Today, Jazz88 celebrates the birthday of Russell Malone, a technically brilliant jazz guitarist whose tasteful solos and swinging and crisp rhythm accompaniment lent a spark to dozens of great jazz recordings with an impressive list of jazz legends. Malone was a native of Albany, Georgia and was influenced by recordings of B.B. King, the Dixie Hummingbirds and particularly...Read More
Scott Amendola is a bay-area drummer and composer who has had long associations with artists like Charlie Hunter and Nels Cline. He performs with a trio including clarinetist Ben Goldberg and bassist Todd Sickafoose at Jazz Central on Thursday, November 7th. The group just released an album called “Here to There” consisting of music inspired...Read More
Jesse Simon from the MN Hard Bop Collective grew up loving organ jazz out in Denver, Colorado, so when it came time for Collective to add more events to their “sit-in series,” it was no surprise that Simon decided to concentrate on the organ. The MN Hard Bop Collective is launching a new weekly Sit-In...Read More
Vocalist Dane Stauffer visited the Afternoon Cruise to discuss his upcoming Monstrous Melodies Cabaret at the Dakota. The performance features Stauffer, Maria Jette, Prudence Johnson and Dan Chouinard. Though Dane said he wasn’t sure if any of the performance was legitimately “scary” he assured us it was lots of fun. He even brought along a...Read More
Bassist Liz Draper has been running a residency at Berlin for October and she’s wrapping it up on Sunday, October 27 with her friend Ava Mendoza. Mendoza is a celebrated guitarist and composer based in Brooklyn and her friendship with Draper goes back almost 25 years. Liz spoke about her approach to improvising on the bass, her recent experience with...Read More
Jazz88’s Peter Solomon spoke with choreographer and master dance instructor Ashi Smythe about the legacy of Katherine Dunham, the woman widely acknowledged as the “Queen Mother and Matriarch of African American Dance.” Smythe is a guest artist and instructor in a two-week Katherine Dunham residency taking place at Lundstrum Performing Arts. Attached photo by Mike...Read More
Mike Lewis, the celebrated multi-instrumentalist known for his work with Happy Apple, Fat Kid Wednesdays and Alpha Consumer, connected with Jazz88 to discuss the run of shows he’ll be doing in November at Icehouse. Lewis highlighted some of the artists he’ll be collaborating with like Anthony Cox, S. Carey and Jeremy Yvilsaker. He also discussed...Read More
Jazz88’s Peter Solomon speaks with Jeff Coffin, a multi-instrumentalist/composer who is well-known for his role as saxophonist with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones and the Dave Matthews Band. On Only the Horizon, his 23rd album as a leader, he collaborates with a West African percussion group called the Yeli Ensemble, as well as guitarist Cory Wong,...Read More
Mere days away from releasing their sophomore album NORFSIDE drummer L.A. Buckner and his bandmates from BiG HOMiE are ready to celebrate an album that’s been years in the making. Buckner, alongside David Smith and percussionist Jamani Buckner, spoke about the songwriting process, the importance of releasing the album at an iconic venue (the Capri...Read More
Obi Original is an accomplished musician/composer and vocalist. Obi agreed to come by to discuss one of his musical heroes, Fela Kuti. Fela was born October 15, 1938 and he, alongside his drummer Tony Allen, is recognized as one of the architects of the Afrobeat genre. Listen in to hear Obi Original’s reflections on Fela’s...Read More
