Judging by past entries on this blog, one might assume that I’m no fan of Wynton Marsalis. Au contraire! I’ll be the first to rant against one of his many tenants with which I disagree, and his “fetishization of jazz icons”* coupled with a narrow view and ear of what constitutes jazz is bothersome, to [...]

I briefly discussed my frustration with social media here about eighteen months ago. I can’t remember what specifically moved me to write that, but I clearly recall being annoyed while I typed. (The heat didn’t help; I was living in Houston at the time.) Regardless of what was happening then, one things remains true: the [...]

This past Saturday I finally got to see Charles Lloyd (with his New Quartet) live at Ann Arbor’s Michigan Theater. These last five years or so I’ve become quite taken with Lloyd, and he’s perhaps my favorite living jazz saxophonist after Dave Liebman. (At least according to my wallet and library.) I blindly purchased 2001′s Hyperion [...]

I’ve been focused on my doubles – flute, clarinet, and piccolo – recently, as I’m performing in an upcoming production of Annie. Even though flute’s my primary double instrument, I’ve been playing it more than usual for this gig. And as a result, I’ve had notable doublers on my mind, one of jazz’s greatest being [...]

Have I really gone this whole time without featuring James Carter? Shame on me! I remember the first time I heard Mr. Carter: I was listening to Lazaro Vega’s Jazz From Blue Lake one night in early 2000 (a nightly ritual at that time), and that night’s featured artist was James Carter. Every night featured a different [...]