“The pianist Brad Mehldau has led this iteration of his pace-setting trio-with the bassist Larry Grenadier and the drummer Jeff Ballard– since 2005, and it has evolved into a graceful powerhouse, equally savvy about groove and harmony.” – New York Times. “Ode” — the trio’s first studio release in seven years — “is a collection …
Category: KCCK Blog
Newly Discovered Wes Montgomery – Bob Stewart
With a lot of sleuthing and a team of experts on the case, long-lost tapes of Wes Montgomery have been discovered and restored. “Echoes of Indiana Avenue” is the first full album of previously unheard Montgomery music in over 25 years. The tapes are the earliest known recordings of the guitarist as a leader, pre-dating …
On the Vanguard with Esperanza and Vijay – Bob Stewart
On the Vanguard with Esperanza and Vijay It hasn’t taken Esperanza Spalding long to emerge as one of the brightest lights in the musical world, with a unique and style-spanning presence deeply rooted in jazz yet destined to make her mark far beyond the jazz realm. Just last year she became the first jazz musician …
Teenie Tunes; Cool Kosins – Bob Stewart
A groundbreaking exhibition, “Teenie Harris, Photographer: an American Story” opened at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh in October. It celebrates this artist/photographer whose work is considered one of the most complete portraits of the 20th Century African American experience. “Hill District Beat” is an enhanced CD featuring over 100 of Harris’ most iconic images of …
Live Sets from Jordan and Moulder – Bob Stewart
2012 NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan’s performances are always intriguing blends of imaginative music making and deeply felt, richly emotional storytelling. More than many performing artists, she lays her life on the line with everything she sings. And more than any other jazz vocalist she reflects the power of the instrumentalists who shaped her musical …
The Beat of Different Drummers, A First Call Trombonist – Bob Stewart
“There are a few more emphatically dazzling drummers working today, but almost nobody in Wilson’s peer group with a broader sense of jazz history, or a more natural sense of time, or a stronger signature as a bandleader, or more goodwill among his fellow players.” That’s Nate Chinen of Jazz Times magazine speaking of Matt …
Live Set from SF Jazz Collective, New Music from Johnathan Blake – Bob Stewart
If you aren’t already familiar with the eight artists who make up the SF Jazz Collective, you will be. As soloists, composers and bandleaders, they represent what’s happening now in jazz. More than master instrumentalists, each member is possessed of a totally individual creative voice, working collectively to express a unified musical identity. They also …
Worldy and Cool – Bob Stewart
Elio Villafranca and Arturo Stable, two Cuban-born maestros of jazz and world music,unveil “Dos Y Mas” — the debut recording of their new piano and percussion collaboration. The intimate musical journey was sparked nine years ago when the pair met for the first time while working for Jane Bunnett’s Spirits of Havana band. Together and …