Author Archive

‘The Genius of Getz’: Greg Fishman, Judy Roberts, Scott Black, Pete Swan

By Patricia Myers

“The Genius of Getz” as explored by tenor saxophonist Greg Fishman completely mesmerized a rapt audience via the Chicago musician’s superior musicianship and fascinating ability as a raconteur during his fourth annual Stan Getz tribute performance at the ASU Kerr Cultural Center.

‘The Jazz Message: Celebrating the Legacy of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers’

By Patricia Myers

The complexity, the power and the musicianship of Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers were celebrated by five band alumni in a sextet anchored by drummer Lewis Nash. Performing in two concerts at the Phoenix-born drummer’s namesake jazz club were tenor saxophonist-leader Javon Jackson, alto saxophonist Bobby Watson, trumpeter Eddie Henderson, pianist Benny Green and bassist Peter Washington, with Nash in the Blakey hot-spot.

Riffs: Music News from Out and About

By Patricia Myers

This month of April 2015 is the 14th annual Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM) and the fourth annual International Jazz Day 2015 will be celebrated worldwide and in Phoenix on Thursday, April 30. That date was designated in 2011by the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to honor this nation’s art gift to the world.

Interview: Emily Ruth, bassist, The Young Sounds of Arizona

By Patricia Myers

Emily Ruth, bassist in one of The Young Sounds of Arizona’s two bands, had an early start in music performance: She first played toy percussion instruments around the house with her sister and brother. She wanted to be a rock drummer until she heard the sound of an upright bass in elementary school.

Spotlight: Pita Jungle Jazz Jam celebrates 15 years on April 2

By Patricia Myers

Thursday was always a slow night for Pita Jungle in Chandler, until a jazz jam session was launched in the spring of 2000. New patrons began to fill the restaurant’s tables, coming from all over the valley, first-timers from the north and west areas, attracted by the music and then enjoying the food. The jazz jam has continued from 7 to 10 pm every Thursday since, and will celebrate that record on April 2, 2015.

Cassandra Wilson: “Coming Forth by Day, A Celebration of Billie Holiday”

By Patricia Myers

Vocalist Cassandra Wilson delivered a modern homage in honor of the anniversary of Billie Holiday’s 100th birthday. Her performance neither replicated the late singer’s sound nor did it adhere to the jazz mode of that long-past era. Instead, it was a re-characterization of the songs that made Holiday famous from 1935 to 1959.

Young Sounds of Arizona at the Phoenix Center for the Arts

By Patricia Myers

The two youth jazz bands of Young Sounds of Arizona performed a satisfying concert of solid section work and strong soloists on March 5 before a near-capacity audience at the Phoenix Center for the Arts.

Riffs: Music News from Out and About

By Patricia Myers

The first concert of 2015 for the two youth bands of Young Sounds of Arizona will be performed at 7:30 pm Thursday, March 5, a free event at the Phoenix Arts Center, 1202 E. Third St., Phoenix 85004.

Duke Ellington Orchestra at Arizona Musicfest

By Patricia Myers:

The Duke Ellington Orchestra delivered a solid mix of swing and ballads from the colossal repertoire of its namesake and his gifted composing colleague, Billy Strayhorn. The enduring sophistication of their collaborative creativity was interpreted by a coalition of exceptional musicians. As soon as the band launched the concert with the most famous Ellington chart, “Take the A Train,” the Arizona Musicfest audience of 1,000 became immediately engaged.

George Benson and the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra at Mesa Arts Center

By

PATRICIA MYERS,

January 21, 2015

Guitarist-vocalist George Benson performed two straight hours of soul-satisfying and totally thrilling music that reprised his five decades of hits in jazz and pop-contemporary music acclaim. The non-stop set ranged from his 1964 jazz albums debut through multiple Grammy-winning gold and platinum CDs, to his 2013 Nat “King” Cole tribute, Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat King Cole (Concord Records, 2013).