The transition from ragtime to stride . . . from collective improvisation to soloing . . . from the New York Dance Band Sound into the Swing Era. These are some of the subjects covered in depth in Fumi Tomita’s new book, Early Jazz (SUNY Press: 2024). The book begins in the late 19th Century and traces jazz’s development up until 1929. While giants such as James P. Johnson (photo above), Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, and Louis Armstrong are naturally featured throughout, there are also some interesting segments on lesser known artists such as trumpeter Red Nichols, trombonist ..read more

At the recent Rochester International Jazz Festival, trumpeter Jim Rotondi led his own quintet on June 28 and played with the One For All sextet (of which he was a founding member) on June 29. Eight days later, the 61-year-old Rotondi passed away in Graz, Austria. To another One For All founding member, trombonist Steve Davis, posting on Facebook, Rotondi’s death “has been devastating to absorb. Jim was the epitome of decency…a soulful straight-up guy who possessed a wonderfully dry sense of humor. He was a brilliant musician, virtuoso trumpeter, composer, arranger, educator…a total, complete ..read more

When trumpeter Wallace Roney, Jr. performed at The Falcon in Marlboro, NY, in October 2022, Rudy Lu of nippertown.com, the arts website of Schenectady’s Daily Gazette, reported that Roney “is no stranger to the world of jazz,” pointing out that he is the son of the late trumpeter Wallace Roney and the late pianist Geri Allen. Lu added that Roney, Jr., “is making his own name in the jazz world,” having played with such luminaries as the late pianist Chick Corea and saxophonist Ornette Coleman as well as drummer Jack DeJohnette and bassist Buster Williams. He added that, Roney, Jr. had recently ..read more

There was a special connection between tap dancer Maurice Hines and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra. Hines’ longstanding manager, the late Stanley Kay, who also managed drummer Buddy Rich, created the DIVA Jazz Orchestra in 1993 after hearing drummer Sherrie Maricle play at a 75th anniversary celebration of New York’s Schubert Theater. Hines (photo above), who also performed at the Schubert event, passed away on December 29, 2023, at the age of 80. On July 29, DIVA and tap dancers/vocalists John and Leo Manzari will present “A Celebration of Maurice Hines — Tappin’ Thru Life’ at Birdland. Special gues ..read more

Tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves’ 27-chorus solo on “Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue” with the Duke Ellington Orchestra at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival is etched in jazz history. It energized the Newport audience and rejuvenated Ellington’s band. So, the prospect of recreating that moment at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 2024 Essentially Ellington competition had to be daunting to 18-year-old Newark Academy tenor saxophonist Ani Chakravarthy. But he took it all in stride. “It was one of the tougher solos to learn,” he said. “Paul Gonsalves lit it up. I first just went through all the recordings ..read more

For the first 48 years of his life, Fraser MacPherson, one of the finest jazz tenor saxophonists, was relatively unknown outside of Canada, having spent his career playing mostly in Vancouver. The story of how this magnificent musician escaped the kind of international recognition that he deserved and eventually enjoyed is told with detail and sensitivity in Fraser MacPherson: I Don’t Have to Go Anywhere – I’m Already Here, a biography written by his son, Guy MacPherson (Cellar Music, Vancouver: 2024). John Fraser MacPherson was born in Winnipeg in 1928. His family moved to Victoria on Vancouv ..read more

The New Jersey Jazz Society is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s Juried Scholarship Competition. They are: $1,000 prize for Performance, Pianist Lasse Corson, Minneapolis, William Paterson University Jazz Studies. $1,000 prize for Composition, Saxophonist Joseph Foglia, Raleigh, NC, William Paterson University Jazz Studies. $500 prize for Performance, Saxophonist Isaac Yi, Leonia, NJ, Princeton University Program in Musical Performance. $500 prize for Composition, Trumpeter Gabriel Chalick, Naples, FL, Princeton University Program in Musical Performance Lasse Corson When Corson wa ..read more

Vocalist Dani Assis’ bio points out that he was born into a musical family. That is an understatement. “When I was younger,” he said, “I didn’t know there was anything else to life other than music because both my parents were musicians. My mom, Adriana Quadros, is a wonderful singer, and my father, Nanny Assis, is a percussionist (and singer), so I remember being under 10, just crawling under the tables of New York bars — SOBs (Sounds of Brazil), the Zinc Bar, the Knickerbocker — all these great places where the music really happens. From an early age, there was nothing else I could do.” The ..read more

The Newark Academy jazz band, Chameleon (photo above), took first place in this year’s Essentially Ellington competition, sponsored by Jazz at Lincoln Center. This was the Livingston, NJ, independent school’s seventh time as an EE finalist but the first time it finished on top. As reported in the May 2024 Jersey Jazz Magazine, the band prepared three pieces for the finals, which took place from May 9-11 at Frederick P. Rose Hall: “Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue” with solo by tenor saxophonist Ani Chakravarthy; “Golden Cress” with solo by trombonist Vanessa Fang; and “Boy Meets Horn” featurin ..read more

The Forbidden Tropics band, led by Perth Amboy-based guitarist Alejandro Ataucusi, blends Afro-Peruvian rhythms with harmonic elements of jazz. The Afro-Peruvian styles developed from the music of the African slaves brought by the Spanish to Peru during the 17th century. The band will be bringing its festive music to the Madison, NJ, Community Arts Center on Sunday, June 9, as part of the New Jersey Jazz Society’s Jersey Jazz LIVE! series. Among the styles played by Forbidden Tropics are: Festejo, which in Spanish means “celebration”, and is the most buoyant of the Afro-Peruvian styles. Lando ..read more