Junior Brown’s playing is a hybrid blur of chicken pickin’ prestidigitation and salaciously slick slide. It’s as if he was channeling Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West simultaneously and couldn’t decide which one to pick. Flummoxed by the dilemma, Brown came up with an instrument that can do both — an instrument that can be played […]
Artist Feature
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John Abercrombie
Fusion music didn’t exist when guitarist John Abercrombie plied his craft at a Boston supper club in the late 1960’s.
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Lizz Wright
When I caught up with vocalist and composer Lizz Wright by phone, she was in New York City getting ready to sing at a benefit for The Innocence Project. Wright, who synthesizes R&B, jazz, folk, blues, and gospel music, is still basking in the glow of her excellent new album, “Freedom & Surrender.” Produced by […]
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Bria Skonberg
It’s hard to pin down what it is about Bria Skonberg. She’s a double threat as a trumpet player and vocalist — good luck trying to pick which one you like more. And I would be remiss if I failed to mention her tow-headed pulchritude. This New York City-based composer, educator, and self-proclaimed instigator has […]
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Avishai Cohen
Soon after moving from Israel to New York in the 1990’s, bassist Avishai Cohen began playing with top artists, including Danilo Pérez, Wynton Marsalis, and Joshua Redman. In 1997, Chick Corea signed him to his Stretch record label and asked Cohen to join his band. Over the last two decades, Cohen has recorded 15 albums, […]
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Emefe
Though usually pegged as entertainers, musicians don’t necessarily owe their audience a damn thing. This is particularly the case when said band is focused on exorcising its own demons, and is pursuing its muse. Take for instance New York City’s Emefe: The band dresses up its funk grooves with new wave-type electronica. And this isn’t […]
