Roxy Coss makes music of honesty and activism
The Artistry of… Roxy Coss She is an artist who does not mince words, and she doesn’t mince the music she makes,...
Grant Green’s playing was like a bird soaring through the sky
The Artistry of… Grant Green Imagine a great winged bird coolly carried high above by buoying, rising currents, and then imagine the...
Decade in review: 20 of the best jazz and blues albums of the 2010s
As the 2010s come to an end, it’s time to look back on what was an innovative and exhilarating decade of modern...
When Kevin Mahogany sang, he sang you a story
The Artistry of… Kevin Mahogany When Kevin Mahogany sang, he sang you a story. As I listen to his voice, I imagine...
The pride in Mike Herriott’s playing is infectious
The Artistry of… Mike Herriott Mike Herriott is an all-Canadian. A standout trumpeter, a Newfoundland native. Like a music ambassador, he has...
Need a drummer? Young gun Cooper Hannahson gets it done
It was a wild summer for drummer Cooper Hannahson. The 25-year-old Mohawk College graduate spent 50 days on the road during a...
Charles Lloyd is a master of contemporary sounds
The Artistry of… Charles Lloyd A PopMatters article says this about Charles Lloyd: “Despite early success, the recorded evidence is that Lloyd...
The voice of Denzal Sinclaire is filled with respect and integrity
The Artistry of… Denzal Sinclaire If you were to stir together the ingredients that make the way he sings so deliciously right,...
With Take Five, the Dave Brubeck Quartet proved you could play jazz in 5/4 time
This piece was originally published on FYIMusicNews. When my brother Wayne and I were in our early teens, Dave Brubeck’s Take Five, recorded and...
How a Columbia Records graphic artist helped define a generation of jazz
True art cross-pollinates. It sees its branches freely weaving in, through, and out of each other. Born in Hawaii, S. Neil Fujita...
Your guide to Toronto’s top jazz clubs
Toronto has a jazz scene that’s vibrant and thriving. Of course, the city’s many great artists wouldn’t be able to do what...
Anita O’Day captured the highs and lows of life
The Artistry of… Anita O’Day Highs and lows in voice and life. Defiant and fearless. She was known as “the Jezebel of...
Amid all the noise, jazz artist Patrick Smith aims to make an artistic statement
Being an up-and-coming musician often means getting your foot in as many doors as possible. Patrick Smith knows all about that. The...
When Kellylee Evans sings, you can’t help but listen
The Artistry of… Kellylee Evans Overcoming fantastic adversity and seeming impossible odds is a narrative far too many sadly have as part...
Antônio Carlos Jobim carried the essence of Brazil
The Artistry of… Antônio Carlos Jobim If you are known by one name, you are said to be mononymous. Antônio Carlos Jobim...
Up-and-coming artist Matt Lagan is following jazz to Berlin and beyond
Matt Lagan wants to see the world. He’s off to a great start, too. Already, the 24-year-old saxophonist from Toronto has played...
The spirituality of Cyrus Chestnut is the foundation of his music
The Artistry of… Cyrus Chestnut A TIME magazine music critic’s quote speaks volumes about Cyrus Chestnut’s artistry and personality: “What makes Chestnut the...
Thompson Egbo-Egbo portrays Oscar Peterson in new Heritage Minute
Outside it was a warm, Sunday afternoon in a blazing sun.. But inside it was dark, cool — in every sense —...
Charlie Haden helped change how the bass is played
The Artistry of… Charlie Haden Bass… The word defines depth and a richness of vastness. A way down there and grounded support....
Music of love and courage with Emily Steinwall
After vocalist and saxophone player Emily Steinwall graduated from Humber College two years ago, she hit a jackpot of sorts when she...
In Canada, Alex Cuba is pushing Latin music forward
This piece was originally published on FYIMusicNews. Before Alex Cuba arrived for this interview, I recalled my first encounter nearly 20 years back...
The music of Miles Davis is full of surprise, shock and energy
The Artistry of… Miles Davis Miles Davis’s music is pure pleasure, pure excitement, full of surprise, shock and energy. The drummer Lenny...
For trombonist Andrew Ripenburg, opportunity awaits in new places
When Andrew Ripenburg moved to Huntsville, Ont., this past summer, the young trombonist and composer was in a place he’d never been before...