I’m fortunate to have known saxophonist Wayne Escoffery for more than half my life. His new album “The Only Son of One” is out and that provided reason enough to look back at some of my favorite moments in his recorded history at this early stage.
Continue ReadingThe legitimate approaches to solo jazz piano are as varied as jazz itself. As I gear up for the CD release concert for my first solo piano record, Turtle Steps here are some of my personal favorites.
Continue ReadingMax Roach is one of the most “underrated” musicians in modern jazz history, an odd statement about someone widely recognized as THE dominant influence on his instrument. But I stand behind it – here we look at 10 of my favorite tracks recorded under Max’s name.
Continue ReadingWant more success with less effort? Read on . . .
Continue ReadingI don’t usually devote Top 10 lists to musicians of my own generation, but I had to make an exception in this case.
Continue ReadingRather than dictating WHAT you should be practicing, here we explore the most physically low-impact way to accomplish the greatest amount of growth, something that should be useful whether your subsequent at-the-instrument time is 10 minutes or 8 hours.
Continue ReadingIt would be tough to name anyone in jazz whose music strikes such a balance of being infectiously joyous yet without the slightest watering-down of technique, harmony and overall depth.The list could, of course, be longer, but these are 10 of my favorite C.T. moments, presented in chronological order.
Continue ReadingI’m always hesitant to offer definitive “favorites” for most anything but Elvin is my favorite drummer, period. Enjoy this varied list . . .
Continue ReadingThis post is predicated on my belief that all we can control is doing the right thing to the best of our ability – to a large extent, the specific outcome is out of our hands. As such, when we try to affect positive change, the tangible outcome is an inadequate measure of success. Here I discuss this idea and tie it in with the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Continue ReadingA good tomato sauce is a great for coating pasta or spreading on pizza, and it’s a multi-purpose way to spruce up vegetables or soups or even sandwiches. AND, it’s actually quite easy and relatively cheap to make a tomato sauce that’s better than anything you’ve ever had from a jar.
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