David Sanborn, the six time Grammy-winning alto saxophonist who played at Woodstock, composed music for the Lethal Weapon movies, played in the SNL and Late Night with David Letterman bands and worked with everyone from Stevie Wonder to David Bowie, died Sunday afternoon, May 12th, after an extended battle with prostate cancer with complications. He Was 78.
Sanborn’s music is often described “smooth jazz,” but he reportedly rejected that characterization, and one can see why. His lively, iconic sax solo on Bowie’s “Young Americans” is anything but. Sanborn preferred the idea that he “put the saxophone back into rock ’n’ roll.”
Indeed, he worked with a virtual who’s who of rock and R&b legends, including James Brown, Eric Clapton, Roger Daltrey, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Al Jarreau, George Benson, Elton John, Carly Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Billy Joel, Roger Waters, Steely Dan, the Eagles,...
Sanborn’s music is often described “smooth jazz,” but he reportedly rejected that characterization, and one can see why. His lively, iconic sax solo on Bowie’s “Young Americans” is anything but. Sanborn preferred the idea that he “put the saxophone back into rock ’n’ roll.”
Indeed, he worked with a virtual who’s who of rock and R&b legends, including James Brown, Eric Clapton, Roger Daltrey, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Al Jarreau, George Benson, Elton John, Carly Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Billy Joel, Roger Waters, Steely Dan, the Eagles,...
- 5/13/2024
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Torben Ulrich, Danish tennis pro, jazz writer and father of Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, has died at the age of 95.
Lars shared news of his father’s death in a social media post Wednesday. “Torben Ulrich: 1928-2023 95 years of adventures, unique experiences, curiosity, pushing boundaries, challenging the status quo, tennis, music, art, writing….and quite a bit of Danish contrarian attitude,” he wrote. “Thank you endlessly! I love you dad.” The caption was accompanied by a series of photos of his father including a black and white portrait, a magazine...
Lars shared news of his father’s death in a social media post Wednesday. “Torben Ulrich: 1928-2023 95 years of adventures, unique experiences, curiosity, pushing boundaries, challenging the status quo, tennis, music, art, writing….and quite a bit of Danish contrarian attitude,” he wrote. “Thank you endlessly! I love you dad.” The caption was accompanied by a series of photos of his father including a black and white portrait, a magazine...
- 12/21/2023
- by Charisma Madarang
- Rollingstone.com
Awards, sure — over his 60-odd-year career, Wayne Shorter amassed his share of prizes and honors. But none of that conveys what a singular and visionary talent he was more powerfully than this simple fact: Miles Davis and Art Blakey, two of the greatest bandleaders in the history of jazz, fought over him.
In Wayne Shorter: Zero Gravity, director Dorsay Alavi tells his story over three roughly hourlong episodes called “portals,” a fitting nod to the Buddhism that Shorter embraced and the sci-fi and fantasy he adored. The Prime Video docuseries — which takes its streaming bow Aug. 25, on what would have been Shorter’s 90th birthday — traces the chronology of the New Jersey native’s biography, but, much more than that, it’s a chronicle of emotion, creativity and faith, tuned in to the magnitude of Shorter’s musicianship and, no less, to his playfulness and searching nonconformity.
Alavi, who first...
In Wayne Shorter: Zero Gravity, director Dorsay Alavi tells his story over three roughly hourlong episodes called “portals,” a fitting nod to the Buddhism that Shorter embraced and the sci-fi and fantasy he adored. The Prime Video docuseries — which takes its streaming bow Aug. 25, on what would have been Shorter’s 90th birthday — traces the chronology of the New Jersey native’s biography, but, much more than that, it’s a chronicle of emotion, creativity and faith, tuned in to the magnitude of Shorter’s musicianship and, no less, to his playfulness and searching nonconformity.
Alavi, who first...
- 8/22/2023
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
James Mtume, a percussionist who performed in Miles Davis’ seminal fusion band from 1971 to 1975 and later had hits with his own eponymous group, has died at the age 76.
The daughter of Mtume’s late creative partner Reggie Lucas, Lisa Lucas, took to Twitter this morning to confirm the passing of the musician.
“So much loss. So much grief. Rest in power to Uncle Mtume. My late fathers partner in crime, the co-creator of the songs of my life (and about my birth!). He was essential part of the life of the man who made me, therefore me too. Gone now. He will be dearly, eternally missed,” Lucas wrote.
There is no cause of death at the time of reporting.
Mtume appeared on 80 albums with a wide variety of other notable musicians, including Duke Ellington, Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, Roberta Flack and Lonnie Liston Smith.
His namesake group Mtume had several No.
The daughter of Mtume’s late creative partner Reggie Lucas, Lisa Lucas, took to Twitter this morning to confirm the passing of the musician.
“So much loss. So much grief. Rest in power to Uncle Mtume. My late fathers partner in crime, the co-creator of the songs of my life (and about my birth!). He was essential part of the life of the man who made me, therefore me too. Gone now. He will be dearly, eternally missed,” Lucas wrote.
There is no cause of death at the time of reporting.
Mtume appeared on 80 albums with a wide variety of other notable musicians, including Duke Ellington, Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, Roberta Flack and Lonnie Liston Smith.
His namesake group Mtume had several No.
- 1/10/2022
- by Bruce Haring and Brandon Choe
- Deadline Film + TV
“Hip-hop is ancestor worship,” Greg Tate wrote in The Village Voice in the fall of 1988. He always chronicled music with that fiercely worshipful spirit of sacred ritual. Reading Tate was a revelation, then or now, because he was a writer who celebrated all kinds of music, from every era — an Afrofuturist rebel without a pause. That’s why the news of his death hits so hard today. To sum up his voice, you have to go back to the words he wrote about Chaka Khan back in 1992: “She is...
- 12/7/2021
- by Rob Sheffield
- Rollingstone.com
“Can we go deep into the obscure, or do we need to stay mainstream?”
When Matt Groening asks that question, the invitation is tantalizing to consider. In this case, Groening is talking about jazz, and specifically about his new partnership with Quincy Jones’ music-video hub, Qwest TV. His mission for Qwest was a curated video playlist revealing the jazz influences crucial to Groening — personally, professionally and to “The Simpsons,” most famously in sax-playing characters such as Bleeding Gums Murphy and Homer’s precocious daughter, Lisa Simpson.
Jones’ streaming channel offers a wealth of rarely seen concerts, documentaries, interviews and music-related archival films. Groening’s playlist ranges from “mainstream” names such as Ray Charles, Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus to the “avant-garde” likes of saxophonists Moondog and Archie Shepp and pianist Carla Bley.
