by Ken Laster As a pillar of the west coast jazz scene, San Diego's Gilbert Castellanos has appeared on dozens of recordings. He often shares the stage with Charles McPherson, Willie Jones III, Gerald Clayton and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. As an educator, Gilbert is the founder of the Young Lions Jazz Conservatory, teaching the [...]
As we turn our calendar to the New Year, it's always a fun to look back at some of the best jazz releases from the previous year. As the current webmaster to the Hartford Jazz Society and now a resident of San Diego California, I have a hand in each of these cities jazz scenes. [...]
In recent weeks we have seen a batch of new album releases from musicians with roots in the Hartford jazz scene. I have listened to them all, and they are excellent. Support these local jazz artists through purchasing their albums, or streaming them through your prefered music source. Click on the links or cover art [...]
by Ken Laster Do you yearn for those heady days of the early 1970's, where Jazz/Rock fusion reigned supreme? Miles Davis had forged the sounds of Sly Stone, Jimi Hendrix and Prince with the virtuosity of jazz music. Return to Forever, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Weather Report would fill large concert halls and be featured in [...]
album art by Andres Chaparro Straight from the Hart, a compilation CD produced by the Hartford Jazz Society, is the essence of the Hartford jazz scene. It is an album born out of the love and respect for Jackie McLean and Paul Brown. These jazz icons planted the seeds of jazz into the [...]
by Ken Laster Entrance is the debut album from trumpeter John Hasselback III. The Hasselback family is a familiar name to the Hartford jazz scene. Following in the footsteps of both his parents, John Hasselback III also graduated the Hartt School of Music. John benefited from growing up in a musical family in upstate [...]
by Ken Laster Bassist Dezron Douglas and harpist Brandee Younger released a duet album, Force Majeure, from material excerpted from their Friday morning "brunches" during this pandemic. These live-streamed performances from their apartment were a window into the uncertainty, anxiety, inspiration and spirituality that pushed these artist to overcome adversity and continue creating their music. [...]
by Ken Laster This summer, my wife and I made a life altering decision to move cross-country to be near our granddaughter and family. We sold most of our belongings; home, cars, furniture, etc, packed just a few essentials and moved to San Diego to start anew. Selling my stereo system, all my CD's and [...]
Hartford/Netherlands pianist Warren Byrd re-releases rare CD from 1999, “Truth Raised Twice”... **PRESS RELEASE** May 6, 2020 A one-hundred percent American underground post-bebop CD fielded a modest release in America 20 years ago. The album was performed by a group of like-minded musicians led by Hartford, CT. USA-born pianist/composer Warren Byrd. The CD, “Truth Raised [...]
Mike Casey is a Hartford trained, New York based saxophonist. He attended the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts and University of Hartford’s Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz (BA). He then completed Berklee’s master’s program in Contemporary Performance and Music Production at their Valencia, Spain campus. "On Monday May 4 to celebrate International Star Wars Day [...]