Songwriter Hal David Dies
September 20, 2012
Influential songwriter and longtime creative partner to Burt Bacharach Hal David died of complications from a stroke earlier this month.
Read More…Amina Figarova
September 24, 2010
Amina Figarova has been earning recognition not only as a captivating pianist, but also as, “among the most important composers to come into jazz in the new millennium” (Thomas Conrad, JazzTimes). A native of Baku, Azerbijan, Figarova studied classical piano before switching to jazz after a 1988 trip to the Moscow Jazz Festival. She then […]
Read More…Wayne Wallace
October 28, 2009
Collaborations with the likes of Carlos Santana, Ray Charles, Sonny Rollins, John Lee Hooker, and Tito Puente, among many others, have established trombonist, composer/arranger, and producer Wayne Wallace as a powerful force in the world of jazz and beyond. Recipient of a NEA grant for jazz composition and frequently singled out in critics’ and readers’ […]
Read More…Maximizing the Benefits of Solo Transcription
January 9, 2008
While there are many pedagogical approaches to jazz improvisation, the most effective method of learning to play jazz remains learning tunes, phrases, and solos by ear from significant recordings. It is through this process that we gain an intimate knowledge not only of musical vocabulary, but also countless other essential musical elements such as phrasing, […]
Read More…Stanley Clarke
May 3, 2007
An inspired and innovative player, Stanley Clarke sits alongside a select few as one of the most influential bassists in contemporary music. From his early gigs with the likes of Pharoah Sanders, Art Blakey, Gil Evans, and Dexter Gordon to his groundbreaking work with Chick Corea in Return to Forever, to his more recent solo […]
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