Hartford jazz fans are used to hearing about Hartt School grads' musical success, but Mike Casey's premier in Downbeat magazine is more than worth a shout-out. The world's largest jazz publication just featured Mike's "West End" single, a fantastic testimonial to the world class talent coming out of Connecticut's original music scene. Inspired by Hartford's [...]
by Lisa Chase It doesn't get much better than this: live original jazz recorded at Hartford's Parkville Sounds with the city's emerging jazz masters. Jackie McLean grads Tommy Lehman on trumpet, Greg Carlton on tenor sax, guitarist Tony Davis, bassist Josh Uguccioni and Corey Garcia at the drums recorded Davis' "Caramel Eyes" and "Braeburn" for The Parkville Sessions. [...]
by Lisa Chase As we anticipate balmy jazz-filled evenings in Bushnell Park, we’re always on the lookout for jazz venues to fill the intervening months. The Musical Club of Hartford is well known for its long history of supporting classical music performance, but jazz fans may be surprised to know the Musical Club’s members also [...]
by Ken Laster During this year’s holiday season I decided to set up my turntable which had been purchased during my college years back in the 70s. Sometime after the advent of CDs in the 80s my records and turntable had been relegated to storage in my basement. On rare occasions I would peruse through [...]
by Lisa Chase If Broca’s Area (http://www.brocasareamusic.com/) is any indication of the Jackie McLean Institute’s musical philosophy, then “no boundaries” defines the Hartt School’s jazz-trained musicians. On December 8th Broca’s Area, a project of four McLean Institute progeny, treated a Bridge Street Live (http://www.41bridgestreet.com/) audience to a funk-infused repertoire including original compositions and covers of [...]
Sunday: WRCH 100.5 (Smooth Jazz: 8am - Noon) WGBH 89.7 (9pm - Midnight) Monday: WRTC 89.3 (Trinity College) (6am – 9am; 3pm – 4:30pm) WWUH 91.3 (University of Hartford) (9am – Noon) WPKN 89.5 (Bridgeport) (1pm – 4pm) WESU 88.1 (Wesleyan University) (5pm – 6pm) WWUH 91.3 (University of Hartford) (7:05pm – 8:30pm) WFCR 88.5 [...]
by Lisa Chase Jazz fans can take heart that Monday Night Jazz will return to Bushnell Park in a mere forty-five weeks. In the meantime, we’re all on the lookout for new jazz venues around Hartford and beyond. A relatively recent addition to the Connecticut jazz scene and a surprising – at least to this [...]
by Lisa Chase The final evening of Monday Night Jazz’s six-week series showcased the genre’s almost limitless variety and its continuous reinvention. Saxophonist Allen Lowe and his quartet started off with a series of original compositions showcasing Aaron Johnson on clarinet, Louis Porter at the piano, Kevin Ray plucking the bass and drummer Ben Bilello. [...]
Asylum Hill Congregational church could not contain the joyful music of Monday Night Jazz in its rainy-day setting. For opening act Matt and Atla DeChamplain, the church was the ideal acoustic venue for Atla’s soaring vocals, set off by Matt DeChamplain at the piano, Matt Dwonszyk on bass, tenor saxophonist Jovan Alexandre and drummer Curtis [...]
The complete photo gallery from Newport Jazz Festival 2017 can be found at this link. The Newport Jazz Festival is perhaps the most respected and historic jazz gathering in the US today. Now in its sixty third year, this iconic festival has featured many of the greats that make up the legacy of this art [...]