“When I was invited to do this, the first thing I did was make half of my list...
When Matt Groening asks that question, the invitation is tantalizing to consider. In this case, Groening is talking about jazz, and specifically about his new partnership with Quincy Jones’ music-video hub, Qwest TV. His mission for Qwest was a curated video playlist revealing the jazz influences crucial to Groening — personally, professionally and to “The Simpsons,” most famously in sax-playing characters such as Bleeding Gums Murphy and Homer’s precocious daughter, Lisa Simpson.
Jones’ streaming channel offers a wealth of rarely seen concerts, documentaries, interviews and music-related archival films. Groening’s playlist ranges from “mainstream” names such as Ray Charles, Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus to the “avant-garde” likes of saxophonists Moondog and Archie Shepp and pianist Carla Bley.
“When I was invited to do this, the first thing I did was make half of my list...
- 10/26/2021
- by A.D. Amorosi
- Variety Film + TV
At the premiere of HBO’s inimitable comedy “Curb Your Enthusiasm’s,” 11th season, creator and star Larry David dutifully, charmingly performed the requisite press line interviews with nary a hint of his onscreen alter ego’s curmudgeonly agitation, even gamely delivering a “Prettyyyyy, prettyyyyyyy, pretty good” byte to an Australian TV crew. But as he revealed to Variety at the Paramount lot premiere what he imagines TV Larry’s take is on the traditional Hollywood red carpet: “He hates it as much as this Larry.”
Preferring not to reveal too much about a given season’s episodes before they air – just know that the new episodes are set in a future time after Covid – David did offer some insight about his creative process, given that for the last 20 years he’s enjoyed the rare luxury of deciding, on his own terms, if and when he wants to deliver another season.
Preferring not to reveal too much about a given season’s episodes before they air – just know that the new episodes are set in a future time after Covid – David did offer some insight about his creative process, given that for the last 20 years he’s enjoyed the rare luxury of deciding, on his own terms, if and when he wants to deliver another season.
- 10/23/2021
- by Scott Huver
- Variety Film + TV
In 2013, I interviewed the Rolling Stones for this magazine as the band prepared for the next leg of their 50th anniversary tour. I’d talked to Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ron Wood before, but never Charlie Watts. I was excited by the prospect: For more years than I could count, I had wanted to be able to sit in a room and talk with him about jazz. I got to do that, but the section I wrote about him didn’t make the final story.
After I learned Watts...
After I learned Watts...
- 8/25/2021
- by Mikal Gilmore
- Rollingstone.com
There will never be a world without Charlie Watts, because his backbeat changed how the world sounds. The Rolling Stones’ legendary drummer got away with nothing but boss moves, for just about 60 years. For me, the Charlie mystique is all there in his five-second drum intro from “Let It Bleed.” It’s one of the Stones’ best tunes, yet it’s nothing but the band listening to Charlie play. Mick just tries to keep up with him, while the guitars try to keep up with Mick, but Charlie is the...
- 8/24/2021
- by Rob Sheffield
- Rollingstone.com
Rick Laird, whose bass guitar skills graced a number of jazz rock’s most prominent fusion bands in the 1970s, died Sunday at age 80. No cause of death was given, but he recently had entered hospice care.
Laird’s work was part of pioneering groups the Mahavishu Orchestra and Return to Forever in the 1970s, the decade where the genre took off. He also worked with jazz greats Wes Montgomery, Buddy Rich and Sonny Rollins during his career.
Born in Dublin in 1941, Laird moved to New Zealand at 16, then returned to the UK in 1962. While in New Zealand, he had established himself on that country’s and Australia’s jazz scenes as an upright bassist.
Upon his UK return, he worked with keyboardist Brian Auger, touring with him and meeting his future bandmate, John McLaughlin.
Laird won a scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston, and moved to that...
Laird’s work was part of pioneering groups the Mahavishu Orchestra and Return to Forever in the 1970s, the decade where the genre took off. He also worked with jazz greats Wes Montgomery, Buddy Rich and Sonny Rollins during his career.
Born in Dublin in 1941, Laird moved to New Zealand at 16, then returned to the UK in 1962. While in New Zealand, he had established himself on that country’s and Australia’s jazz scenes as an upright bassist.
Upon his UK return, he worked with keyboardist Brian Auger, touring with him and meeting his future bandmate, John McLaughlin.
Laird won a scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston, and moved to that...
- 7/7/2021
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Move over, Angry Young Men: Alfie Elkins leverages class resentment and killer good looks to become a ladies’ man extraordinaire… in his own eyes. Michael Caine was born to play Bill Naughton’s smooth-talking, responsibility-dodging cad’s cad. Alfie mistreats a glorious lineup of actresses — Julia Foster, Jane Asher, Vivien Merchant — and Shelley Winters is hilarious as the widow who has his number. Will Alfie maybe develop a conscience? The two-disc special edition shares a double bill with My Generation, a highly entertaining Swinging London documentary hosted by Michael Caine. Being kind doesn’t make one a fool, Alfie.
Alfie + My Generation
Blu-ray (Region-Free)
Viavision [Imprint] 41
1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 112 min. / Street Date June 2, 2021 / Available from Viavision / au 64.98
Starring: Michael Caine, Shelley Winters, Julia Foster, Jane Asher, Vivien Merchant, Millicent Martin, Denholm Elliott, Alfie Bass, Graham Stark, Eleanor Bron, Shirley Anne Field, Murray Melvin, Sydney Tafler.
Cinematography: Otto Heller
Art Direction:...
Alfie + My Generation
Blu-ray (Region-Free)
Viavision [Imprint] 41
1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 112 min. / Street Date June 2, 2021 / Available from Viavision / au 64.98
Starring: Michael Caine, Shelley Winters, Julia Foster, Jane Asher, Vivien Merchant, Millicent Martin, Denholm Elliott, Alfie Bass, Graham Stark, Eleanor Bron, Shirley Anne Field, Murray Melvin, Sydney Tafler.
Cinematography: Otto Heller
Art Direction:...
- 6/19/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Nnamdi Asomugha doesn’t just star as a saxophone player in “Sylvie’s Love,” writer-director Eugene Ashe’s new romantic drama with Tessa Thompson. He actually knows how to play the instrument, too. Asomugha took lessons for about a year before filming began.
“I really learned how to play it,” Asomugha says on the latest episode of the Variety and iHeart podcast “The Big Ticket.” “I watched a lot of documentaries on jazz…I watched a lot of Cole Train on YouTube and Sonny Rollins. I just really had to figure out how to not just to play the instrument, but also how to carry myself.”
