Choice Concerts
Talk about tough shoes to fill. From the beginning, the great pianist Dave Brubeck's signature sound involved the equally great saxophonist Paul Desmond. Desmond died in 1977 and taking his place in Brubeck's quartet for much of the last three decades has been Buffalo saxophonist Bobby Militello. 'Nuff said. Playing
Choice Concerts
Trombonist Steve Davis made such a strong impression while a student at the University of Hartford's Hartt School, that his teacher, Jackie McLean, recommended him to a friend. That friend was Art Blakey, and it wasn't long before Davis was invited to join Blakey's legendary Jazz Messengers. Since then he
Choice Concerts
Dawn Thomson is that rare jazz singer who is also a formidable instrumentalist. Between verses, sung in a cool, understated style, she is likely to launch into a knock-out guitar solo. Thomson has shared the stage with Milt Jackson, Dave Liebman, Renee Rosnes, and many others. She'll be sharing the
Choice Concerts
Pianist Ted Perry has a served as a sideman with Kenny Burrell, Ernie Watts, and Nick Brignola, but he'll be heading his own group Thursday evening at an unlikely venue, the Academy of Medicine. Aside from original compositions, Perry will put his own spin on some classics, with new
CD Reviews
Bassist Stanley Clarke is best known for reinventing the electric bass with Chick Corea's "Return To Forever" in the 1970's. On his excellent new album he displays his mastery of acoustic bass in a more subtle context. His trio includes fellow RTF alumnus and long-time associate Lenny White, whose superb
CD Reviews
On the DVD that accompanies this three-CD career retrospective, the late Nina Simone says she likes to shake people up. With her own compositions --- "Four Women," "Mississippi Goddam," and "To Be Young, Gifted And Black" --- and covers by Bob Dylan and others, she made a career of it.
Choice Concerts
Historically speaking, the big band era occurred in the 1930's and 1940's. But try telling that to arrangers like Maria Schneider, Dave Rivello, and Wynton Marsalis, who have all breathed new life into the genre. Rivello may not have the name recognition of the other two, but his music is
Choice Concerts
Don't look around for the band on the stage at SUNY Geneseo's Kuhl Gymnasium Saturday night. The four guys who make up The Blanks do it all with their vocal chords. Perhaps better known as "Ted's Band" on the TV comedy "Scrubs," these guys are as funny as they are
Choice Concerts
The world may have discovered the keyboard prowess of Johnny O'Neal when he was tapped to play the great Art Tatum in the 2004 film "Ray." But this was no surprise to jazz fans; O'Neal had already proven himself with the bands of Milt Jackson and Ray Brown and in
Choice Concerts
You may first have encountered Branford Marsalis as the saxophonist for Sting, immortalized in the film "Bring on the Night." Or maybe it was during his short-lived early-1990's stint as bandleader on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." But jazz fans have known for decades that the oldest son of
Choice Concerts
When I was a teenager in late 1960's Philadelphia, the hottest local band was a British-inspired foursome called the Nazz. They had a local hit record, "Hello It's Me," and played psychedelic music at the hippie festivals called be-ins. It took a few years for the group's writer, Todd Rundgren,
Choice Concerts
In the late 1940's Lee Konitz was in Miles Davis' landmark "Birth of the Cool" Nonet. In subsequent decades he established himself as one of the most original alto saxophonists in jazz. On that journey with him, through many years and many albums, was the Eastman School of Music's pianist
Choice Concerts
When Gerry Niewood died in the plane crash near Buffalo last winter, the world lost a brilliant musician and a wonderful human being. Though he was an occasional bandleader and a sought-after session man, Niewood's most familiar role was sideman extraordinaire with Chuck Mangione. Mangione headlines an all-star tribute with
Choice Concerts
Since Miles Davis set the standard in the 1950's, there have been few true innovators on the trumpet. Over the last decade, Cuong Vu has emerged as a startlingly fresh voice on the instrument. Aside from his own wonderful albums, daringly fusing the melodic and the abstract, his talents have
CD Reviews
Ever since I heard his superhuman guitar solo on Chuck Mangione's "Feels So Good" in 1977, I've been waiting for a great album from Grant Geissman. It's here. "Cool Man Cool" contains 14 of the breeziest, catchiest, and yet most intricate original tunes you are ever likely to hear. It
CD Reviews
With the release of his fifth album, Ravi Coltrane solidifies his position as one of the most distinctive saxophonists in jazz. Coltrane nods to the past with a spirited rendition of Thelonious Monk's "Epistrophy," but most of the album is thoroughly contemporary. The sidemen here are excellent choices. Pianist Louis
Choice Concerts
Judging by his wonderful new album, "Virtue," Eldar Djangirov has moved well past the boy-wonder stage and plunged into a more mature and inventive period of musical expression. He still has the technical prowess of a virtuoso, but his compositions and playing now vividly reflect the interactions - musical and
Choice Concerts
Few of us were around to feel the excitement of swing-era jazz in the 1930's and 1940's. But we can ride the time machine back by way of the Strong Museum's Making American Music series. The "King of Swing," Benny Goodman, will be saluted by percussionist extraordinaire John Beck, along
Choice Concerts
After studying at the Eastman School of Music in the early 1950's, pianist Frank Strazzeri was a fixture in the Rochester jazz club scene. He played with greats like Billie Holiday and Roy Eldridge before settling in New Orleans with Al Hirt. After stints on the road with the bands
Choice Concerts
There is not much that Buffalo-born tenor saxophonist Don Menza can't do on his instrument. In a wide variety of musical settings over a five-decade career, Menza has proved himself capable of sublime subtlety on ballads and frenetic flights of fancy on up-tempo tunes. He has toured with the best,
