Duke Ellington

Gil Evans' Centennial Tribute, Plus a Conversation With John Pizzarelli and Jon Cleary's Video Exclusive

Mike Ragogna | Posted 05.14.2012

Mike Ragogna

John Pizzarelli: Favorite album of all time? ... Abbey Road is pretty close to the top of the list. It's funny. You could say Abbey Road or you could say In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning, because they're the types of records you put on and say, 'Oh, I'll just listen to one or two tracks.'

LISTEN: British Singer Joe Jackson Covers Legendary Duke Ellington

The Huffington Post | Crystal Bell | Posted 05.02.2012

When Joe Jackson set out to pay tribute to legendary big band musician Duke Ellington with his latest album, The Duke, he knew that he didn't want it ...

Historic Black Theater Reopens In D.C.'s Shaw Neighborhood

The Huffington Post | Posted 04.09.2012

WASHINGTON -- After 32 years, the Howard Theatre in the District of Columbia's Shaw neighborhood is reopening its doors once more. Beset by money prob...

Dog Ears Music: Born in April Playlist

Phil Ramone and Danielle Evin | Posted 04.06.2012

Phil Ramone and Danielle Evin

This week our playlist includes music by Charles Mingus, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, Artur Schnabel, Bessie Smith and more.

Dog Ears Music: The Gift List

Phil Ramone and Danielle Evin | Posted 02.15.2012

Phil Ramone and Danielle Evin

This week we review albums by Doris Day, The Talking Heads, Bob Marley and the Wailers, The Caretaker, and other artists.

An Evening With Jon Brion at Le Poisson Rouge

Isabelle Davis | Posted 12.07.2011

Isabelle Davis

A veritable one-man band, Brion seamlessly moves from keys to guitars to drums to the harmonica, all the while layering and looping each component, building the songs right before the audiences' eyes.

Songs From The South and How To Make Gravy: Conversations With Paul Kelly Plus Lisa Hannigan

Mike Ragogna | Posted 11.15.2011

Mike Ragogna

Paul Kelly is a well known and highly respected songwriter all over the world, but not necessarily in the United States. Here he shares his thoughts about his music having been somewhat elusive to American audiences.

Chatting With Joe Jackson And Earl Klugh, Plus Mick Harvey's "The Ballad Of Jay Givens" Video

Mike Ragogna | Posted 08.30.2011

Mike Ragogna

According to Joe Jackson, performing is the best part of the "madness" that he's involved in. It's better than being in the studio or anything else.

What's It All About: Chatting with Pat Metheny, Jonathan Elias, and Viva Voce

Mike Ragogna | Posted 08.16.2011

Mike Ragogna

Pat Metheny's new album is titled What's It All About, which is based off a line from the song "Alfie." Since this is an unusual approach for Pat Metheny, he tracked him down to talk about it.

Interview: Paul Winter -- The 16th Annual Summer Solstice Concert June 18th NYC

Joseph Vella | Posted 08.08.2011

Joseph Vella

Each year in NYC, legendary musician Paul Winter presents two annual celebration concerts on the summer and winter solstice. I recently had the pleasure of talking with Winter about the upcoming summer solstice concert.

Duke Ellington's Lost 1957 Performance At Kent State

Kent, OH Patch | Posted 07.26.2011

One of the great stories of Kent, OH is in fact a long series of tales spanning three different centuries dealing with the great icons and musicians w...

Sing It Loud: Chatting with k.d. lang, JD Souther and Bobby Long, Plus a Beginners Audio Exclusive

Mike Ragogna | Posted 07.24.2011

Mike Ragogna

One of my favorite tracks on k.d. lang's new album is the opener, "I Confess," which sounds like Brill Building meets country, meets...okay, I'll shut up now, k.d. lang has the rest.

Tasting the Universe

Maureen Seaberg | Posted 05.25.2011

Maureen Seaberg

I don't know when the colors began. They've always been with me, like the beat of my own heart or the sound of my own breath.