This wasn’t his first time learning how to play music. He took piano lessons when he was a child growing up in Los Angeles. But those dreams were dashed when he was 13 and his football coach shamed him in front of his teammates after...
“I really learned how to play it,” Asomugha says on the latest episode of the Variety and iHeart podcast “The Big Ticket.” “I watched a lot of documentaries on jazz…I watched a lot of Cole Train on YouTube and Sonny Rollins. I just really had to figure out how to not just to play the instrument, but also how to carry myself.”
This wasn’t his first time learning how to play music. He took piano lessons when he was a child growing up in Los Angeles. But those dreams were dashed when he was 13 and his football coach shamed him in front of his teammates after...
- 12/15/2020
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
Right about now, you might find yourself asking: “Didn’t Record Store Day already happen this year?” Well, yes — three times. Those were the “drops” created to replace the original April 2020 Record Store Day, which was canceled for pandemic reasons. This Friday, the traditional post-Thanksgiving Record Store Day is happening as planned, making a grand total of four events this year. It might seem like a lot, but independent record stores have really been hurting lately, and your local shop would almost certainly appreciate your business. Here are 16 of the...
- 11/25/2020
- by Angie Martoccio, Simon Vozick-Levinson, Andy Greene, Jonathan Bernstein, Patrick Doyle, Hank Shteamer and Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
Arguably the most forward-thinking jazz artist of his generation, Los Angeles saxophonist and composer Kamasi Washington has never hesitated to step outside his comfort zone. He’s logged studio time with Kendrick Lamar and St. Vincent, and performed onstage with Lauryn Hill and Snoop Dogg. But he’s most famous as the visionary bandleader behind sprawling albums like “The Epic” and “Heaven and Earth,” where song lengths routinely stretch beyond 10 minutes, and nearly three-hour runtimes are standard issue. So it required a massive change of focus for him to craft the score to Nadia Hallgren’s Michelle Obama documentary “Becoming” (Netflix), composing and performing miniature jazz suites whose brevity proves no obstacle to Washington’s typical musical adventurousness. It seems the effort was worth it: he is nominated for an Emmy in the docuseries or special music composition category.
What convinced you to sign on to score “Becoming”?
Nadia actually...
What convinced you to sign on to score “Becoming”?
Nadia actually...
- 8/13/2020
- by Andrew Barker
- Variety Film + TV
The history of television has been defined by the medium’s great dialogue writers. The cadence, the wit, and rhythms of characters’ banter is a distinctive trademark of the medium’s best storytellers. As American TV has evolved from being something you need to watch as carefully as you listen to, it has been rewarding to witness one of those master dialogists, Amy Sherman-Palladino, transform the rhythms of her words into filmmaking. Sherman-Palladino is a former dancer, and that is how she thinks of herself as both a writer and director, with Amazon Prime Video’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” being a project conceived of in motion. “We’re doing a story about a woman [Rachel Brosnahan] whose life explodes. Midge is learning all about life, [and] we’re going through it with her,” Sherman-Palladino said. “Her life is about motion and moving forward and she’s not willing to stand still,...
- 7/7/2020
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Hal Willner wasn’t known for playing music himself. But the producer, who died Monday at 64, had a unique gift for making music happen. Through his marvelously eclectic tribute albums — which featured everything from Tom Waits yowling out Snow White’s “Heigh Ho (The Dwarf’s Marching Song)” to Debbie Harry singing a wordless tune from Fellini’s La Dolce Vita and Chuck D declaiming passages from Charles Mingus’ autobiography — he turned countless sonic what-ifs into reality. As he once put it, through his curation he was “trying to to...
- 4/7/2020
- by Hank Shteamer
- Rollingstone.com
When we talk about rock, we talk about bands: Zeppelin, the Who, the Stones. But when we talk about jazz, we tend to talk about individuals: Miles, Monk, Coltrane. On some level, that makes sense: If the song is the primary mode of rock expression, the solo is generally the way you make your mark in jazz. Whether you’re considering Coleman Hawkins, Louis Armstrong, Freddie Hubbard, or the colossal, now-retired Sonny Rollins, it was when they stepped out front and said their piece that they truly embodied their legendary status.
- 3/7/2020
- by Hank Shteamer
- Rollingstone.com
A notorious New York City jail that has housed such names as Tupac Shakur, Sid Vicious, Sonny Rollins and Lil Wayne is being shuttered.
Rikers Island will be shuttered by 2026 after the City Council of New York voted 36-13 today in favor of establishing smaller jails spread across the city.
Under the $8 billion plan, the jails will be located in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens, closer to existing courthouses. About 7,000 inmates are now housed in the jail, down from a high of 22,000 in 1991. Falling crime rates mean Rikers Island’s huge facility is no longer needed.
“What we are doing today will reshape the city for generations to come and impact the lives of every New Yorker,” said City Council speaker Corey Johnson on Thursday. “For decades, our city was unfair to those who became involved in the justice system, and the overwhelmingly majority who were caught up were black and brown men.
Rikers Island will be shuttered by 2026 after the City Council of New York voted 36-13 today in favor of establishing smaller jails spread across the city.
Under the $8 billion plan, the jails will be located in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens, closer to existing courthouses. About 7,000 inmates are now housed in the jail, down from a high of 22,000 in 1991. Falling crime rates mean Rikers Island’s huge facility is no longer needed.
“What we are doing today will reshape the city for generations to come and impact the lives of every New Yorker,” said City Council speaker Corey Johnson on Thursday. “For decades, our city was unfair to those who became involved in the justice system, and the overwhelmingly majority who were caught up were black and brown men.
- 10/18/2019
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s hard to get a bead on exactly what Minneapolis-based Jeremy Nutzman is up to with Neon Brown, his second LP as Velvet Negroni, which is part of why it’s good. You could almost call its dreamy trap-soul “new age” if that didn’t suggest a yin-yoga chill at odds with couplets like “Don’t fight your boy on the payphone/la la, I burst to flames like it’s Waco” and “Ultra fusion handsome dish/Feed them LSD like I’m Charlie Manson, bitch.” But Nutzman’s...
- 8/30/2019
- by Will Hermes
- Rollingstone.com
Theon Cross can still vividly remember when the instrument that’s taken him around the world was more of a liability than an asset.
“Playing the tuba didn’t make me cool when I was at school,” the 26-year-old tells Rolling Stone, speaking via Skype from his London home. “On the bus and the train, I’d always be, like, hitting people whenever I turned around. People would get annoyed with me. Sometimes I’d have to let my friend go ahead ’cause I couldn’t fit. It was definitely a nuisance.
