Ron Carter is a champion of the culture of jazz
Ron Carter is a champion of the culture of jazz. His playing is an amalgam of experiences, music-making adventures, and influences of...
Geoffrey Keezer’s playing is descriptive and engaging
Geoffrey Keezer’s soundscape is signatured with a deceptively gentle determination as he traverses the piano keyboard. He explores many genres that so...
Robin McKelle has the enchantment of a storyteller
Some of the enchantment of the storyteller’s magic is the way they tell the story — how they make it come alive...
Rigmor Gustafsson speaks with melody
The singer was a guitarist first — an instrument that is so often the foundation and all-in-one rhythm section of the player-singer...
Gary Burton is a great charmer of the vibraphone
When you think of the mechanics and the organics of the vibraphone, you may be readily excused for assuming they are less...
Peter Bernstein represents the richest of jazz’s eras
The words of a master about a new player blazing a trail into the ranks with many of the best are words...
How these five jazz musicians take influence from classical music
I’ve been attending concerts by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra ever since I moved to the city in 1980. As I grow older,...
Samara Joy deserves to be mononymous
I love this quote: “Samara Joy makes her case to join the likes of Sarah, Ella, and Billie as the next mononymous...
For Wayne Escoffery, the saxophone mimics the human voice
The Artistry of… Wayne Escoffery The sounds of music were constant when Wayne Escoffery was a child. His parents were not professional...
The voice of Johnny Hartman is like a warm hug
The Artistry of… Johnny Hartman The luscious, rich baritone voice of Johnny Hartman is an unforgettable corner in a world with far...
With his guitar, Gilad Hekselman defies the instrument’s mechanics
The Artistry of… Gilad Hekselman He’s a guitarist who makes his instrument sound like a voice, defying the instrument’s mechanics and allowing...
Guido Basso is a musical messenger
The Artistry of… Guido Basso From the earliest of times, the sound of the horn signalled a coming message: a happening, news,...
The artistry of Mary Stallings is rich with life experience
The Artistry of… Mary Stallings There is an elegance and maturity to Mary Stallings that results in a richness of artistry that...
The best of Joey DeFrancesco: Five albums by the king of jazz organ
Universally regarded as the king of the Hammond B3 organ, Joey DeFrancesco was both admired as an artist and loved as a man. These five albums showcase the inventiveness, energy and joy of his music....
Eric Reed remains true to the music’s message
The Artistry of… Eric Reed Art is art and influence comes from many sources, things, and existences. I love it when there...
Mike Downes is the smiling bassist
The Artistry of… Mike Downes I have called Mike Downes the smiling bassist before — for good reason. He’s still smiling. I...
The music of Terence Blanchard is deeply visual
The Artistry of… Terence Blanchard When I was a young child, someone bought me a kaleidoscope from the bookshop at a museum....
The artistry of Shirley Horn was in the strength of expression
The Artistry of… Shirley Horn Shirley Horn not only played piano and sang, but she played with the piano the same way...
The music of Mark Isham acts as a multi-layered lens
The Artistry of… Mark Isham Art made to capture sentiments expressed in and by another art form is special. Music made to...
Cannonball Adderley put his soulful signature on the language of jazz
The Artistry of… Cannonball Adderley Sometimes I imagine jazz to be a language we all have forgotten in a moment, but that...
The hip-hop producers who went crate-digging for Brazilian jazz
In the 1960s, Brazilian musicians made a huge splash with the development of bossa nova. A style of samba, it was pioneered...
Jodi Proznick leads with beautiful, sweet expression
The Artistry of… Jodi Proznick I like it when the foundation takes determined and confident steps out to the front — when...
Luis Anselmi strives to bring the sounds of Venezuela to a global audience
Up-and-coming artist Luis Anselmi has had a busy year. The 27-year-old Venezuelan musician based in Toronto has performed recitals with Humber College...