress herself, she loves how she wants, thinks and feels how she wants, and she also plays her guitar with a [...]
An Interview with Dave Koz on His Latest Project “A New Day”
In a recording career that spans nearly three decades, saxophonist Dave Koz has racked up an astoundingly impressive array of honors and achievements: nine GRAMMY® nominations, 11 No. 1 albums on Billboard’s Current Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, numerous world tours, 13 sold-out Dave Koz & [...]
Dennis Van Aarssen – The Newest Addition to the Iconic Crooners’ List
After hearing Robbie Williams’ album Swing "When You’re Winning" as a young boy, Dennis Van Aarssen fell in love with Swing and Jazz-music. Dennis, born in The Netherlands, started piano lessons at five and then moved on to singing lessons. He decided to participate in various talent programs on TV. In addition, [...]
The Endless Ability and Talent of Heather Pierson
We here at JazzMonthly.com would like to thank Dave Wilkes(www.davewilkes.com), an icon in the music business for introducing us to Heather Pierson. Heather Pierson is a rare artist that has essentially mastered all Genres of Music. From beautifully improvised Musical Meditations on piano, to being #1 on the Folk radio charts. Exciting live Jazz performances one [...]
Rich Baron – Creating Memorable Melodies
Rich Baron excels at creating memorable melodies that satisfy the most sophisticated music fan as well as the casual listener. His recordings embody his ongoing search for new ways to express himself through his eclectic songwriting and incredible vocal range. Listeners will immediately understand where he’s coming from as [...]
Impressing Musicians & Fans Every Time He steps Out on the Stage, Alex Bird Talks about His New Release “The Way She Moves”
It is my pleasure to welcome to JazzMonthly.com an incredible singer, songwriter, performer and actor. With his trademark look, he is impressing musicians and fans alike every time he steps out on the stage. Alex has just released his debut single titled "The Way She Moves" and is currently working on his soon to be [...]
Jo Harman’s “People We Become,” a testimony to her International Appeal
Raised in Southwest England, Harman found success on her own terms with her debut, Dirt On My Tongue. The album was released independently in 2013 and supported by a touring schedule that found Harman sharing the stage with icons like Patti Smith, Joan Baez and Sinead O’Connor. Wildly successful for [...]
GIDEON KING – A Mélange of Rock, Jazz & Pop
In 2015, Gideon King & City Blog(GKCB) released a full length CD, City Blog. The music was met with wide critical acclaim, with the Huffington Post calling King a "musical genius." Having worked for years in establishing a reputation as a rising force in the New York Jazz scene, King [...]
Interview: Grace Brancale, Emerging Global Artist
With singles featured on local and global smooth jazz radio stations, Grace Brancale has grown her audience across 216 countries. Considering that her first release was just in August 2017, and almost 20 releases since, many across the US and around the world have reached out to her to let her [...]
MICHAEL LINGTON – Silver Lining
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" MICHAEL LINGTON -Silver Lining- Michael Lington grew up in Copenhagen and decided to move to America and pursue a music career. Since that move, he has recorded multiple albums and is recognized worldwide as one of the premier solo recording artists covering diverse musical genres [...]
More Feature Interviews
MARIEA ANTOINETTE – Feature Interview
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" MARIEA ANTOINETTE Mariea Antoinette, a native of San Diego, has transformed the Harp from a classical background instrument into an electrifying lead instrument in today’s [...]
VANN BURCHFIELD – Feature Interview
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" VANN BURCHFIELD From his victorious saxophone Longest-Note-Guinness-Record over Kenny G, to multiple performances at the White House, Vann Burchfield raises the threshold on the genre. [...]
TONY SAUNDERS – Feature Interview
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" TONY SAUNDERS Tony Saunders’ life story could be the script to a hit movie. Son of legendary keyboardist and composer Merl Saunders, Tony’s life has been a musical adventure. As a [...]
B. CHRISTOPHER – Feature Interview
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" B. CHRISTOPHER B. Christopher, like most composers, is not a household name. However, if you own a television, you have probably heard his music. With [...]
