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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
Greg Lowe gave music his undivided attention
His guitar playing is focused, with a determination of intent and a pleasure for the music and the instrument. The late player...
Hugh Masekela played the rhythms of destiny and liberty
His music was like a voice for a culture and people, it vibrated with rhythms of destiny and liberty. His name: Hugh...
The artistry of Joni Mitchell is a gentle and powerful magic
So, I can’t listen to a Joni Mitchell song and not feel like I’ve been taught to see all over again. Like...
Melody Diachun takes jazz out to play
So often in its times, jazz has gone looking for fresh places to play. Seeking adventures with popular musics of its different...
Denielle Bassels sings stories of life’s adventures
Denielle Baseels teases Americana, and with that, I am hooked, and that hook is a vocal spectrum deeply rich with spirited feelings...
Bob James is his own kind of cool
Bob James was born on Christmas Day. There is something sweetly celebratory about that, something that hints at notions of a gift....
In music, Scott Hamilton is a consummate conversationalist
Jazz writer, critic and fellow tenor player Dave Gelly described Scott Hamilton this way: “A Scott Hamilton solo is like listening to...
Bobby Timmons played with unmistakable funkiness
He was a Philadelphian by birth. There is a whole lot of “can’t go wrong with that” in that. There is something...
John Hicks helped define the New York jazz scene
He was one of the Mr. Pianos of the jazz world. His piano world was as varied as the spectrum of traditional...
Bob Brookmeyer played with a stealthy swing
Bob Brookmeyer played the trombone — not just any trombone, but the valve trombone. The instrument familiar to so many has the...
Robyn Hayle sings it straight from her heart
With every song gifted like a personal story from the heart, Robyn Hayle must have a very big heart. A capacity for...