Terry Pearce Remembers The Golden Era of Dance Music In NYC

I first set foot inside the ROSELAND BALLROOM dance hall in 1978, lured by a long forgotten tribute to Cuban Music legend Miguelito Valdés. No one seems to remember this event, but to me it was an unforgettable night, and I could not get over how huge the place was, especially the dance floor. I knew little of its long history in regards to New York style Latin American music. It was, after all, the traditional gathering place for so many senior citizens [...]

Mark Levine returns his Grammy nominations

In a bold, but sincere and honest move, Pianist, Educator and Author Mark Levine decides to return his Grammy nominations to NARAS and LARAS, and distances himself from such organizations. Here is his letter to Mr. Neil Portnow.

Jane Bunnett & Hilario Durán – Cuban Rhapsody

Both reeds and woodwinds maestro Jane Bunnett and piano virtuoso Hilario Durán have released enormously successful albums lately. Bunnett made Embracing Voices (EMI, 2009) with the celebrated Cuban a capela choir, Grupo Vocal Desandann. Durán recorded a masterful trio record, Motion (Alma Records, 2010)with bassist, Roberto Occhipinti and drummer Mark Kelso. The two musicians had not worked together in several years [...]

Chico & Rita – The Full Movie

Chico & Rita’s love story (written by Trueba along with Ignacio Martínez de Pisón) begins in La Habana of the late 40′s, and then jumps to New York, taking place during a magnificent era of artistic creation. It’s the time of be-bop, cubop, mambo, after-midnight jam sessions and arousing boleros. The fusion and exchange of musical ideas -which are at the core of the Jazz spirit- converge in the magical city that never sleeps [...]

Latin Jazz Network Radio – Jukebox – July 2011 Playlist

Jukebox – July 2011 Playlist: Aaron Goldberg and Guillermo Klein, Eliane Elias, Harold López-Nussa Trio, José Rizo’s Mongorama, David Sánchez, Stefon Harris, Christian Scott, Omar Sosa, Silvano Monasterios, Steve Khan, Steven Kroon, Yelsi Heredia [...]

Patty Ascher – Bossa, Jazz ‘n’ Samba (Zoho Music – 2011)

Patty Ascher’s exquisitely floating soprano literally takes flight on her ever so memorable English album, Bossa, Jazz ‘n’ Samba, a collection of mostly original songs from her pen. With a voice that sounds as if she were so beautifully vulnerable, Ascher navigates a myriad of emotions from longing and sadness to wonder and joy. Although she is exacting in her interpretation of emotions, her voice, almost devoid of any vibrato is so fey and delicate [...]

Charito – Heal The World (Zoho Music – 2011)

The question that must have been uppermost in the minds of many of those involved in this project, Heal The World a tribute to Michael Jackson, must surely have been: “How do you top the King of Pop…?” Or, at least: “How do we pull this one off without fawning?” As it happens, producer and drummer Harvey Mason need never have worried too much as he could not have picked a finer musician to front the project than the vocalist extraordinaire Charito [...]

Presenting José Rizo’s Mongorama

José Rizo’s Mongorama picks up where the Jazz on the Latin Side All Stars left off. After a decade of fruitful existence, performing and recording four terrific CDs (Jazz on the Latin Side All Stars 1 and 2, The Last Bullfighter and Tambolero), the veteran KJazz radio host, producer, composer and bandleader takes a new direction and moves on to a new project, which is actually a continuation of the original Latin jazz all stars band concept [...]

John Benitez at the congahead studio

Legendary bassist, John Benitez brought a powerhouse band to the congahead.com studio to perform his original compositions: Rumba Lírica, Purpose, Bomba and Pureza, . The group consisted of his son, Francis on drums; Will Vinson, sax; Manuel Valera, keyboard; Tom Guarna, guitar and Obanilú Allende, percussion [...]

Concord Picante Releases “Ninety Miles”

Stefon Harris, David Sánchez and Christian Scott go the distance on collaborative recording NINETY MILES. Special 2-Disc CD/DVD Package, Ninety Miles, unites North American, Puerto Rican and Cuban jazz artists. Release date: June 21, 2011. All distance is relative, especially where geopolitical borders and ideologies are involved. We speak one language, they speak another. We follow our system, they follow theirs. When we focus on [...]