jazz
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Hey Guys, The Coronavirus Made Me Realize That Maybe I Don't Hate Kenny G.'s Music
While many of us are responsibly stuck at home during this time of pandemic concern, the need for entertainment and mental stimulation is high. For many, that means scouring the catalogs of the various streaming services available to us, or rewatching classic movies and series. Perhaps it involves marathon games of Monopoly or making TikTok…
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Ja'Net DuBois' Birth Father May Have Been Jazz Legend Cab Calloway, Family Claims
There appear to be some questions arising in regard to Ja’Net DuBois’ lineage. On Thursday, TMZ reported DuBois’ cause of death, confirming the late star died from cardiac arrest. However, it looks like there was another bit of found information on the death certificate that raises eyebrows. DuBois’ family believes the late actress’ birth father…
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Legendary Jazz Pianist McCoy Tyner Dead at 81
Another one of the greatest who ever did it has gone on to glory. Legendary jazz pianist McCoy Tyner is dead at age 81. The death of the free-flowing jazz giant, who played piano alongside John Coltrane, Donald Byrd and Art Blakey, was announced by family members via social media on Friday. “It is with…
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Space Is the Place: Nona Hendryx Takes NYC Out of This World With the Disciples of Sun Ra
When I was a child watching reruns of Star Trek, one of the things I always wondered was … where did all the black people go? Sure, there was actress Nichelle Nichols’ Uhura and she was amazing. And later, on series like Star Trek: Next Generation there was Geordi La Forge and, even later, Benjamin…
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A-Tisket, A-Tasket, A-Barbie: Ella Fitzgerald Is One of Barbie's Newest 'Inspiring Women'
In life, she was known as the “First Lady of Song” and the “Queen of Jazz.” And though the world lost legendary jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald in 1996, her legacy has, for the most part, survived through her incredible musical catalog, which includes her inimitable interpretations of the Great American Songbook (much of which this…
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Somebody Found John Coltrane’s Lost Album Blue World and We’re All Better for It
John Coltrane is kind of a big deal. Over the course of a career that spanned over two decades, the legendary composer and saxophonist churned out classic albums like 1957’s Blue Train and 1964’s A Love Supreme, all while trying to kick a vicious heroin addiction and expanding the boundaries of what we knew jazz…
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30 Days of Musical Blackness With VSB, Day 26: Roy Ayers Ubiquity 'Everybody Loves the Sunshine'
I don’t know where you are, but where I’m at it’s hot as hell outside. It’s been in the 90s and a weather notification on my phone this morning mentioned the words “heat wave.” Well, you know what song somehow manages to work perfectly in hot ass weather, even if it’s one of the coolest…
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30 Days of Musical Blackness With VSB, Day 5: Letta Mbulu, 'Mahlalela (Lazy Bones)'
Today, we’re going international with our Black Music Month love. As a hip-hop head who also tried his hand at music production, I’ve spent a considerable amount of time crate digging, searching through entire obscure record label catalogs, hoping to come across the perfect sample. Well, that’s how I came across Letta Mbulu’s banger of…
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Grammy Award-Winning Jazz Drummer Lawrence Leathers Dead at 37
Grammy-winning jazz drummer Lawrence Leathers died Sunday in New York City. He was 37. ABC News reports that Leathers was discovered unconscious in a stairwell of his Bronx, NY, apartment building before he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police believe he was a victim of domestic violence and confirmed that his girlfriend, 41-year-old Lisa…
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Dressing an Unsung Hero: Costume Designer Colleen Morris Helps Tell the Story of Bolden, the Forgotten 'King of Jazz'
His ingenuity directly influenced America’s one true original art form, but Charles “Buddy” Bolden, acknowledged by music historians as the “king of jazz” (the moniker etched on his gravestone), is all but unknown to the general public—that is, until now. The glorious and gorgeously shot musical drama Bolden, which opened on Friday, May 3rd, introduces…