Jon Batiste is on top of the world
Jon Batiste is one of the most prolific and versatile musicians of any generation. He has spent his career bringing music back to...
Measha Brueggergosman: ‘Music heals, and unity and hope are a superpower’
Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman has gained an international reputation for her voice and artistry. Throughout her career, the Juno-winning singer has embraced the...
More than 30 years later, Bernie Senensky releases a long-shelved album
Pianist and composer Bernie Senensky has been a staple of the Canadian jazz scene for more than half a century, working with...
Sting on the songwriting approach of his latest album The Bridge
The son of a hairdresser and a milkman in North East England, Gordon Sumner grew up near Wallsend’s shipyards, which made a...
The Meters’ Leo Nocentelli talks long-lost solo album Another Side
Through his work in the 1960s and ’70s as a member of the Meters and a regular studio guitarist for Allen Toussaint,...
Richard Bona on hearing Jaco Pastorius: ‘From that day, I became a bass player’
Richard Bona is an absolute master, with a distinctive and unique style that has helped him earn a reputation as one of...
Sharon Preston-Folta on her father Louis Armstrong’s legacy: ‘With all of his greatness, he was human’
Louis Armstrong was known for many things when it comes to his music: natural creativity, showmanship, sense of humour, incredible ear, strong...
Norah Jones talks new Christmas album: ‘I needed to lift my own spirits’
Norah Jones has been a steady voice of warmth and reassurance for nearly 20 years. Now, the nine-time Grammy winner and platinum-selling...
In her unique way, Molly Johnson brings joy to the holiday season
"Not everybody in Canada celebrates Christmas, but we all celebrate light, love, family and joy. I tried to really put that into this new record."...
Irma Thomas tells her life story in new documentary
Irma Thomas is so familiar to the people of New Orleans, her music such a part of the local lexicon, that she...
Oscar Peterson: A bridge between the past and present of jazz
This article was originally published by FYIMusicNews. I spent the past week sifting through cassettes of past interviews, some dating back to...
Jon Cleary’s journey from a rural U.K. village to the Crescent City
Jon Cleary’s love and affinity for New Orleans music goes back to the rural British village of Cranbrook, Kent, where he was...
Barry Elmes celebrates 30 years of his quintet
Barry Elmes is a mainstay of the Toronto jazz scene. The drummer, composer, bandleader, educator and owner of the independent record label...
Director Barry Avrich on the making of his Oscar Peterson documentary
Barry Avrich is the writer, director and executive producer of Oscar Peterson: Black + White. The documentary had its world premiere at...
Kate McGarry and Keith Ganz talk new album What to Wear in the Dark
It was several years ago that I first discovered the music of Kate McGarry and I was instantly captured by not only...
How Flora Purim came to be ‘the queen of Brazilian jazz’
Flora Purim has been called “the queen of Brazilian jazz.” There’s a good reason for that. The singer was a founding member...
How Arturo O’Farrill brought the world together with Virtual Birdland
Over the past year, Arturo O’Farrill turned an incredibly challenging time for musicians into likely the most ambitious recording project of his...
Patricia Barber is always moving forward
It’s hard to know exactly how to introduce Patricia Barber. To some, she’s a composer, adding her impressive and important voice to...
How major life events shaped Andy Milne’s music
Growing up as a young music student in Ontario, Andy Milne thought the Junos were possibly unrelated to his musical world —...
Regina Carter is upholding Geri Allen’s passion for music education
Over the past few decades, we’ve seen jazz education move from the bandstand to the classroom — and we’ve watched women move...
Alex Cuba goes bigger than ever with Mendó
On his latest album Mendó, Alex Cuba went bigger than ever, reaching across the world to collaborate with some of Latin music’s...
Annabelle Chvostek talks cross-cultural new album String of Pearls
Annabelle Chvostek is a Toronto-based singer, composer and producer whose music harkens back to the grittiness of 1930s tango, vaudeville and swinging...
Daymé Arocena stays in touch with her Havana roots
Visionary vocalist and composer Daymé Arocena has been staying deeply in touch with her Havana roots. Once described as Cuba’s “finest young female...