Catching up With Diane Reeves: Jazz's Leading Lady at "Jazz at Lincoln Center"

Melody Breyer-Grell | Posted 05.25.2011

Melody Breyer-Grell

The best way I can describe Dianne Reeves to those who haven't yet seen her is to cast her in the role of a shaman -- with her noble bearing, it's as if she might have been sent here to heal us.

One More Once: A Listen Back at the Records That Made 2010 More Bearable

Tony Sachs | Posted 05.25.2011

Tony Sachs

As a cranky, sleep-deprived new parent in the throes of box sets by hipsters, I declared (on Twitter, no less) that there was absolutely no need for me to hear Kanye's latest magnum opus. Until I heard a track on YouTube.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Should Be The American Music Hall of Fame

Brian Ross | Posted 05.25.2011

Brian Ross

The latest crop of inductees was announced yesterday by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. Once again, it honored musicians who just a...

HuffPost Review: Michael Jackson's Vision, Plus A Conversation With Brazilian Sensation Bebel Gilberto

Mike Ragogna | Posted 05.25.2011

Mike Ragogna

This 35-track, triple disc DVD collection is such an important and significant pop-culture package that it might scare your unsuspecting holiday recipient into thinking you're saying something more than merely Happy Whatever.

HuffPost Premiere: Jesse Harris' 'Little Star,' Plus a Conversation With Kyle Eastwood

Mike Ragogna | Posted 05.25.2011

Mike Ragogna

Jazz musician Kyle Eastwood talks his new album, Metropolitain, living in Paris, and doing musical scores for film.

From D.C.'s Kennedy Center to East of Angel Town: Conversations with Branford Marsalis and Peter Cincotti

Mike Ragogna | Posted 05.25.2011

Mike Ragogna

Legendary jazz pianist Ellis Marsalis has been accumulating a series of honors, with the upcoming NEA's Jazz Masters Award being one of the most prestigious yet.

A Different Kind of P2P: The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad

Linda Constant | Posted 05.25.2011

Linda Constant

The Rhythm Road facilitates not only cross-cultural discourse but also provides an extraordinary platform for artists to emerge from their own localism and share what they do, face-to-face, with the unknown.

HuffPost Exclusive: Elizabeth & The Catapult's "You And Me," Plus Conversations with T-Bone Burnett, Next BIG Nashville's Jason Wilkins, and Author Jay Frank

Mike Ragogna | Posted 05.25.2011

Mike Ragogna

2010-09-29-elizabeththecatapult.jpg Basically, The Other Side Of Zero -- the new album by Elizabeth & The Catapult -- is a commentary on the parallels of Elizabeth Ziman's New York City life and Leonard Cohen's inability to achieve Buddhist ideals.

WATCH: JAZZ ON FILM: Wynton Marsalis Scores 'Louis," Plus Five Great Jazz Scores

Posted 05.25.2011

Can't say he didn't focus on the music... Filmmaker Dan Pritzker's latest effort, Louis, is loosely based on the childhood of jazz legend Louis Armstr...

The Satin Sound of Johnny Mercer

Debra Levine | Posted 05.25.2011

Debra Levine

While I was recovering from knee surgery, my pal S.V. brought me recuperation DVDs -- among them "The Dream's On Me," Bruce Ricker's film homage to lyricist/composer Johnny Mercer.

From Philly International to The Berklee College Of Music: A Conversation With Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff

Mike Ragogna | Posted 05.25.2011

Mike Ragogna

This weekend, the legendary R&B songwriting team will receive honorary doctorates in recognition of the 3500 songs they've produced over their 35-year partnership. In this interview, they reflect on their extraordinary careers.

Forty Years On, Frank Sinatra's Great Lost Album Finally Surfaces

Tony Sachs | Posted 05.25.2011

Tony Sachs

It's been almost a dozen years since Frank Sinatra, the singer, actor and entertainer, breathed his last. But while Ol' Blue Eyes may be copping the eternal nod, the Frank Sinatra industry is alive, well and ring-a-ding dinging.