Everyday objects – a chair, a spoon – have for years been changed and arguably improved upon in terms of materials, ergonomics and usability, and of course, their looks. Something about my growing up period and an affinity for these tools of life has made me appreciate their design. A child of the sixties, I’m specifically drawn to the turn of the century through mid-century. I find particular beauty in that era’s sense of design for the utilitarian, because even though a spoon is a spoon, those crafters and artisans gave a lot of consideration to the shape and lines of a thing. Through the ye ..read more

You don’t need a shrink to tell you what bridges can be emblematic of: progressing or regressing to another physical place; transitioning to another emotional state; the desire/yearning to see “what’s over on the other side.” I have always been drawn to bridges as a photographic element. (Below: photo of Robert O. Norris Jr. Bridge over northern Virginia’s Rappahannock River.) My own history with bridges started at age eight. I was present with my parents at the ribbon cutting of New York City’s Verrazano Bridge. I talk a little about it in my father’s biography (one of his paintings of it ap ..read more

There’s this great old-timey antique mall near me. Yesterday, I went there to scope out some classic picture frames to use for exhibiting and selling my photography (I’ll also need to purchase mats) and found quite a few! I was also tempted to buy some very old instruments just because (accordion, clarinet, and a sax). Then, I saw this. Had to buy it. Did a quick search as I stood there looking up at it. It was mounted near the ceiling so I couldn’t see the tag and had no idea of the price. I entered the name NEWTON MILLER – so meticulously printed by the artist – into my phone and nothing. A ..read more

A new book, 365 Days of Practice (Sher Music Co., 2024) by NYC-based classical and jazz saxophonist Rick Margitza, serves up an engaging tone and well-explained methods for sax players who want clear and doable goals. Here, Margitza has provided a year’s worth of scales, tritones, diatonic intervals, and many other short examples that demonstrate how to practice and fully learn the jazz lexicon. The book is extremely easy to follow and upbeat, encouraging musicians of all ages and levels to play more intuitively. What inspired you to write this book and how do these methods help the student re ..read more

This novel about self-discovery with a jazzy twist invites the reader to follow the main character, a budding singer in 1970s Baltimore, through her self-doubts as she goes on the road and learns some challenging life lessons. Author Jean Burgess’s strong fiction debut is an excellent study of character and emphasizes the power of friendship against a satisfying musical background. Note: This book is available for preorder until its release on April 9, 2024: https://www.amazon.com/That-Summer-She-Found-Voice/dp/1627204857. When did you first get the idea for this book? I had been kicking aroun ..read more

Belgium-based Pretoria-born artist and singer Tutu Puoane has new tracks coming March 15 in her new album called Wrapped in Rhythm. There is on-point phrasing, ethereality and poignancy (“Land of Broken Mirrors”), light funk (“Illicit Love,” that, by the way, has luscious changes), and the assertive bass that starts off “Courage” that brings a swing Puoane uses to full effect. With vocal flexibility and crisp storytelling that reminds this listener of Gregory Porter, Puoane’s lyrics are sparklingly creative and executed simply perfectly. What was the jazz scene growing up and how has it develo ..read more

In his new book, Dreams in Double Time: On Race, Freedom, and Bebop (Duke University Press 2023), Jonathan Leal writes like jazz, even when “only” recollecting his intro to the concept, which occurred via a Sears and Roebuck saxophone delivered into his grandfather’s hands. On his own ideas and reflections about music and what it means to him, Leal says:             I have felt his tastes steering my questions, his memory guiding my ears. Dreams not only explores the Black origins of bebop, but how the music was a tool to deal with the US ..read more

It’s basically one of the classic “everysongs” that has captured the imagination since the turn of the century…the 1900s, that is. Countless bands and single artists have covered it, twisted and reworked it, and made it their own. It’s got a heaviness, a spooky vibe, something between melancholy and danger, and it circles our relationship with death. “St. James Infirmary” is a trip down shadowy hallways into the depths of loss and grief and the struggle to come up for air, into the light and among the living. I Went Down to St. James Infirmary: Investigations in the Shadowy World of Early Jazz ..read more

While funk is the overall vibe here, Lewade “Big Wade” Milliner and his Black Swan Theory clearly show homage to their jazz heroes as well. In their latest project, Piano Man, the lush harmonies and sweet, mellow feels take hold. The title track is a love song with rolling piano and ethereal percussion (cymbals have a proud presence), Big Wade’s lyrics like tendrils reaching to the heart. And “Intro: Piano Man” has crystal clear inspirational commentary from performance poet Just Ku; she’s the right blend with Wade’s impressionistic piano meanderings. “Keep You Satisfied” kicks up the heat whi ..read more

Drummer, composer and band leader Angelo Velasquez (band name: YOCOYA) has just dropped Tierra y Alma, a trip dancing sometimes lightly and sometimes deeply steeped in the creativity of its highly accomplished musicians. A soaring sax and sizzling crackling start off “Gates of Tollan” that jumps into a full-speed engagement before the sax grabs that melody back and struts its stuff. A space for a brilliant bass and click-clackety thrumming drums, then fingers flying over the keys, the band stirring up a wild ride through glowing changes, arpeggiated mini-thoughts, a feast for the ear to behold ..read more