PAUL TUVMAN – Riding The Jetstream
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" PAUL TUVMAN Almost all of us wanted to grow up to be an Airline Pilot or a Professional Musician. But most of the time we [...]
DAN BECK BAND – Feature Interview
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" Dan Beck of "Dan Beck Band" Expressive and soulful guitarist, vocalist, writer Dan Beck performs front and center with the Dan Beck Band. His new debut release All The [...]
SULTANS OF STRING – CHRISTMAS CARAVAN
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" Chris McKhool of "Sultans of String" Canada’s 3x JUNO (Canada’s Grammy) nominees/3x CFMA winning ambassadors of musical diversity, Sultans of String, have expanded the traditional [...]
INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION 2017
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" SHANE WHALEN International Songwriting Competition The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) is an annual song contest whose mission is to provide the opportunity for both aspiring [...]
DAVE WILKES
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" DAVE WILKES When Jazz Monthly last interviewed music industry veteran David Wilkes, he was midway through his eight year tenure (2002-2010) as Vice President of A&R (Artists [...]
JIM BRUCE
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" JIM BRUCE Well, if you love multi-rhythmic fingerpicking blues guitar, coming from one man but sounds like three, you will really appreciate the ability of our [...]
LARRY ROSEN
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" LARRY ROSEN Thirty years ago, renowned jazz musicians, producers and entrepreneurs Larry Rosen and Dave Grusin made music history as co-founders of GRP Records. The groundbreaking jazz label became known [...]
GEORGE BENSON – Tribute To Nat King Cole
Nearly half a century after recording his debut album The New Boss Guitar of George Benson, the legendary, 10-time Grammy winning guitarist and vocalist at last pays homage to [...]
ARTURO SANDOVAL
A renowned Jazz and classical trumpeter, a brilliant pianist, a stellar composer and arranger – a fine vocalist in his own right, a bandleader, and a tenured university professor of [...]
ANDY WASSERMAN
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" ANDY WASSERMAN Our guest here today is Andy Wasserman, a gifted composer, arranger, musician who has received exceptional reviews by critics and the Jazz world [...]
JUMAANE SMITH – I Only Have Eyes For You
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" JUMAANE SMITH From traveling the world with Michael Bublé to playing the Grammy Awards show with Stevie Wonder and the Jonas Brothers, Jumaane Smith has collaborated with [...]
CARMEN LUNDY – Soul To Soul
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" Carmen Lundy Since launching her career in New York with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra in the late 70s, Miami born vocalist and songwriter [...]
RICHARD LEO JOHNSON – Celeste
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" RICHARD LEO JOHNSON Richard Leo Johnson is a true pioneer in acoustic guitar. A passionate and spontaneous player, he is often compared to such masters as Bruce [...]
DENNIS ANGEL – On Track
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" DENNIS ANGEL Ask any 100 contemporary jazz trumpeters to name their chief influences, and it’s a good bet over 90 will mention the same two [...]
FREDA PAYNE – Come Back To Me Love
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" FREDA PAYNE While Freda Payne will always be associated with “Band of Gold,” the million selling 1970 hit single that established her as a major [...]
GREG CHAMBERS – Can’t Help Myself
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" GREG CHAMBERS Multi-instrumentalist Greg Chambers is a classical woodwind performer and instructor who is also highly versed in contemporary jazz. San Francisco Bay based Chambers plays various [...]
MOLLY RINGWALD
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" MOLLY RINGWALD In the midst of a recent performance before a packed house at the Los Angeles club Rockwell celebrating the release of her debut jazz [...]
Spencer Day – Interview
JazzMonthly.com feature interview SPENCER DAY Spencer Day’s emergence on the Billboard jazz charts with his 2009 Concord Records debut Vagabond reflects the expansive boundaries of the genre. Incorporating classic [...]
Steve Tyrell
JazzMonthly.com Feature Interview STEVE TYRELL Steve Tyrell conducted this interview from his room at the Carlyle Hotel in New York City, where he was staying during his nearly two [...]
