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CONCERT JOURNAL (Spring/Summer 2021)
Jazz History Online’s new feature, Concert Journal, offers capsule reviews of performances from various locations up and down the Atlantic seaboard. This regularly updated column is part of JHO’s new focus on live performance. Thomas Cunniffe acts as reviewer and guide.
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THE SWINGLES AT POPEJOY HALL, ALBUQUERQUE, NM (December 19, 2019)
In a holiday-themed concert at Popejoy Hall in Albuquerque, The Swingles proved once again that they are without equals among vocal groups. While the group was able to overcome the temporary loss of one member when they sang in Lakewood Colorado last March, their concert in Albuquerque found the entire group present and in splendid…
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CHICK COREA/CHRISTIAN McBRIDE/BRIAN BLADE AT MACKY AUDITORIUM (Boulder; October 9, 2019)
The supertrio of Chick Corea, Christian McBride and Brian Blade has so much musical experience that their concert performances can–and frequently do–go in many different directions. At a recent performance at Macky Auditorium, the group used compositions by jazz giants to illustrate its expansion of the trio style. However, “Trilogy 2”, the double CD documenting…
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VAIL JAZZ PARTY (August 29-September 2, 2019)
The 25th Vail Jazz Party featured its usual mix of returning and new artists, several new recurring performances, a new venue for the Party’s most popular event, and an energetic festival staff that is building on the Vail legacy to create new and exciting additions to the existing festival. Thomas Cunniffe’s review is accompanied with…
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ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY AT VAIL SQUARE (July 25, 2019)
For Ann Hampton Callaway, her “Jazz Goes to the Movies” concerts are more than just misty-eyed trips down memory lane. As she explained to the audience at Vail Square on July 25, 2019, the music explores dreams, both as wish fulfillment and as a salve for a troubled world. In an 18-song, two-act show, she…
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CYRILLE AIMÉE AT THE SOILED DOVE, DENVER (June 6, 2019)
The Soiled Dove, a 300-seat club in East Denver was transformed into an intimate cabaret on June 6, 2019, as Cyrille Aimée presented her jazzy interpretations of Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway songs. Thomas Cunniffe was there, and in this Concert Review, he reports that the music’s presentation varied considerably from her recent CD, as Cyrille used…
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The Swingles at Lakewood Cultural Center (March 16, 2019)
The loss of a voice can be traumatic to a chamber vocal group. The Swingles arrived for their concert in Lakewood, Colorado, minus one pivotal member, lead soprano Federica Basile, who was unable to travel due to a delayed US artist visa. The group members did some crafty editing of their arrangements, and performed 6-voice…
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Chucho Valdes’ Afro-Cuban Messengers at the DU Newman Center, Denver (February 14, 2012)
70 year old Cuban piano maestro Chucho Valdes brought his Afro-Cuban Messengers to the University of Denver’s Newman Center for an exciting Valentine’s Day concert. Jazz History Online’s Latin jazz correspondent, Janine Santana was there and she offers this review.
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Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom at Green Mill, Chicago (October 20, 2017)
Although Allison Miller’s sextet Boom Tic Boom had just played an acclaimed set at the Chicago Jazz Festival over the Labor Day weekend, she was back in Chicago (with a somewhat different personnel) for a mid-October gig at the Green Mill. Thomas Cunniffe was on a working holiday in the Windy City, and he offers…
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Curtis Fuller & Keith Oxman at Dazzle, Denver (April 13, 2012)
It might seem unlikely that a 77-year-old legend of bop trombone and a 53-year-old instrumental music teacher would create a lasting collaboration, but Curtis Fuller and Keith Oxman have done just that. Thomas Cunniffe reviews their latest performance at Denver’s Dazzle night club.