As an unapologetic Beach Boys fan for life, I scanned the May 18 press release from Nonesuch Records with a skeptical sigh. “Brian Wilson Readies All-New Recording of Legendary Smile,” the headline screamed, citing the most famous unreleased recording in the history of rock ‘n’ roll. Waxed in the wake of the Beach Boys’ acclaimed […]
Joe Vanderford
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The return of Frank Kimbrough
Break down jazz to its most elemental geometric shape, and what remains is a triangle, a configuration exquisite in its simplicity and symmetry. That’s right, a trio: three musicians untangling a web of melody, harmony and rhythm, then knitting it back together again with fresh colors and new textures. Scan the list of modern masters […]
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in pickin’ strings
Like succulent BBQ, some of the region’s finest attributes have been around for so long that we take them for granted. Take guitarist Scott Sawyer, to wit, the state’s tastiest 6-string bender this side of Deep Gap’s Arthel “Doc” Watson. Triangle-based, Sawyer has been honing his craft for eons, playing venues of every description, from […]
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Finding Alex Weiss
It’s damned hard to draw a bead on musician Alex Weiss. Though he’s based in Durham, his spangled, multi-culti repertoire traverses the whole planet. Just listen, as his blur of hands float palms-down across the skin of the conga drum–and you’re compelled to gently shake a tail feather. The beat is enticing but ambiguous. So […]
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In good vibes
While paging back through the history of jazz, you can count the truly innovative who’ve played vibes on one hand. There’s hall-of-famer Lionel Hampton, natch, Milt Jackson of the Modern Jazz Quartet, plus modernists Gary Burton and Bobby Hutcherson. With the arrival of the New Millennium and all, however, it’s time to update the list. […]
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Extra points
Question : Who is saxophonist Branford Marsalis? A) Older bro’ of trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, keeper of the jazz flame. B) Star of TV (The Tonight Show) and cinema (Throw Mama from the Train). C) Rock ‘n’ Roll sideman extraordinaire (Sting, Grateful Dead). D) Record company head-honcho (Marsalis Music). Marsalis is all of the above and […]
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Discmas 2003
Mama didn’t raise no fool. I realize full well that that the business of Christmas music is simply a scam, a convenient excuse for shameless record companies to dress up the same old inventory in fresh holiday rags and sell it to us crazy consumers over and over again. For example, Brenda Lee recorded “Rockin’ […]
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Year of the voice
Those of us who adore the art of jazz singing should pause for a moment, assume a collective I-am-not-worthy pose, and shout in sanctified unison: “God bless you, Norah Jones.” Since its release last winter, Jones’ unassuming smash of a CD, Come Away with Me, has sold 8 million units and counting. Staring out in […]
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In jazzy offerings
Attention jazzheads: This week’s crazy, man, crazy. Dig?! This craziness begins with a three-day residency from Oct. 22-24, by drummer T.S. Monk (pictured above) at Duke’s Baldwin Auditorium. Following Wednesday’s workshop and Thursday’s lecture-discussion entitled “The Future of Jazz,” Monk will swing the university’s jazz, djembe and Afro-Cuban ensembles on Friday night. He’ll showcase excerpts […]
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The return of Ellery Eskelin
A saxophonist with expansive lungs and razor tone, Ellery Eskelin is one badass tenor. On his latest recording, Arcanum Moderne (hatOLOGY) with accordionist/sampler Andrea Parkins and drummer Jim Black, his earnest liner notes nearly match the revelatory intensity of his music. Try on Eskelin’s probing words: “What is it that people are applauding when we […]