Jazz Monthly Feature Interview Dominick Farinacci
Twelve years after Wynton Marsalis invited Julliard bound Cleveland high school student Dominick Farinacci to be a special guest on the PBS Broadcast “Live From Lincoln Center: A Tribute [...]
“Jazz Monthly Feature Interview” Gordon James
JazzMonthly.com feature interview Gordon James Jazz Monthly: Our guest here today here at JazzMonthly.com has recorded four highly acclaimed CD’s, and while the first three have received really excellent [...]
Jazz Monthly Feature Interview Mark Isham
Jazz Monthly: To those of you who know the work of our special guest Mark Isham, no words are necessary. To the handful of you who might not know [...]
Rob Paparozzi – Feature Interview
JazzMonthly.com feature interview ROB PAPAROZZI Jazz Monthly: From the category of “What the Heck Took You So Long?” We here at Jazz Monthly.Com are so happy to announce that [...]
Jimmy Sommers – Interview
JazzMonthly.com Feature interview Jimmy Sommers Jazz Monthly: We here at Jazzmonthly.com are delighted to be chatting with a favorite of ours and we know a favorite of yours for [...]
La Tanya Hall – Feature Interview
"Jazz Monthly.com Feature Interview" La Tanya Hall Jazz Monthly: Just when you thought you’ve heard the zenith of classic voice and renditions, along comes my next guest here [...]
Jane Monheit – The Lovers, the Dreamers & Me
"Jazz Monthly.com Feature Interview" Jane Monheit Jazz Monthly: It is my ultimate pleasure to finally welcome to JazzMonthly.com an incredible singer. It seems she never takes a night [...]
Kim Pensyl – When Katie Smiles
"Jazz Monthly.com Feature Interview" Kim Pensyl Jazz Monthly: One of my alltime favorite musicians in the world joins me at JazzMonthly.com. I go way back with this cat. I [...]
Marilyn Scott – Every Time We Say Goodbye
"Jazz Monthly.com Feature Interview" Marilyn Scott Jazz Monthly: Well, I certainly am excited about my next guest here at JazzMonthly.com. One of the most incredible singers on the [...]
“Jazz Monthly.com Feature Interview” Justin Vasquez
JazzMonthly.com Feature Interview JUSTIN VASQUEZ Jazz Monthly: Our guest at JazzMonthly.com is a young man in his twenties who it seems that musically has come “full circle.” By that [...]
“Jazz Monthly Feature Interview” Mat Marucci
JazzMonthly.com Feature Interview Mat Marucci Jazz Monthly: Well, it is our extreme delight to welcome to Jazz Monthly.com a multi faceted artist. You know they throw that word around [...]
Luba Mason – Interview
"Jazz Monthly.com Feature Interview" Luba Mason Jazz Monthly: Well, if you want to be physically transported and emotionally moved, you must check out my next guest here at [...]
Nikki Yanofsky – Feature Interview
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" Nikki Yanofsky Jazz Monthly: I am just totally excited when there’s new music and a great new artist on the scene, and I am [...]
Jim Peterik – Interview
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" Jim Peterik Jazz Monthly: All right, it is my wonderful pleasure to welcome to JazzMonthly.com for the very first time an incredible singer, songwriter, guitarist, [...]
PATTI AUSTIN – For Ever, For Always, For Luther
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" PATTI AUSTIN Jazz Monthly: Well, I am so happy to have a wonderful singer and songwriter joining us at Jazz Monthly.com today. She possesses the effulgence of [...]
KEIKO MATSUI – Moyo
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" KEIKO MATSUI Keiko Matsui clearly defines the description of an international artist. Her music is definitely on another level in terms of inspiration, intensity, and overwhelming [...]
Lee Ritenour – Smoke n’ Mirrors
"Jazz Monthly Feature Interview" Lee Ritenour JazzMonthly: Our next guest is one of the monster guitarists, whose music seems to always have a very cool twist and his latest [...]