“Playing the tuba didn’t make me cool when I was at school,” the 26-year-old tells Rolling Stone, speaking via Skype from his London home. “On the bus and the train, I’d always be, like, hitting people whenever I turned around. People would get annoyed with me. Sometimes I’d have to let my friend go ahead ’cause I couldn’t fit. It was definitely a nuisance.
- 3/28/2019
- by Hank Shteamer
- Rollingstone.com
Berlin-based sales agency Picture Tree Intl. (Pti) has forged a strategic partnership with Studio Hamburg Enterprises (She), which kicks off with jazz documentary “It Must Schwing! The Blue Note Story,” executive produced by Wim Wenders and directed by Eric Friedler.
The film is about the two young émigrés from Berlin, Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, who founded the iconic jazz label Blue Note Records in New York 80 years ago. The label’s stars included Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk and Quincy Jones. Pic makes its market premiere in Berlin.
“At a time when African-American musicians were discriminated against in the U.S., Blue Note Records respected them as artists and equals and thereby contributed to the civil-rights movement,” said Picture Tree in a statement.
Pti and She will present the film jointly as the start of a long-term cooperation that will focus on feature films and television formats.
The film is about the two young émigrés from Berlin, Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, who founded the iconic jazz label Blue Note Records in New York 80 years ago. The label’s stars included Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk and Quincy Jones. Pic makes its market premiere in Berlin.
“At a time when African-American musicians were discriminated against in the U.S., Blue Note Records respected them as artists and equals and thereby contributed to the civil-rights movement,” said Picture Tree in a statement.
Pti and She will present the film jointly as the start of a long-term cooperation that will focus on feature films and television formats.
- 2/7/2019
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Makaya McCraven’s set at New York’s (Le) Poisson Rouge on Sunday touched on a universe of musical styles. Driving funk, hypnotic reggae, loping odd-time vamps, hectic Afrobeat-esque workouts and more all found their way into the mix as the Chicago drummer and his 11-piece all-star band — featuring a roll call of rising jazz stars, including reedists Nubya Garcia and Shabaka Hutchings, harpist Brandee Younger, vibraphonist Joel Ross and violinist Miguel Atwood-Ferguson — presented music from McCraven’s enthralling new LP Universal Beings and earlier efforts like 2017’s Highly Rare.
- 12/3/2018
- by Hank Shteamer
- Rollingstone.com
Roy Hargrove, a Grammy-winning trumpeter and jazz musician that worked alongside artists like D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, Common and Sonny Rollins, died Friday at the age of 49.
Hargrove’s longtime manager confirmed the trumpeter’s death to NPR, adding that the cause of death was cardiac arrest; earlier in the week, Hargrove was admitted into a New York City hospital with kidney issues.
On Instagram, the Roots’ Questove paid tribute to the jazz musician. “The Great Roy Hargrove. He is literally the one man horn section I hear in my...
Hargrove’s longtime manager confirmed the trumpeter’s death to NPR, adding that the cause of death was cardiac arrest; earlier in the week, Hargrove was admitted into a New York City hospital with kidney issues.
On Instagram, the Roots’ Questove paid tribute to the jazz musician. “The Great Roy Hargrove. He is literally the one man horn section I hear in my...
- 11/3/2018
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
In his new book, The Hard Stuff: Dope, Crime, the MC5, and My Life of Impossibilities, MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer has some wild stories to tell: His Detroit band’s improbable journey from polite covers act to noisy rock insurrectionists; his own descent into crime and imprisonment; and his comeback as a solo artist. Kramer, who is currently on tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of the MC5’s Kick Out the Jams, called into the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast to talk about it all.
To hear the entire discussion,...
To hear the entire discussion,...
- 10/1/2018
- by Brian Hiatt
- Rollingstone.com
While Hugh Hefner had seen his reputation somewhat tarnished by Playmate Holly Madison‘s tell-all about life in the Playboy Mansion, Down the Rabbit Hole and the subsequent sale of the Playboy Mansion, but his life was about far more than what people tuning into The Girls Next Door or readers of Madison’s book might suspected.
Hefner’s death of natural causes throws the Playboy empire into a state of flux. For one thing, in a 2011 interview with The Hollywood Reporter Scott Flanders, CEO of Playboy, admitted there was no succession plan for leadership of the company. And for another,...
Hefner’s death of natural causes throws the Playboy empire into a state of flux. For one thing, in a 2011 interview with The Hollywood Reporter Scott Flanders, CEO of Playboy, admitted there was no succession plan for leadership of the company. And for another,...
- 9/28/2017
- by Alex Heigl
- PEOPLE.com
Miles Davis. Dizzy Gillespie. Thelonius Monk. All these names, to jazz “heads,” aren’t just the leading contenders for the genre’s Mount Rushmore. They also happen to be just a few of the names most closely associated with the work of one of jazz’s greatest saxophonists, John Coltrane. An artist who would go on to be as defining a voice in jazz music as the genre, or music in general, has ever seen, Coltrane is also an artist less well known than Davis and less mythologized than someone like Monk. However, he’s the subject of a new, first of its kind, documentary that attempts to at once shine a light on his life off the stage while re-contextualizing his work on it.
Entitled Chasing Trane, director John Scheinfeld introduces us not just to John Coltrane the legendary jazz icon, but also the man behind the myths and the legends.
Entitled Chasing Trane, director John Scheinfeld introduces us not just to John Coltrane the legendary jazz icon, but also the man behind the myths and the legends.
- 4/21/2017
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.
– Gunpowder & Sky Distribution has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to April Mullen’s “Below Her Mouth.” Shot entirely with a female crew, the film tells the story of an unexpected romance between two women whose passionate connection changes their lives forever.
The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival 2016, and it went on to screen at Festival du Nouveau Cinema, Mar Del Plata International Film Festival, and Goteborg Film Festival. It will also play at BFI Flare: London’s Lgbt festival in March.
Gunpowder & Sky Distribution will release the film on April 28, 2017, theatrically and across all major On Demand platforms, including iTunes, Amazon Video, Google Play, Microsoft Movies & TV, Verizon FiOS, and DirecTV.
– Gunpowder & Sky Distribution has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to April Mullen’s “Below Her Mouth.” Shot entirely with a female crew, the film tells the story of an unexpected romance between two women whose passionate connection changes their lives forever.
The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival 2016, and it went on to screen at Festival du Nouveau Cinema, Mar Del Plata International Film Festival, and Goteborg Film Festival. It will also play at BFI Flare: London’s Lgbt festival in March.
Gunpowder & Sky Distribution will release the film on April 28, 2017, theatrically and across all major On Demand platforms, including iTunes, Amazon Video, Google Play, Microsoft Movies & TV, Verizon FiOS, and DirecTV.
