Lang Lang Revealed - narrated by Jazz Legend Herbie Hancock.
Jazz master Wynton Marsalis says the blues is the true American music -- the heartbeat and unifying principle of jazz, country, R&B, gospel and other styles -- but it's been relegated to the back of the bus by greed and the legacy of racism.
As you walk down Prince Street in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, it may be easy to forget that it's 2009.
Pat Davis was just 10 years old when two black men came into his father's barbecue joint in the heart of the Mississippi Delta in 1947. A huge fuss ensued, with four racists shouting every name in the book.
Madeleine Peyroux has carved out a successful career as an interpreter of songs from greats such as Billie Holiday, Patsy Cline and Leonard Cohen. But on her fourth album, the smoky-voiced singer holds the mirror up to herself.
Los Angeles Film Festival (June 18 -- 28) Since the Oscars are a closed shop to the general public, turning up in L.A. for the biggest night in the movie calendar -- unless you happen to be on the guest list -- is pretty much a non-starter.
The Queen of the Blues is dead.
Of all the amazing New Orleans, Louisiana, musicians, my favorite could be Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews.
The home life Diana Krall shares with husband (and fellow musical brain) Elvis Costello and their 2-year-old twin boys is a little nutty.
Havana has a thriving cultural scene and is the setting for world-class ballet and film festivals. But it's also a city of music, sunshine and rum, and Havana knows how to throw a damn fine party. Here are some of the city's biggest and best annual events.
Lang Lang Revealed - narrated by Jazz Legend Herbie Hancock.
Jazz master Wynton Marsalis says the blues is the true American music -- the heartbeat and unifying principle of jazz, country, R&B, gospel and other styles -- but it's been relegated to the back of the bus by greed and the legacy of racism.
As you walk down Prince Street in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, it may be easy to forget that it's 2009.
Pat Davis was just 10 years old when two black men came into his father's barbecue joint in the heart of the Mississippi Delta in 1947. A huge fuss ensued, with four racists shouting every name in the book.
Madeleine Peyroux has carved out a successful career as an interpreter of songs from greats such as Billie Holiday, Patsy Cline and Leonard Cohen. But on her fourth album, the smoky-voiced singer holds the mirror up to herself.
Los Angeles Film Festival (June 18 -- 28) Since the Oscars are a closed shop to the general public, turning up in L.A. for the biggest night in the movie calendar -- unless you happen to be on the guest list -- is pretty much a non-starter.
The Queen of the Blues is dead.
Of all the amazing New Orleans, Louisiana, musicians, my favorite could be Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews.
The home life Diana Krall shares with husband (and fellow musical brain) Elvis Costello and their 2-year-old twin boys is a little nutty.
Havana has a thriving cultural scene and is the setting for world-class ballet and film festivals. But it's also a city of music, sunshine and rum, and Havana knows how to throw a damn fine party. Here are some of the city's biggest and best annual events.
The United States Mint launched a new coin Tuesday featuring jazz legend Duke Ellington, making him the first African-American to appear by himself on a circulating U.S. coin.
In 1959, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. came to India to further understand Mahatma Gandhi's tactics of passive resistance.
Use these activities to encourage your students to learn about and appreciate the history, culture and achievements of African-Americans.
On the dawn of the most historic inauguration of our time, we nervously await "change we can believe in."
Grammy-winning trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, a leading figure in jazz during a five-decade career, has died at age 70, about a month after suffering a heart attack, his publicist said Tuesday.
If there's one thing Quincy Jones can't stand, it's people without a sense of history.
"Cadillac Records," the story of a rowdy musical revolution and the record label that helped to launch it, begins in 1941, when Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright) is a sharecropper playing slide guitar under the blazing hot Mississippi sun.
Jazz musician Wynton Marsalis knows how important education is for youth, but what feeds their minds and souls, he says, often lies beyond traditional classroom walls.
Jazz has always been a popular form of music because its improvisatory nature is easily adapted by a community or nation to reflect its individual identity.
Jazz saxophonist Johnny Griffin, who played with America's greats from Thelonious Monk to Lionel Hampton but chose to live in France, died hours before a concert
Bo Diddley, the musical pioneer whose songs, such as "Who Do You Love?" and "Bo Diddley," melded rhythm and blues and rock 'n' roll through a distinctive thumping beat, has died. He was 79.
