By Doug Levine Meet up-and-coming trumpeter Gabriel Johnson, whose spare, jazzy melodies have drawn comparisons to the legendary Miles Davis. Johnson was especially drawn to the orchestral collaborations between Miles and arranger Gil Evans. But, it was another iconic entertainer that helped jump-start his solo career: filmmaker and jazz enthusiast Clint Eastwood. Johnson recalls making […]
Grammy Contender Kurt Elling Taps The Brill Building Sound
Posted January 10th, 2013 at 8:01 pm (UTC+0)
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By Doug Levine It’s a new year and with it comes a slew of awards shows. Now is it just me or are they doling out more and more trophies and plaques these days? This month alone brings four major awards, mostly for film and television. Of course, the Grammy Awards is still “music’s biggest […]
The Return of Captain Fingers
Posted November 8th, 2012 at 8:47 pm (UTC+0)
By Doug Levine You would think that anyone whose nickname is “Captain Fingers” must really be good with his hands. Either that or there’s a brand new superhero battling for ratings on Cartoon Network. Well, to his loyal following of fans, guitarist Lee Ritenour (aka “Captain Fingers”) is considered a jazz superhero, knocking out by […]
American Splendors: Coltrane and Pekar
Posted October 16th, 2012 at 5:26 pm (UTC+0)
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I really love jazz, so the other night when I was driving home from work, I was listening to John Coltrane’s “My Favorite Things.” It got me thinking about the movie I had seen a few days earlier called “American Splendor,” because Coltrane’s treatment is featured on the soundtrack. The film follows the trials and […]