- 3/17/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Abramorama will handle the North American theatrical distribution of John Scheinfeld's documentary Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary. With interviews by Wynton Marsalis, President Bill Clinton, Sonny Rollins, Dr. Cornel West and Common, Trane played to good notices at Telluride, Toronto and Doc NYC, among other fests. Chasing Trane is produced by Spencer Proffer, John Beug, Scott Pascucci and Dave Harding, and is set for a theatrical release in New York on…...
- 3/16/2017
- Deadline
Massachusetts grindcore band Trap Them is getting their largest bump in visibility this week thanks to the fact that lead vocalist Ryan McKenney apparently broke both feet in a leap from a speaker cabinet Saturday night and finished the band’s set. (The next evening, he performed â. with two black eyes and casts on both feet â. from an office chair, possibly because a wheelchair was deemed not metal enough.)
If McKenney can take any solace in his injuries, though, it’s in the fact that he’s hardly alone. Many musicians have been injured falling from the stage,...
If McKenney can take any solace in his injuries, though, it’s in the fact that he’s hardly alone. Many musicians have been injured falling from the stage,...
- 10/19/2016
- by alexheigl
- PEOPLE.com
The death of the visionary pianist/ improviser Paul Bley leaves a big hole in the jazz universe. Bley, a fearless improviser with grace, bite, humor, and knowledge, will be remembered for the ability to empty his self of all preconceptions and impediments before sitting down at the instrument, and for the ability to take his own specific approach and language and to morph it into something that works with whatever the environment and/or musicians that are in the ambient -- and for the ability to sit at any piano [and they all have different personalities] and except for being extremely stylized, he could pull out the personality of that particular piano while still sounding like himself.
Paul, though studied, was completely naturalistic and organic in his musical conception. He had a mindset that was always in the moment, and if so-called history ever came through in his playing, it was more a function of the...
Paul, though studied, was completely naturalistic and organic in his musical conception. He had a mindset that was always in the moment, and if so-called history ever came through in his playing, it was more a function of the...
- 1/6/2016
- by Matthew Shipp
- www.culturecatch.com
1. William Parker: For Those Who Are, Still (Aum Fidelity/Centering)
I have been an admirer and observer of William Parker for a quarter century, but nothing prepared me for the impact of this three-disc set's final CD, which features an orchestral composition, Ceremonies for Those Who Are Still, which ranks high among the best orchestral music of the 21st century, and I'm including classical composers. In other words, don't cringe while imagining the usual jazz-with-strings hack job. There are moments in Ceremonies for Those Who Are Still -- particularly when the choir is singing Parker's poems of life and loss and creation -- when the grandeur of the year's most fashionable jazz album, Kamasi Washington's The Epic (also a three-cd set) comes to mind, but the difference -- the reason Parker's set ranks much higher -- is that his orchestrations are vastly more contrapuntal, colorful, individual, and just plain daring.
I have been an admirer and observer of William Parker for a quarter century, but nothing prepared me for the impact of this three-disc set's final CD, which features an orchestral composition, Ceremonies for Those Who Are Still, which ranks high among the best orchestral music of the 21st century, and I'm including classical composers. In other words, don't cringe while imagining the usual jazz-with-strings hack job. There are moments in Ceremonies for Those Who Are Still -- particularly when the choir is singing Parker's poems of life and loss and creation -- when the grandeur of the year's most fashionable jazz album, Kamasi Washington's The Epic (also a three-cd set) comes to mind, but the difference -- the reason Parker's set ranks much higher -- is that his orchestrations are vastly more contrapuntal, colorful, individual, and just plain daring.
- 1/3/2016
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Malcolm Earl "Mal" Waldron was born on August 16, 1925 in New York City. His father worked for the Long Island Rail Road. Mal started taking classical piano lessons at age seven and, inspired by his love of jazz, also learned alto saxophone. He earned a B.A. in Music from Queens College, with the G.I. Bill (he'd been drafted in 1943 and served for two years, fortunately not seeing combat) paying for his tuition. He worked in jazz, blues, and R&B contexts and made his first recording in 1952 as a member of Ike Quebec's band. In '54-56 he was part of Charles Mingus's Jazz Workshop and recorded with Mingus. Waldron went out on his own as a leader at the end of 1956 with the album Mal/1 on Prestige and quickly became one of the prolific label's house pianists. The following year he added to his workload the position of Billie Holiday's accompanist,...
- 8/16/2015
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Interscope Records and The Weinstein Company have announced the release of Big Eyes – Music From The Original Motion Picture available at all digital partners now.
Multi-platinum recording artist Lana Del Rey performs the title track “Big Eyes,” which she co-wrote with Daniel Heath and is nominated for a 2015 Golden Globe for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture.
Check out the song Here. Lana also performs “I Can Fly,” which she co-wrote with Rick Nowels for acclaimed director Tim Burton’s latest motion picture.
Said Del Rey: “I’m so grateful to Tim for letting me into his wild world and to Harvey for encouraging me to continue to write for films. I’m honored that the Hollywood foreign press has nominated my song.”
Big Eyes opens in theaters December 25, 2014. Read Tom Stockman’s review Here.
From the whimsical mind of director Burton, Big Eyes tells the outrageous true story...
Multi-platinum recording artist Lana Del Rey performs the title track “Big Eyes,” which she co-wrote with Daniel Heath and is nominated for a 2015 Golden Globe for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture.
Check out the song Here. Lana also performs “I Can Fly,” which she co-wrote with Rick Nowels for acclaimed director Tim Burton’s latest motion picture.
Said Del Rey: “I’m so grateful to Tim for letting me into his wild world and to Harvey for encouraging me to continue to write for films. I’m honored that the Hollywood foreign press has nominated my song.”
Big Eyes opens in theaters December 25, 2014. Read Tom Stockman’s review Here.
From the whimsical mind of director Burton, Big Eyes tells the outrageous true story...
- 12/24/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
At least audiences have the music of Whiplash to give them some relief over 100-plus minutes of bloodied hands and psychological trauma that were unleashed this past weekend.
Or maybe not.
The newest film from the young tandem of writer/director Damien Chazelle and composer Justin Hurwitz takes a selection of jazz standards and turns them into a battle ground between aspiring jazz drummer Andrew Neyman (Miles Teller) and his perfectionist mentor Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons).
As Fletcher pushes Andrew to his physical and psychological limits as a musician, it is the repetition and perfection of a collection of standards that becomes the film’s musical theme.