Documentary: Don Byas Returns
In 1970, tenor saxophonist Don Byas returned from Europe to perform at New York's Village Vanguard. He had [...]
‘There is no fear’: how a cold-war tour inspired Pakistan’s progressive jazz scene
‘There is no fear’: how a cold-war tour inspired Pakistan’s progressive jazz scene A US state department initiative [...]
After virtual performances due to pandemic, Jazz Arts Group eager for live appearances
During the coronavirus pandemic, the Jazz Arts Group helped audiences stay in touch with their inner Duke Ellington, [...]
Jazz On the Narrows Music Festival Coming to Kent Island Yacht Club in August
Get ready for Jazz on the Narrows ™ at the Kent Island Yacht Club. Muddy Waters Daughter, Mercy [...]
Gahanna’s Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival tickets available with ‘modified footprint’
Tickets are on sale for the 2021 Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival Sept. 17-19, bringing some of Ohio’s [...]
NPR Music’s 25 Favorite Albums Of 2021 (So Far)
Here we are halfway through 2021, this year of stepping back across the threshold into the world. And [...]
In Review – The Gerry Mulligan Concert Band – Rick Barton
This article appeared in the Wednesday, June 14, 1961 edition of Jazz News, a British publication not to [...]
Roy and Mulgrew – Hargrove and Miller, that is.
For many years in the Jazz world, the standard form of duo was usually some combination of piano [...]
News
SONY MUSIC NASHVILLE NAMED BILLBOARD 2020 TOP COUNTRY LABEL
Billboard has confirmed that Sony Music Nashville is the 2020 Top Country [...]
The New Mastersounds Enlist Soul Powerhouse Josh Hoyer to Usher in ‘A Brighter Day’
After the 2020 presidential election, Eddie Roberts of The New Mastersounds composed [...]
Two Michigan Companies Partner to Create, Deliver Portable Shipping Container Recording Studios
DETROIT, Two industry market leaders are joining forces to creatively shape the [...]
Jon Hassell, Trumpeter and ‘Fourth World’ Composer, Dies at 84
Blending modern technology with traditional instruments, Mr. Hassell created a genre he [...]
Musicians blend jazz rhythms across Estonia-Russia border
Two jazz musicians have given an unusual concert on the Estonia-Russia border [...]
Whitney Center Jazz Orchestra returns to Kinnison Hall
The Whitney Center Jazz Orchestra will perform in concert on April 10 [...]
Paul Jackson, Funk Bassist With Herbie Hancock, Dies at 73
He was an integral member of Mr. Hancock’s jazz-funk band the Headhunters, [...]
AN AMERICAN PRAYER, RENOWNED DOORS LEGACY GROUP, IN CONCERT AT TEXAN THEATER, FRIDAY MARCH 26, 7PM
(Greenville, TX) - An American Prayer, renowned Doors Legacy group, perform live [...]
Latest
Sheila E. will headline the 10th annual Uptown Jazz Festival
The annual Uptown Jazz Festival will return to North Long Beach in August and the [...]
Exclusive Video Premiere: Elder Jack Ward’s Sacred Soul Song, ‘The Way Is Already Made’
Bible & Tire Recording Co. — the label founded in 2019 by Bruce Watson, also [...]
Jazz On the Narrows Music Festival Coming to Kent Island Yacht Club in August
Get ready for Jazz on the Narrows ™ at the Kent Island Yacht Club. Muddy [...]
Montclair Jazz Festival is back, starts this month at Lackawanna Plaza
Cocomama’s all-female Latin jazz orchestra will play Thursday, July 9, at Lackawanna Plaza — part [...]
World Premiere Video: Steve Marriner Brings Americana To The Fore With ‘Long Way Down’
Ottawa, ON-based bluesman Steve Marriner is ushering a decidedly more roots-rock Americana sound to the [...]
Snoop Dogg, jazz and more live music to take in this week in San Antonio
Here is your weekly music roundup. Read on for stuff to look forward to, new [...]