Dinah Washington made jazz even more golden
She is jazz’s swinging auntie. Cool beyond the word. She can tease, soothe, grace, and settle. The song in her voice is...

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Molly Johnson is brazenly genuine
I do not think that I know or have heard anyone more brazenly genuine as an artist and person than Molly Johnson....

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The mind-altering music of Dayna Stephens
The creative surge and energy never stops. It feels like the impulse to make something happen or go on is at the...

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When you listen to Tony Bennett, you’re never lonely
I’m never, ever lonely when I’m listening to Tony Bennett. There is something immediately right there with you in the warmth of...

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Gretchen Parlato’s artistry is beautifully beguiling
These words are Nick Catalano’s, writer for All That Jazz: “Superb jazz vocalists are rare. But rarer still are artists that transform...

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With her voice, Rachelle Ferrell is a magic-maker
If you know that way-up-high-in-the-atmosphere register of the late Minnie Riperton, as amazingly displayed in her hit “Loving You,” then you have...

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At the piano, Makoto Ozone is an explorer and adventurer
The piano is a universe of 88 stars. Each key, regardless of colour, is an integral unit in how music gets made...

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With Immanuel Wilkins, we travel the passages and phrases of a story
The sax player Immanuel Wilkins tells his stories, and his story, with the music he plays. It is an infectious engagement —...

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Clark Terry played with a selfless and caring soul
To dedicate so much of your artistic growth and evolution time to giving back by teaching and mentoring is almost mythical. To...

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21 contemporary jazz takes on Christmas music
There are so many jazz greats who have recorded the holiday classics that we love to hear at the end of every...

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Ulf Wakenius plays with vivid colours of sound
When Ulf Wakenius plays, I hear a fullness and roundness of the notes. Each one is like a small globe of sound...

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Jocelyn Barth approaches music with eyes wide open
Purity of artistry defies genres; it is the engaging, infectious spirit of defiance, essence of liberty, the blurring of walls and divisions,...

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Eric St-Laurent plays like his heart is listening
Eric St. Laurent plays like you know his heart is listening because the textures of his artistry are a spectrum of the...

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Guitarist Tal Farlow played the whole instrument
Tal Farlow’s sound was so much more than so many of the general styles and ways. It wasn’t just about the expected...

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Ralph Towner’s musical career is a true journey
Ralph Towner was born into a musical family: His mom taught piano and his dad played the trumpet. Early on, he played...

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Charlie Hunter plays his own way
Charlie Hunter plays his own way. He does this so much so that his quest to find a way to emulate his...

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At the piano, Mark Eisenman has a remarkable immediacy of connection
Mark Eisenman treats the piano the way you would expect to be respected and treated by a best friend. He likes to...

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Jocelyn Gould plays with a sense of self-discovery
Jocelyn Gould plays guitar with a freshness of self-discovery and innocence — an innocence not to be confused with vulnerability, but an...

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The artistry of Chris Botti is the sound of new love
He sounds like what being in new love could and should sound like. That feeling that all is as clear ahead as...

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Halloween jazz: 20 songs for a hip and haunting night
Silence can be scary, but Halloween deserves a spooky soundtrack. For decades, jazz musicians have explored Halloween themes in a variety of...

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The artistry of Diana Krall is a stunning display of light, shadow, colours and shades
From pronounced heavily punctuated syncopation to a gentle swing and almost whisper-like set of phrases to express the nexts in an array...

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Aaron Parks plays with the spirit of the Pacific Northwest
Aaron Parks is a native of the Pacific Northwest — that region of North America of wide expanse and inspiring, stunning geography....

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Doug Riley’s music was Canada-sized
With a moniker like Dr. Music, you would have to be the core of an expansive set of musical journeys, adventures and...

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When she sang, Nancy Wilson aimed right at your soul
Nancy Wilson sang with a “you will listen,” storytelling, spirited attitude that could best be described as one punctuated by a two-word...

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