“Having done so many projects about my love for Chicago,” says vocalist Kurt Elling,” I wanted to make something that spoke of my love for New York.” The two cities define his career. Elling developed his craft in Chicago, and recorded several of his early discs there. But in fact, the singer and his family …
Category: KCCK Blog
Saxes Are Wild – Bob Stewart
Jerry Bergonzi’s quintessentially modern tenor sax style melds the linear, chromatic approach of such greats as Joe Henderson and Wayne Shorter with the horizontal chordal techniques of John Coltrane. His manner of playing is utterly spontaneous and distinctive. With such contemporaries as Joe Lovano, Michael Brecker and Dave Liebman, Bergonzi has helped define the modern …
Bentyne’s Porter Therapy; Electric Loueke – Bob Stewart
When Cheryl Bentyne was recovering from cancer treatment and starting again to sing, it was to Cole Porter she first turned as her “saving grace.” With his songs fresh in her mind from recently recording Let’s “Misbehave: the Cole Porter Songbook”, Bentyne connected with Porter’s ability to “cover the human condition,” healing along with the …
New Music – Bob Stewart
Debuts From Vega and DeBriano/Ben-Hur and More… While pianist Donald Vega is beginning to draw attention in jazz circle as Mulgrew Miller’s successor in the Ron Carter Trio, he makes a bold statement as a composer and bandleader on “Spiritual Nature.” Joined by the regal rhythm tandem of Christian McBride and drummer Lewis Nash, Vega …
Wednesday Night Special – Gordon
U of I Jazz Repertory Ensemble + U of I Latin Jazz Ensemble at The Mill The Jazz Repertory Ensemble is a big band devoted to performing the works of the jazz mainstream. Directed by Brent Sandy, this ensemble covers the range between early swing and progressive jazz. Students learn the conventions of performance practice …
Funkengruven & Vocalese – Bob Stewart
For over 25 years, the Canadian jazz-funk band, the Shuffle Demons, have been entertaining fans around the world. That band’s high energy out-of-the-ordinary live show bills them as jazz, folk and world festival mainstays and has taken them on 15 cross-Canada and European tours, as well as through Asia, India and Australia. Now, the Shuffle …
New Music – Bob Stewart
On “Without a Song”, John Abercrombie pays tribute to formative influences, the recordings and musicians that shaped his early listening and his future directions. The period addressed is the 1960s, with specific references to key albums by Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane and Bill Evans. “…I had been talking for a while …
New Music – Bob Stewart
Bruce Barth, despite his professorship at Temple University, is no stodgy jazz egghead. He is a working musician with an abundance of technique, a seemingly bottomless well of ideas and is a composer of considerable skill with a contemporary and inventive approach. Early professional engagements included those with jazz masters Nat Adderly and Stanley Turrentine. …