Bebop

political believes. The most notable musicians in these time were Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Ornette Coleman, and Dave Brubek. All of them moved the Jazz to another level. A new kind of Jazz became, some improvisation, no guides, new styles such as “Bebop”, many “solos”, different “tempo”, among others. Miles Davis recorded “Kind of Blue”, it was the best seller. He was a Jazz trumpeter. Another icon was Dave Brubek, he liked and used to give the “opportunity” to play “solos” to…

What is Cool? Groovy,tubular,brisk and relaxed could all be considered synonyms for the same word but with very different meanings behind them. The word cool is used describe such vast variety of things from people,places,events and feelings. “Grab your jacket honey, it's cool out there!” Mom exclaims as he is walking out the door to catch the bus on that first crisp cool morning of November. Then he had responded by saying “its cool mom, I will be alright” explaining how nonchalant and feeling…

The concet I attended is called Azesu (Maria Marquez) held in the California Jazz Conservatory. Azesu is comprised by Grammy winners David Pinto on bass, Omar Ledezma on percussion, Sheldon Brown on reeds, Alan Hall on drums and Jonathan Alford on piano. They plays songs from the Latin American Songbook and originals which represent the diverse musical heritage of its members. Featuring the vocals of Maria Marquez and Omar Ledezma, Azesu is a true hybrid group combining the rhythms of the…

What a great show from the veteran super group The Cookers. They presented their magnificent repertoire in two sets at the Nublu Jazz Festival. The band comprises an inflammatory frontline composed of Billy Harper on tenor saxophone, Donald Harrison on alto saxophone, and trumpeters Eddie Henderson and David Weiss. The respectful rhythm section brings us George Cables on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Billy Hart on drums. For tonight’s concert, pianist David Bryant, 33, replaced the…

On Monday evening, September 21, 2015, I had the pleasure of watching University Jazz Combos. The performance was held at the University of Louisville School Of Music in the Bird Recital Hall. These three combos consisted of the Mark Turner Combo directed by Tyrone Wheeler, Illinois Jacquet Combo directed by Ansyn Banks, and Michael Brecker Combo also directed by Ansyn Banks. I wasn’t for sure what to expect when coming to this concert. Different from the other jazz performance I attended, this…

Iconic vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson [1941-2016] was honored in a musical celebration colored by great performances of dearest fellows from different generations. In addition to an incredible instrumentalist, Hutcherson was a master composer who left an indelible mark over the course of a rich five-decade career. Classic records like Dialogue, Components, Oblique, and Cirrus will be forever in my heart. At the time we arrived at the packed St. Peter’s Church, vibraphonist Joe Locke was reading…

On Wednesday, September 20th at 7pm, I attended a music jazz concert at Las Hadas in Reseda, CA. It was inside of a vintage mexican restaurant, though to me it kind of looked like a lounge. In the audience, a few people were dressed in formal attire but majority of people were dressed in casual attire. While the band would play, couples would get up spontaneously to dance. On the other hand, the instrumentalist were set up like an orchestra but located in the direct center of the restaurant with…

Vancouver-born, San Francisco-based Michael Zilber, a talent of the saxophone, a dexterous composer, and a respected educator, exhibited his impressive skills side by side with jazz luminaries such as Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Stitt, Dave Liebman, Miroslav Vitous, and Dave Douglas. Now, leading an elastic quartet whose reliable rhythm section includes Dave Kikoski on piano, James Genus on bass, and Clarence Penn on drums, Zilber prepared “Originals for the Originals”, a beautiful 11-track album…

Jazz as a genre evolved throughout years due to the progressive artists that create it, but when deciding on who is the "greatest" of jazz musicians, the most important criteria when deciding should be influence and innovation, as the lasting effects of an artist on their artform is what they should be judged by. With this set criteria, the only artist that can be considered the "greatest" is Miles Davis, as he pioneered many of different techniques and genres of jazz. The first reason why Miles…

Lead by jazz director Marko Marcinko, with Jazz being one of my favorite forms of music, it was an honor to listen to Centre Dimensions Jazz Ensemble. Unfortunately, since I didn’t get the chance to listen to it live, I made sure to wear my beats headphones so I can hear every last instrument clearly. Instantaneously when the band started to play, I felt like I was in a 1920’s New Orleans club. The harmony was very upbeat and dance like, I began to tap my foot to the three beat tempo. The band…