Ironically, it is the repetition of a simple melody – one that Fletcher is seen performing on a piano in a jazz club in the film – that would serve as the foundation for Hurwitz score with fellow composer Tim Simonec.
But it is the...
Or maybe not.
The newest film from the young tandem of writer/director Damien Chazelle and composer Justin Hurwitz takes a selection of jazz standards and turns them into a battle ground between aspiring jazz drummer Andrew Neyman (Miles Teller) and his perfectionist mentor Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons).
As Fletcher pushes Andrew to his physical and psychological limits as a musician, it is the repetition and perfection of a collection of standards that becomes the film’s musical theme.
Ironically, it is the repetition of a simple melody – one that Fletcher is seen performing on a piano in a jazz club in the film – that would serve as the foundation for Hurwitz score with fellow composer Tim Simonec.
But it is the...
- 10/28/2014
- by Shane McNeil
- Cineplex
No jazz pianist in the last 45 years has been uninfluenced by Bud Powell, because his work in the early days of bebop with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie established the prototype for the style's pianists, at least in a group setting: quicksilver, horn-like figures from the right hand, jabbing harmonies from the left that add off-kilter accents to the rhythm. (When playing solo, and sometimes on ballads in trio, Powell deployed a fuller, more lush style derived from Art Tatum, with some of his friend and mentor Thelonious Monk's style mixed in.) He left surprisingly few official documents of his collaboration with Parker and Gillespie, with most coming after the style's foundation because of two recording bans. By then he had already become a leader in his own right and had begun recording a legacy of not just great pianism but also his unique compositional style.
But even though...
But even though...
- 9/27/2014
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Blow The Bloody Doors Off | Al Pacino Season | We Love Wes! | Takeover Film Festival, Glasgow Youth Film Festival
Blow The Bloody Doors Off, London
His was the bespectacled face of swinging London to be sure, but Michael Caine's movies also inspired some of the era's greatest scores. This event, hosted by Phill Jupitus, replays highlights from four of those classic soundtracks, live, for the first time in history: Sonny Rollins's Alfie, John Barry's The Ipcress File, Quincy Jones's The Italian Job and, getting special attention, Roy Budd's Get Carter. The band includes members of Polar Bear, Madness and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and movie clips on screen will complete the nostalgia trip.
Barbican Hall, EC2, Thu
Al Pacino Season, London
To his critics, Pacino is basically Pacino whatever role he's playing, despite all that "method" stuff. But even if you admit that, most actors would...
Blow The Bloody Doors Off, London
His was the bespectacled face of swinging London to be sure, but Michael Caine's movies also inspired some of the era's greatest scores. This event, hosted by Phill Jupitus, replays highlights from four of those classic soundtracks, live, for the first time in history: Sonny Rollins's Alfie, John Barry's The Ipcress File, Quincy Jones's The Italian Job and, getting special attention, Roy Budd's Get Carter. The band includes members of Polar Bear, Madness and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and movie clips on screen will complete the nostalgia trip.
Barbican Hall, EC2, Thu
Al Pacino Season, London
To his critics, Pacino is basically Pacino whatever role he's playing, despite all that "method" stuff. But even if you admit that, most actors would...
- 2/1/2014
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Michael Caine's early films defined the look of an era, but with scores by John Barry, Quincy Jones and Sonny Rollins they also defined its soundrack
There is a kind of music in Michael Caine's voice: deceptively flat, barely inflected, emitting just the tiniest glints of detached insolence and laconic menace as it maps the area between the pre-war docklands community of Rotherhithe, his birthplace, and Elephant and Castle, where his family was rehoused in a prefab built on bomb-damaged land not far from the location of Shakespeare's theatres. Few people alive know more about the actor's craft than Caine, none is more gifted in the art of underplaying, and that voice is integral to his virtuosity.
But there is music of a more conventional kind in the films that made him famous – when the former Maurice Micklewhite rather unexpectedly became the model of a new kind of English leading man,...
There is a kind of music in Michael Caine's voice: deceptively flat, barely inflected, emitting just the tiniest glints of detached insolence and laconic menace as it maps the area between the pre-war docklands community of Rotherhithe, his birthplace, and Elephant and Castle, where his family was rehoused in a prefab built on bomb-damaged land not far from the location of Shakespeare's theatres. Few people alive know more about the actor's craft than Caine, none is more gifted in the art of underplaying, and that voice is integral to his virtuosity.
But there is music of a more conventional kind in the films that made him famous – when the former Maurice Micklewhite rather unexpectedly became the model of a new kind of English leading man,...
- 1/31/2014
- by Richard Williams
- The Guardian - Film News
Yusef Lateef, who died on Monday after a bout with prostate cancer, was a devout Muslim who did not like his music to be called jazz because of the supposed indecent origins and connotations of the word (although those origins are still debated). He preferred the self-coined phrase "autophysiopsychic music." Furthermore, his music encompassed an impressively broad range of styles, and the only Grammy he won was in the New Age category -- for a recording of a symphony. Think about those things amid the flood of Lateef obituaries with "jazz" in the headline.
That said, certainly Lateef's own musical origins indisputably revolved around jazz. Growing up in Detroit, a highly fertile musical environment in the 1930s and beyond, Lateef got his first instrument, an $80 Martin alto sax, at age 18. Within a year he was on the road with the 13 Spirits of Swing (arrangements by Milt Buckner).
A Detroit friend,...
That said, certainly Lateef's own musical origins indisputably revolved around jazz. Growing up in Detroit, a highly fertile musical environment in the 1930s and beyond, Lateef got his first instrument, an $80 Martin alto sax, at age 18. Within a year he was on the road with the 13 Spirits of Swing (arrangements by Milt Buckner).
A Detroit friend,...
- 12/25/2013
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Jim Steranko, one of the creators of the Nick Fury character, recaps Agents of Shield for THR's Heat Vision every week. Read more about the Marvel Comics artist in a Q&A here. Last night, soap got in my eyes -- and I wasn’t even taking a shower! I was watching Agents of Shield’s big mid-season closer: “The Bridge” (where is Sonny Rollins when we need him the most?). Let me set the record straight because some critics of my weekly critiques have accused me of egomaniacal bias, that because the series doesn’t mirror my four-color contribution to the Shield
read more...
read more...
- 12/11/2013
- by Jim Steranko
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Matthew Shipp: Piano Sutras (Thirsty Ear)
Every Matthew Shipp album is a major event. Not in the sense of a Lady Gaga album, accompanied by a relentless publicity campaign and hyped as a cultural upheaval of massive commercial significance. No, a Matthew Shipp album is a major event for jazz because he is one of the most important pianists alive, and also because he hardly ever rests on his laurels, comfortable in a circumscribed style -- he evolves from one album to the next in a nearly disconcerting way. Even though his playing is immediately recognizable -- one would never confuse him with any of the other pianists on the scene -- it shifts slightly from album to album.