VIDEO: The influential musician helped the blues evolve into rock 'n' roll
Diddley, a founding father of rock 'n' roll and an inspiration for legions of musicians, died Monday at the age of 79
The best-selling pop album on planet Earth and a disc sent hurtling into deep space are among recordings the Library of Congress will preserve for their cultural significance
Grammy-winner Mariah Carey Рwhose new No. 1 album, E = MC2, sold 463,000 copies in its first week Рis hitting another high: This weekend the Empire State Building in New York City will be lit in lavendar, pink and white in her honor. One of the most successful female recording artists of all time, Carey, 39, recently surpassed Elvis Presley̢۪s record of 17 No. 1 hits with her 18th, "Touch My Body."
It looked like it was going to be all Amy Winehouse -- until the end.
Herbie Hancock has been here before.
Tony Bennett is having the last laugh -- again.
Drummer Jack DeJohnette had some fun with his jazz musician friends by asking them to guess who's playing piano with him on a fast-paced version of John Coltrane's "Giant Steps."
Max Roach, the master percussionist whose rhythmic innovations and improvisations defined bebop jazz during a wide-ranging career where he collaborated with artists from Duke Ellington to rapper Fab Five Freddy, has died after a long illness
One week after marrying his longtime girlfriend, legendary crooner Tony Bennett and new wife Susan Crow divulged a few details about the secret to their decades-long relationship.
It took 20 years - but Tony Bennett finally married his longtime girlfriend Susan Crow in New York City, his rep confirms to PEOPLE.
From distinctive sounds to literary eminence, African-American performers, artists and writers have transformed their respective fields. The following is just a sampling of African Americans whose contributions have changed the arts.
A year after Hurricane Katrina ran its ruinous course over New Orleans, all America is aware of the botch that state, local and federal government made of rescue and rehabilitation efforts. As the Wall Street Journal reported recently, "Uncle Sam has spent some five times more on Katrina relief than any other natural disaster in the past 50 years." The city remains only about half-populated. A lot more needs to be done, and if it is not accomplished soon important commercial and cultural losses may follow that could be irreparable for the home of American jazz.
Herb Wong and Jimmy Lyons were friends and San Francisco jazz radio broadcasters in the early 1950s when Lyons founded the Monterey Jazz Festival. Wong has been to all 48 Monterey festivals, has emceed many of them, and will be at this year's 49th annual festival, too.
The Monterey Jazz Festival can't claim that it's the biggest or oldest jazz festival in the world, but it can claim the devotion of jazz royalty.
When Hurricane Katrina swept through Louisiana during the American summer last year, it left New Orleans in a shambles and musician Davell Crawford without a home.
Montreux Jazz Festival founder Claude Nobs is often referred to as "Nobby's in the Lobby."
JC: Jamie Cullum LH: Lorraine Hahn
LH: Lorraine Hahn WL: Wang Lee Hom
Halle Berry had to write "I will not make 'Catwoman II' " on a chalkboard four times in order to earn her pudding pot as Harvard's Hasty Pudding woman of the year.
Do you have an inside tip on Warsaw? Send us your suggestions below.
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin on Friday unveiled a panel of civic leaders tasked with developing a plan for the city's rebirth by the end of the year, while more residents were given permission to return a month after Hurricane Katrina.
For every Lisa Simpson, tooting on her saxophone, there are dozens of Barts who prefer Game Boys and slingshots. But if the Simpsons' fictitious Springfield was revealed to be California's Monterey County, where jazz education thrives, even the spiky-haired prankster could be transformed into a cool jazz cat.
The leader of one band taking part in the 48th Monterey Jazz Festival says his collection of rock stars sets out to create improvised "chaos" on stage -- with the possibility of a "train wreck."
H. Johnson has pretty much heard it all.
Several noted R&B singers and musicians played roles -- and songs -- in "The Blues Brothers." Among them:
Airdate: March 16th, 2005
Thanks to an innovative Chicago label called Soundies, an extraordinary collection of vintage jazz and pop recordings will soon be available on the Internet--fully indexed and searchable. Soundies ...
