Ralph A. Miriello

Friday evening was the last evening of a three-night event held at the Frederick P. Rose Theater for the benefit of Jazz at Lincoln Center. The event was in honor of J.A.L.C. Board Chairman, Lisa Schiff,...

Each week there seems to be at least one CD in my mailbox that features yet another female jazz singer. Some have stellar back-up bands or top quality arrangers. Few leave lasting impressions
Here are two that do.

Singer Kathy Kosins, a name...

The pianist Vijay Iyer is one of the most celebrated jazz musicians of his generation. He has garnered an endless collection of awards from the press, a cult-like following by his fans and deserved respect and recognition from his fellow musicians. With this...

On a cool, crystal clear Saturday evening in New York, the eclectic drummer Matt Wilson and his quartet were scheduled to play three sets, part of a multi-night series celebrating the release of his latest CD An Attitude for Gratitude. Having previewed the album,...

As the epicenter of modern jazz, New York City has always been a magical lodestone, irresistibly attracting talented musicians at every stage of their development and careers. The city offers an unparalleled opportunity for musicians to play and collaborate with...

As virtuoso drummer Jack DeJohnette approaches his seventieth birthday -- he will turn 70 on August 9th of this year -- he can look back at an extensive body of work that speaks for itself. Interestingly he started out as a pianist, only later...

This past Monday evening, appropriately on the anniversary of Martin Luther King's birthday, I was fortunate enough to attend a very special farewell event. The occasion could have easily been the marking of a tragedy, as it was a gathering to memorialize the recent passing of Ralph MacDonald, the percussionist/songwriter/producer...

The year 2011 was an inspirational year. I was privileged to listen to, and in some cases experience "live," some of the best and most varied musical performances that I have seen in many a year. With all the discussion of jazz dying and the graying and shrinking of the...

Perched on the mezzanine level just above the lobby of the posh Kitano hotel on Park at 38th Street is a music room of extraordinary intimacy. Affectionately known as Gino's living room, promoter Gino Moratti has been bringing top-notch jazz to the Kitano since 2006. On Friday November 18th the...

The Borough of Brooklyn has become a melting pot of all things artistic. My son, a 25-year-old writer/editor, has made Brooklyn his adopted home. He was marveling recently that so many modern day masters of contemporary writing, regularly give readings of their work around town. I often find myself reviewing...

For the last several years, the trumpeter Tim Hagans has been a ubiquitous force on the modern jazz scene, both as a powerful voice on his instrument and as a talented composer and arranger. Recently, at the season's opener for the Westchester...

The Westchester Jazz Orchestra's Season Opening Concert featuring Joe Lovano
The WJO Concert with Special Guest Joe Lovano :

September 24, 2011 at Irvington Town Hall Theater, Irvington , NY

Two Saturday's ago, in the sleepy town of Irvington, NY, the Westchester Jazz Orchestra kicked off their 2011 season...

About 75 miles due north of New York City in the Ulster County Hamlet of Marlboro, New York is the Falcon. Perched adjacent to a wonderful waterfall, this lovechild of transplanted Staten Islander Tony Falco, is a barn-like two-story...

The Argentinean composer and pianist Guillermo Klein is an enigma. He originally came to Berklee in Boston back in 1990 to study with his contemporaries and then moved to New York from 1993 to 2000 to actually play with them. During his relatively brief stay, his impressive compositions and the...

The musician/poet/troubadour Gil Scott-Heron, who in the early 70's was influential to scores of people who heard his cool brand of hip music and absorbed the pithy observational wit of his lyrics, was being rediscovered recently when he released a new album I'm New...

Just a stone's throw form the streaming hustle of the North-South corridor known as Interstate 684, off exit 6 in the hamlet of Katonah, New York, lies the beautiful Rosen Estate, home of the Caramoor, a music and performing arts center. Caramoor was so named after a previous owner Caroline...

At the tender age of 29, trumpet player Ambrose Akinmusire, has garnered a plethora of accolades and acknowledgements this year for his recent work. He captured both trumpet of the year and best "up and coming new artist" of the year at the Jazz Journalist Association 2011 awards...

Last July 4, I decided to assemble a list of some notable musicians, arrangers, impresarios and singers in the world of jazz who had passed their 70th birthday. Many are thankfully still with us, enabling us to formally acknowledge and take a moment to revel in their past accomplishments.

A...

Twenty-six miles from New York City in the charming little village of Piermont, NY., is the home of the Turning Point cafe and restaurant. The town picturesquely sits at the edge of a wide section of the Hudson river and in...

Benny Green's Source

Jazz Legacy Productions JLP 1001014
Alleycat Productions, South Orange, NJ
November- December 2010

The jazz piano trio has traditionally been a venerable format for the creation of some expressive music over the years. Getting the perfect combination of band mates that produces that illusive,...