This is not merely a matter of setting (solo, trio, duo) or collaborators, though of course who he works with does affect how he plays. Even if one just looks at...
Every Matthew Shipp album is a major event. Not in the sense of a Lady Gaga album, accompanied by a relentless publicity campaign and hyped as a cultural upheaval of massive commercial significance. No, a Matthew Shipp album is a major event for jazz because he is one of the most important pianists alive, and also because he hardly ever rests on his laurels, comfortable in a circumscribed style -- he evolves from one album to the next in a nearly disconcerting way. Even though his playing is immediately recognizable -- one would never confuse him with any of the other pianists on the scene -- it shifts slightly from album to album.
This is not merely a matter of setting (solo, trio, duo) or collaborators, though of course who he works with does affect how he plays. Even if one just looks at...
- 11/16/2013
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
The 14th Annual Woodstock Film Festival (Wff), kicking off October 2 through October 6 has unveiled its 2013 line-up of over 150 films, panels, performances and special events. Screenings and events will take place in the historic arts colony of Woodstock and the neighboring towns of Rhinebeck, Rosendale, Saugerties and Kingston, two hours from NYC in the Hudson Valley Catskills. The festival which is featuring 25 world premieres, includes such special events such as the Kick-Off Screening with Dick Fontaine's "Sonny Rollins Beyond the Notes" with Sonny Rollins as the special guest and a performance by The Jd Allen Trio. In addition, the inaugural keynote speech will be delivered by Slava Rubin, CEO Indiegogo. "This year's lineup is made up of a stimulating collection of independent films that truly push the envelope," said Meira Blaustein, Wff executive director and co-founder. "These films open our eyes and ignite our hearts. We are looking forward to...
- 9/3/2013
- by James Hiler
- Indiewire
David Ayers Wicked and Silence in the role of 'Robert,' Billie Holiday's Manager along with newcomer Rafael Poueriet in the role of the 'Assistant Stage manager' as well as Jim Cammack veteran bass player for legendary jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal, Ken Hitchcock NY Saxophone Quartet amp Manhattan Jazz Orchestra's acclaimed tenor sax player, Jerome Jennings performer amp drummer for Benny Golson and Sonny Rollins and Bill Jolly three-time Emmy Award winning pianistcomposerarranger in the speaking roles of the onstage musicians complete the acting ensemble for the upcoming Billie Holiday musical 'Lady Day' starring Tony and multiple Grammy Award-winner Dee Dee Bridgewater. With an opening set for Thursday, October 3rd 630Pm the production will take residence at Times Square's Little Shubert Theatre 422 West 42nd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues. Written and directed by Stephen Stahl, the musical will make its New York debut having been produced at the...
- 6/27/2013
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Sneak Peek images and synopsis from the new "Simpsons" episode, "Whiskey Business", airing May 5, 2013, with guest-star Sonny Rollins, as well as an opportunity to purchase an original cell drawing from the series featuring 'Krusty The Clown':
"...Sonny Rollins appears as a hologram to Lisa when she takes exception to a 'Tupac-at-Cochella'-style hologram of blues icon 'Bleeding Gums Murphy', starting a letter writing campaign to stop 'holographic exploitation'. Then 'Grampa' injures himself while babysitting 'Bart', discovering he prefers being cared for by his grandson than the staff at the nursing home.
"And 'Moe' finds a new lease on life when rich venture capitalists take an interest in his homemade bourbon after 'Marge' and 'Homer' help him..."
Click the images to enlarge...
"The Simpsons" 'Krusty the Clown' Original Animation Cel:
"...available for purchase here, this one-of-a-kind original 'The Simpsons' animation cel featuring 'Krusty the Clown' onstage wearing a tuxedo at a comedy...
"...Sonny Rollins appears as a hologram to Lisa when she takes exception to a 'Tupac-at-Cochella'-style hologram of blues icon 'Bleeding Gums Murphy', starting a letter writing campaign to stop 'holographic exploitation'. Then 'Grampa' injures himself while babysitting 'Bart', discovering he prefers being cared for by his grandson than the staff at the nursing home.
"And 'Moe' finds a new lease on life when rich venture capitalists take an interest in his homemade bourbon after 'Marge' and 'Homer' help him..."
Click the images to enlarge...
"The Simpsons" 'Krusty the Clown' Original Animation Cel:
"...available for purchase here, this one-of-a-kind original 'The Simpsons' animation cel featuring 'Krusty the Clown' onstage wearing a tuxedo at a comedy...
- 5/6/2013
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
The new Season 24 "Simpsons" episode, titled "Whiskey Business", airs May 5, 2013, with guest-star Sonny Rollins:
"...Sonny Rollins appears as a hologram to Lisa when she takes exception to a 'Tupac-at-Cochella'-style hologram of blues icon 'Bleeding Gums Murphy', starting a letter writing campaign to stop 'holographic exploitation'. Then 'Grampa' injures himself while babysitting 'Bart', discovering he prefers being cared for by his grandson than the staff at the nursing home.
"And 'Moe' finds a new lease on life when rich venture capitalists take an interest in his homemade bourbon after 'Marge' and 'Homer' help him..."
Click the images to enlarge...
"...Sonny Rollins appears as a hologram to Lisa when she takes exception to a 'Tupac-at-Cochella'-style hologram of blues icon 'Bleeding Gums Murphy', starting a letter writing campaign to stop 'holographic exploitation'. Then 'Grampa' injures himself while babysitting 'Bart', discovering he prefers being cared for by his grandson than the staff at the nursing home.
"And 'Moe' finds a new lease on life when rich venture capitalists take an interest in his homemade bourbon after 'Marge' and 'Homer' help him..."
Click the images to enlarge...
- 4/24/2013
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
If you’ve ever suspected there’s a seedier side to Springfield, this Simpsons couch gag is for you.
The following exclusive clip from Sunday’s episode (Fox, 8/7c) is “Film Noir,” an original Simpsons short by Oscar-nominated animator Bill Plympton. Just like last week’s installment opened with Homer & Co. doing the Harlem Shake, this week’s will begin with Plympton’s stylized take on a typical Simpsons family interaction.
Related | The Simpsons Exclusive: Saxophonist Sonny Rollins Gets Tupac Treatment
The episode also features 30 Rock‘s Tina Fey playing a substitute teacher who bullies Lisa, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins...
