Imagine standing under a swaying palm tree, shading yourself from the blazing tropical sun; a welcome breeze off the ocean, helping to cool the 90+ degree heat; viewing some of the most spectacular land and seascapes anywhere in the world while waiting to go snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef; walking on beaches that stretch as far as the eye can see; having parrots and cockatiels land almost at your feet; and all this to the sounds of jazz heard everywhere. Does such a paradise exist? Without question, yes! One simply has to visit Hamilton Island, Australia!... Read More..

According to the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), Kind of Blue is the best selling Jazz album of all time. Even more importantly, this recording changed Jazz profoundly, and may have had more influence on modern Jazz than any other recording in the music’s history. But what made the music so special? What were its influences? And, what made this recording so unique for its time...Read More...

With long, blues-drenched melodic lines, and a warm, horn-like sound, guitarist and composer Bob DeVos has his own signature style. Critics universally cite Mr. DeVos' "full, liquid tone" and "soulful, intelligent interpretations". Hailed as "the thinking man's guitar hero" and "a brilliant, knowing bebop player", Bob's CDs as a leader for Savant/HighNote and Blues Leaf Records have earned high praise and many stars in Downbeat and throughout the jazz media....Read More

A fresh and potent new voice on the modern jazz scene, 26-year-old alto saxophonist Benny Reid reveals a unique compositional vision along with an abundance of chops on his auspicious debut as a leader. A collection of six stirring suite-like compositions that unfold like richly appointed short stories, Findings is a fully realized work of remarkable depth and maturity that takes listeners on a musical journey traversing a whole range of emotions within each individual piece. And while the influence of Pat Metheny can be readily heard in the flowing melodicism, dramatic crescendos and overall uplifting nature of these half dozen tracks, Reid's own approach here is highly personal, inspired by a tragic event that forever changed the course of his life.....Read More

Created by guitarist/composer André van Berlo and drummer Joost Kroon, Panchito had its first rehearsals in the autumn of 1999. Existing of 9 members with an unlimited passion for Latin jazz the band creates an impressive appearance and a great sound! In the early days the group played mostly compositions of Paquito d’Rivera, Mario Bauza, Ray Barretto and Oscar Hernandez, which André arranged. However, it didn’t take too long until their own compositions were integrated in their repertoire, which in combination with their various musical backgrounds, make up the fundament of their own unique sound. ..Read More... .

"Eade's vocal control and imagination are peerless," says the Boston Phoenix. "She's one of the few imaginative artists to have emerged in the field of jazz singing in this decade," says New York Newsday of vocalist Dominique Eade. Peter Watrous of the New York Times praises her "...immensely appealing sound..." and in a New York Times review of a recent performance, Ben Ratliff writes that Eade "had absorbed some of Sarah Vaughan's fearsome technique" Her voice was rich and clear and strong in all ranges; she had musicianship and cool intelligence and didn't seem to be ahistorical or to have arrived at jazz by accident."....Read More

Soprano saxophonist/composer Jane Ira Bloom has been steadfastly developing her unique voice on the soprano saxophone for over 30 years. She is a pioneer in the use of live electronics and movement in jazz, as well as the possessor of "one of the most gorgeous tones and hauntingly lyrical ballad conceptions of any soprano saxophonist - Pulse." ...Read More

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Photographer: Susan Cook