Historically, jazz has been closely associated with great American cities, including New Orleans, Chicago, Los Angeles, Kansas City, St. Louis, Detroit, and, above all, New York. Ever since that horrific event that occurred on September 11, 2001, I felt it necessary on my radio show on www.umfm.com from Winnipeg, to pay tribute to that great […]readmore
July 1 marks yet another milestone in the evolution of our native land, as well as our musical landscape. Canada has never really had to take a backseat to other nations in the arts, especially in music. Legendary and iconic artists from our country have been revered for several decades worldwide. Some of them include […]readmore
If you are not totally convinced by now about the alignment of the stars and planets with the 12 main signs in the zodiac suite or world, then perhaps the pairing of various artists on recordings and concerts might serve to further promote this study that I have instigated with many glowing examples to follow. […]readmore
The involvement of women in the all-male world of jazz as early as the 1920s, not merely being singers and accompanists on piano or percussion, but also as various instrumentalists, composers, and arrangers. The evolution of this genre would be incomplete without the presence of such pioneers or trailblazers as The Boswell Sisters, Lil Hardin, […]readmore
As my musical intelligence grew in the 1960s/’70”s, I began, not only to think about the finest composers or lyricists, and occasionally both components in one entity, but also collaborations or writing teams. like Lennon/McCartney, King/Geoffin, Leiber/Stoller, John/Taupin, Jagger/Richards, and finally the team that jazz artists/disciples found most alluring, the sophisticated duo of composer Burt […]readmore
Occasionally I have been asked by people why a ‘nickname’; and why would anybody ever go to the trouble of trying to get an autograph. The latter question will be addressed in a future article, but for now I will attempt to explain why there exists an abundance of nicknames in communal environments for the […]readmore
I often thank God when it comes to turns or twists of fate in one’s destiny; and the fact that one of jazz’s finest pianists, composers, and combo leaders nearly became a vet instead of the famous jazz master into which he evolved. Before he ventured into the army, he founded an octet and then […]readmore
It could not have been an easy task being in the shadows of the greatest jazz composer of all time; but because of his extraordinary gifts as an arranger, composer, pianist and occasional lyricist, Billy ‘Swee Pea’ Strayhorn managed just fine, and. in fact, I believe he became one the greatest composers of improvised music […]readmore
Each year on or near November 18, I find myself thinking about my Huckleberry friend while singing one of my three favourite songs by the incomparable lyricist and sometimes composer, Johnny Mercer from Savannah, Georgia, Moon River; the other two being Dream and Laura; I Remember You and When The World Was Young notwithstanding. He […]readmore
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