The following exclusive clip from Sunday’s episode (Fox, 8/7c) is “Film Noir,” an original Simpsons short by Oscar-nominated animator Bill Plympton. Just like last week’s installment opened with Homer & Co. doing the Harlem Shake, this week’s will begin with Plympton’s stylized take on a typical Simpsons family interaction.
Related | The Simpsons Exclusive: Saxophonist Sonny Rollins Gets Tupac Treatment
The episode also features 30 Rock‘s Tina Fey playing a substitute teacher who bullies Lisa, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins...
- 3/7/2013
- by Kimberly Roots
- TVLine.com
As Valentine’s Day approaches, Fox’s Animation Domination hopes you’ll choo-choo-choose these special cards to convey your love.
Related | The Simpsons Exclusive: Saxophonist Sonny Rollins Gets Tupac Treatment
Take your exclusive first look at the seasonal greetings below — which feature characters from The Simpsons, The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers and American Dad! – then head over to Fox.com starting at 4 pm Est/1 pm Pst to download a set for yourself (or someone special).
And don’t forget to tune in to Fox’s love-fest on Feb. 10. First, The Cleveland Show‘s Donna and Cleveland head...
Related | The Simpsons Exclusive: Saxophonist Sonny Rollins Gets Tupac Treatment
Take your exclusive first look at the seasonal greetings below — which feature characters from The Simpsons, The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers and American Dad! – then head over to Fox.com starting at 4 pm Est/1 pm Pst to download a set for yourself (or someone special).
And don’t forget to tune in to Fox’s love-fest on Feb. 10. First, The Cleveland Show‘s Donna and Cleveland head...
- 2/5/2013
- by Kimberly Roots
- TVLine.com
Year after year, The Kennedy Center Honors remains the most entertaining awards show on the air — a reverent ceremony with unmatched warmth and appreciation radiating between the stage, the audience, and the box of eclectic honorees, which this year includes David Letterman, Dustin Hoffman, blues great Buddy Guy, prima ballerina Natalia Makarova, and Led Zeppelin. We spoke to producers George Stevens, Jr., who co-created the Honors 35 years ago, and Michael Stevens, who’s won four consecutive Emmys with his father for the variety special, to find out how they do it. The 35th Annual Kennedy Center Honors, taped earlier this month,...
- 12/21/2012
- by Mandi Bierly
- EW - Inside TV
Saxophonist David S. (Spencer) Ware was a towering presence on the New York free jazz scene, an artist of compelling gravity and musical intensity. Even after health problems that culminated in a 2009 kidney transplant, he came back strong, his post-operation return coming in a completely solo concert that was a strong statement. This year, the kidney problems returned, and he passed away last night after being hospitalized.
As I once wrote here, Ware united two strands of free jazz: the powerfully full-toned tenor sax blower, and the intellectual craftsman. Although Ware was classified as a free jazz player, he was mentored by Sonny Rollins (who among other things taught him circular breathing), and Ware's music looked back to some earlier jazz styles, though almost always in a fully assimilated way that had no revivalism about it.
Ware started playing around age 11. Oddly, while he played alto and baritone saxes plus bass in school,...
As I once wrote here, Ware united two strands of free jazz: the powerfully full-toned tenor sax blower, and the intellectual craftsman. Although Ware was classified as a free jazz player, he was mentored by Sonny Rollins (who among other things taught him circular breathing), and Ware's music looked back to some earlier jazz styles, though almost always in a fully assimilated way that had no revivalism about it.
Ware started playing around age 11. Oddly, while he played alto and baritone saxes plus bass in school,...
- 10/19/2012
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
It looks like Michael Bolton's trading tunes for TV.
According to THR, the singer is set to star in the ABC comedy pilot "Michael Bolton's Daughter Is Ruining My Life," based on "Go On" actress Allison Miller's experience with celebrities when she first moved to L.A. Bolton will play a fictional version of himself.
The Grammy winner also appeared on CBS' "Two And A Half Men" earlier this season and made a notable appearance on "Saturday Night Live" as a Jack Sparrow superfan.
In other casting news...
Sonny Rollins is swinging by "The Simpsons." Rollins will voice himself in the animated Fox comedy in an episode titled "Whiskey Business." [TVLine]
"Sirens" has added two new cast members. "Scrubs" alum Michael Mosley and "Modern Family's" Kevin Daniels are joining the USA comedy. Mosley will play a Chicago Emt named Johnny with Daniels playing his best friend. [TVLine]
Callum Blue...
According to THR, the singer is set to star in the ABC comedy pilot "Michael Bolton's Daughter Is Ruining My Life," based on "Go On" actress Allison Miller's experience with celebrities when she first moved to L.A. Bolton will play a fictional version of himself.
The Grammy winner also appeared on CBS' "Two And A Half Men" earlier this season and made a notable appearance on "Saturday Night Live" as a Jack Sparrow superfan.
In other casting news...
Sonny Rollins is swinging by "The Simpsons." Rollins will voice himself in the animated Fox comedy in an episode titled "Whiskey Business." [TVLine]
"Sirens" has added two new cast members. "Scrubs" alum Michael Mosley and "Modern Family's" Kevin Daniels are joining the USA comedy. Mosley will play a Chicago Emt named Johnny with Daniels playing his best friend. [TVLine]
Callum Blue...
- 10/12/2012
- by Leigh Weingus
- Huffington Post
The Simpsons‘ has tapped Jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins to play himself in an episode of the Fox animated comedy, TVLine has learned exclusively.
Related | An Animation Domination Halloween Treat for You!
In a spring episode titled “Whiskey Business,” Rollins appears as a hologram to Lisa when she takes exception to a “Tupac-at-Cochella”-style hologram of blues icon Bleeding Gums Murphy and starts a letter writing campaign to stop this holographic exploitation.
Related | Simpsons Boss on Carell’s Violent Tendencies, Cumberbatch’s Eagerness and ‘Bart’s Annie Hall’
Rollins is a Grammy-winning jazz tenor saxophonist who has played with greats like Miles Davis,...
Related | An Animation Domination Halloween Treat for You!
In a spring episode titled “Whiskey Business,” Rollins appears as a hologram to Lisa when she takes exception to a “Tupac-at-Cochella”-style hologram of blues icon Bleeding Gums Murphy and starts a letter writing campaign to stop this holographic exploitation.
Related | Simpsons Boss on Carell’s Violent Tendencies, Cumberbatch’s Eagerness and ‘Bart’s Annie Hall’
Rollins is a Grammy-winning jazz tenor saxophonist who has played with greats like Miles Davis,...
- 10/11/2012
- by Kimberly Roots
- TVLine.com
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