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Maria Schneider/Dawn Upshaw: “Winter Morning Walks” (ArtistShare 121)
Winter Morning Walks is the first album in five years from composer Maria Schneider. It is not a jazz album, but a pair of orchestral song cycles featuring soprano Dawn Upshaw. As it represents a change of pace for both us and the artist, it seems appropriate to present Thomas Cunniffe’s review of the album…
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Michelle Lordi & the Art of Storytelling
Philadelphia vocalist Michelle Lordi loves to tell stories in song. She has a deep abiding interest in the Great American Songbook, but has also found viable material from alternative country singer Ryan Adams and the 1980s pop group, The Cars. In this month’s Sidetracks feature, Thomas Cunniffe introduces us to Lordi through her recordings and…
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Interviewing Miles
In the first edition of our new Sidetracks feature, Amy Duncan tells of getting the interview of a lifetime with the legendary (and notoriously difficult) Miles Davis. The first-person narrative is part of Duncan’s soon-to-be-published autobiography Getting Down To Brass Tacks: My adventures in the world of jazz, Rio and beyond.
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A Non-Review
Normally, this space would be filled with a book review. But this month, Thomas Cunniffe became quite frustrated with a new jazz listener’s guide he was asked to review. As he writes,This book is a particularly egregious example of shoddy work, which was pushed into the marketplace without recognition of its responsibilities or consequences. Cunniffe…
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The Unedited Paul Desmond
Paul Desmond’s blazing improvisation on The Way You Look Tonight (from the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s album Jazz at Oberlin) has long been considered one of the saxophonist’s greatest solos. An alert JHO reader discovered that the solo was edited when transferred from 10 LP to EP and 12 LP. In this Sidetracks feature, Thomas Cunniffe…
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Retro Technology
Invent a new recording technology and someone will claim that the old technology was better. The CD vs. LP discussion has gone on for the past several years, but Sony Music is going one step further, claiming that Miles Davis’ first 9 Columbia albums were designed to be heard in mono. Thomas Cunniffe speculates on…
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Those Marching Saints
When the Saints Go Marchin’ In is one of the oldest standards in the jazz repertory, and its origins are shrouded in mystery. In this month’s Sidetracks column, Thomas Cunniffe notes a startling resemblance between the Saints and a crucial part of the Catholic Requiem Mass.
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A Sick Kind of Humor
The New Yorker’s fake Sonny Rollins interview has probably gotten more attention than it ever deserved, but the suicide of Robin Williams has brought out a new and disturbing element about the Rollins article. In this special edition of Sidetracks, Thomas Cunniffe explores the darker side of the New Yorker’s satire.
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A Midsummer Night’s Stream
In recent years, many jazz venues have added live video streaming as a way to add to their revenue and recognition. Theoretically, a live feed should be the next best thing to being there, but in this month’s Sidetracks, Thomas Cunniffe discusses the highs and lows of video streaming, and spotlights a club that’s trying…
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The Summation 2012
Jazz History Online marks the new year with a summation of the year just passed. Thomas Cunniffe’s Sidetracks essay discusses the highlights of concerts, books, DVDs, films, and CDs of 2012, and bids farewell to many great musicians who left our world in the past 12 months.