bebop

Amazing piece from Sahib Shihab, a traditional piece from the Black Sea region of Turkey as far as I know. Off Companionship which contains the Francy Boland tune “Om Mani Padme Hum” apart from classics such as “Bohemia after dark” (which I’ll be doing a special post on soon) and “Insensatez”.

I literally craved to remember the melody in my head for an hour or so, when I had a brief flash in my head and queued Woody Shaw’s Cassandranite.

Belonging to a new generation of jazz artists that are slowly taking over the contemporary jazz world 30 year old trumpeter Corey Wilkes has successfully finished his up and coming stage which included graduating from Berklee, playing with the likes of Roscoe Mitchell, Wynton Marsalis, Steve Coleman and replacing the late Lester Bowie on the ranks of the immortal Art Ensemble of Chicago.

The master of Hammond B3 Dr. Lonnie Smith is still rockin’ on after over 5 decades of music. In an era when most of the singer-songwriters / rock musicians get totally exhausted after a few albums, jazz musicians like Smith get more refined with age. His new record Rise Up! released this February is a testimony that showcases his immense talent and a solid effort from his six piece orchestra.

It’s the last day of 2008 and we salute it by reminiscing a mammoth we two days ago. The influential jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard has passed leaving behind a legacy of jazz music and inspiration. He was a legend and he will be remembered through his music till eternity. R.I.P

Here’s an astonishing reissue of exotic jazz from 1984. Still Around by the Rudy Smith Quartet is the first record Rudy Smith made under his own name after the Modern Sound Quartet. Now, if you’re wondering what steel pan music is, you should stop what you’re doing and watch the video mindboggling live video below.

With great sadness and awe I read about the demise of Max Roach while on vacation a few days ago on a national newspaper. It felt a bit awkward to read about his death on a mainstream newspaper, which never ever ever says a thing about jazz or writes obituaries of important international artists, just bullshit magazine stuff. You know you’ve been an important artist when the news of your death is even featured on a mainstream tabloid in Turkey. Now that means something!.

Gerry Hemingway Quartet’s latest album The Whimbler is on the Portuguese Clean Feed label that focus on creative jazz. Mr. Hemingway is a drummer and his Quartet has been around since 1977, although with changing musicians throughout time. The music is centered around his rhythmic grooves and freestyling although you can hear some incredible synchronization with the brass section throughout the album.