The Flecktones are back on tour for the first time since 2011! You can see them this Sunday in Chicago, or on one of their U.S. dates over the short tour. Read a preview of the show in the Chicago Tribune.
Author: TKA
Nate Chinen for the New York Times-
When the jazz pianist Chick Corea celebrates a milestone birthday, he doesn’t hold back. In 2001, when he turned 60, he played a three-week career retrospective at the Blue Note Jazz Club. He did it again at 70, with an even broader array of partners.
And this year, for his 75th, Mr. Corea will preside over a marathon celebration at the club from Oct. 19 to Dec. 12 — eight weeks, with more than a dozen bands. Among them are two reconstituted versions of Return to Forever: an acoustic combo with Hubert Laws on flute and Ravi Coltrane on tenor saxophone, and a fusion powerhouse with John McLaughlin on guitar, Victor Wooten on bass and Lenny White on drums.
Mr. Corea will also connect with a longtime partner, the vibraphonist Gary Burton, and pay tribute to a former mentor, Miles Davis (with fellow Davis alumni like the bassist Marcus Miller and the alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett). He’ll play several nights of piano duos, including one with Brad Mehldau. And he’ll revisit his 1976 album “The Leprechaun” and his 1981 LP “Three Quartets,” with groups featuring Steve Gadd on drums. (Full details are at bluenote.net, with a presale starting on Wednesday.)
Along with giving Mr. Corea an excuse to convene some of his favorite collaborators, the series underscores the variety and versatility of his musical interests. He has won 22 Grammy Awards — most recently last year, for the double album “Trilogy” — and been recognized as a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master. He called from his home in Clearwater, Fla. These are excerpts from the conversation.
(6/6/16)
Sunny Jain, the enigmatic leader of RED BARAAT, was recently interviewed by Scroll.in, a prominent online news outlet for the Indian community. Throughout this in-depth interview, Sunny talks about his Bhangra influences and the onset of a new wave of desi jazz. Click here to read more at Scroll.in.
The Jazz Journalists Association has named Charles Lloyd their Tenor Saxophonist of the Year. Check out the full list of winners here.
Add another to the list: Cécile has already won another award in her young career, this time it is for Best Female Singer of the Year from Jazz Journalists Association. Check out the full list of winners here!
The Kurland Agency is excited to announce the recent signing of Squirrel Nut Zippers! They are touring this year to support the 20th anniversary of their top-selling album Hot. Check out their artist page below for tour dates and info.
During their recent tour of the U.K., Hot Club of Cowtown stopped by the BBC Radio Oxford studios to lay down some western swing during DJ Nick Piercey’s broadcast. The cameras were there to capture the action and the performance can now be streamed on the BBC website. Check it out!
Watch the video at BBC Radio Oxford
(5/9/16)
(4/29/16)
Tune into ABC tomorrow to see Pat Metheny, Chick Corea, and John McLaughlin celebrate International Jazz Day with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama! This all-star celebration concert should not be missed as TKA artists join jazz greats from all over the globe in a once in a lifetime performance!
This week on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the amazing Arturo Sandoval was a featured guest player with the house band, Jon Batiste and Stay Human. Sandoval and Colbert even had a trumpet duel, of sorts! Check out a video of the hilarious performance here!
(4/20/16)
“I’m never going to cry no more,” sings Davina Sowers on “Sunshine,” a New Orleans-influenced, triumphant jazz song from her band, Davina and the Vagabonds. As she continues to perform, though, she betrays the vulnerability behind her music; her voice quavers and wails, and as polished as the group’s sound is, raw emotion lies under the luster.