August 2008
Return to Forever: Where Have I Known You Before
Even the group's most ardent fans—not to mention the four members of the classic lineup—never thought that Return to Forever would reunite. But RTF—Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Al Di Meola and Lenny White—is on the road, recreating (and updating) the music that helped define jazz-rock fusion in the 1970s. Don Heckman writes.
John Pizzarelli & Jessica Molaskey: Smooth Talkers
Ever wish you could walk into a radio studio once a week, make yourself comfortable and play the tunes you’ve been digging to anyone who happens to be listening? That’s exactly what guitarist John Pizzarelli and his singer-actress wife Jessica Molaskey get to do on their freeform syndicated program, Radio Deluxe. Christopher Loudon listens in.
Dave Matthews Band: What Would You Play
Dave Matthews Band—jam-band supremo, right? Sure, but don’t be too quick to judge, because these guys are jazzers at heart. In fact, they really wish folks would stop comparing them to the Dead and recognize how much they dig Trane and Bird. George Varga reports.
Vernon Reid: Mistaken Identity
“I’ve had an extraordinary life,” says the guitarist Vernon Reid. No kidding: An important player in New York’s downtown scene during the 1980s, Reid recorded with Ronald Shannon Jackson, John Zorn, Bill Frisell and others before achieving rock superstardom in Living Colour. His work since LC's heyday has proven equally audacious. By Evan Haga.
Mose Allison: Cover to Cover
Even if his name is unfamiliar, you can be sure you’ve heard the songs of Mose Allison, whether covered by the Who, Diana Krall, Van Morrison, John Mayall or dozens of others. Mike Joyce asks Allison what he thinks of all these interpretations.
IAJE: Miseducation
The International Association for Jazz Education, an invaluable coalition of jazz educators, students, business folk and media types, recently bit the dust due to financial distress. Did the once-proud organization falter because of these hard times, or is mismanagement at fault? Marc Hopkins has answers.
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