Some record producers like to dominate a song, piling on the instruments, echo and sonic devices. Think of Phil Spector with his Wall of Sound, Trevor Horn piloting Frankie Goes to Hollywood or Max Martin's teenybopper confections, for example.
Eight years ago, Madeleine Peyroux's debut album, "Dreamland," was showered with praise.
Musicians tune up, cooks fire up and ticket holders line up as the Monterey Jazz Festival swings into its 47th year, and fans from around the world celebrate food, festivities and all that's jazz.
Marian McPartland, the legendary jazz pianist and host of National Public Radio's "Piano Jazz," returns this year to the Monterey Jazz Festival. She'll perform, and she'll also join panel discussions with musicians such as Clark Terry and Bill Charlap and jazz enthusiast Clint Eastwood.
Advertising has Madison Avenue. The theatre has Broadway and finance has Wall Street. But it's hard to find one central stretch of road for the music industry. There are, however, certain streets and stretches where music history resides. Here's a quick drive-by of musical hot spots.
Ray Charles, the innovative singer and pianist whose combinations of blues and gospel pioneered soul music and earned him the nickname "the Genius," has died. He was 73.
Backstage at the Hollywood Roosevelt snaps with energy as Michael Bublé delivers a preshow pep talk to his musicians: "Get wild, get crazy," he tells them on his CD/DVD release, "Come Fly With Me."
The blues are back at Chess Records Studio.
Before he'd finished high school, Wynton Marsalis was already a legend in his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana.
Tony Randall is recuperating from pneumonia following bypass surgery in December, his publicist said Thursday.
Drink Small, the legendary Carolina bluesman, said it best: "Two hundred years from now, church people will be singing 'Amazing Grace.' And two hundred years from now, blues people will be singing ...
Nikka Costa Everybody Got Their Something Cheeba Sound
American Jazz Museum, Kansas City, Mo. 816-474-8463; www.americanjazzmuseum.com. Listen to recordings by Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker or sit in on twice-monthly lectures by li...
Every college has a student who turns out to be the self-anointed music authority, and at my school that student was me. I was the college newspaper's rock columnist, I managed the on-campus record...
Acetone York Blvd. Vapor Records
If anyone has a right to the blues, it's Willie Nelson. At 67, the red-headed stranger from Abbott, Texas, can look back on a string of life lessons learned the hard way: failed marriages, record-l...
GRANT HART Good News for Modern Man (Pachyderm) You've got to love underdogs, especially when they rock as hard as Grant Hart. Unfairly overshadowed by comparison with his onetime Husker Du bandmat...
Jeff Gordinier's recent Transoceanic In-Flight Playlists have admirably addressed the typical six- to eight-hour plane trip. But New York-Tokyo requires special preparation. It's a marathon--14 1/2...
True audiophiles know that even a $200,000 stereo (and they do exist) can't match the sound of a live performance. So, for those folks for whom high fidelity just isn't high enough, QRS Music offer...
The word on Roy Eldridge's role in the evolution of jazz trumpet has always been that he's the link between Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. That's perfectly complimentary, but it's like saying...
In 1970, Miles Davis--with cats like Chick Corea and Wayne Shorter--released the critically acclaimed Bitches Brew, and fusion was born. This November,Columbia/Legacy comes out with The Complete Bi...
Nicholas Payton is huge. Not in body and not in fame, though his rep is fast rising. It's when it comes to the sound he pushes from his trumpet that you think of Louis Armstrong.
Need a wake-up call? Bored with music that's too familiar, too nice? Try the Mingus Big Band. You may never sleep again.
There's fusion, and there's fusion by Miles Davis. The subgenre Davis created with the release of his 1969 masterpiece In a Silent Way spawned a legion of dreadful imitators. This makes it all too ...
Nina Simone sang with more emotion, Billie Holiday with more sophistication, but no one had Ella Fitzgerald's perfect pitch. Verve's 3-CD set Ella Fitzgerald: Best of the Song Books: The Collection...
THIS VALENTINE'S DAY, THINK CDS. Nope, not certificates of deposit. (If you're interested in those, see Money Monitor.) We mean the musical variety--compact disks.
Comedy clubs were booming as the curtain lifted on the 1990s. But it's no laughing matter on the club scene anymore. Comedy has crashed, and is being routed by blues clubs and a revival of performa...
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