With equal dashes Esquivel lounge and Martin Denny exotica, chilled on retro rocks and poured into a Camelot-era America glass, Pink Martini is the ultimate in sophisticated pop cool and classic, jazzy swing. Since 1994, this ensemble from Portland, Oregon, has traveled the world plugging into orchestras along the way. It’s breathtaking. It’s an elegant […]
XRIJF 2013
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INTERVIEW: Marti Brom
There’s a spot in certain female voices — a transitional spot, if you will — between sweet vibrato and growl. Texas rockabilly songstress Marti Brom traverses this vocal twilight beautifully, leaving a slew of broken hearts in her wake. Brom’s voice and overall persona is classic and way beyond your typical rootsy twang and tribute. […]
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INTERVIEW: Anat Cohen
When Israeli clarinetist Anat Cohen steps out of her Brooklyn home, she finds herself between two worlds. Cohen resides in Williamsburg, a vital neighborhood in the New York jazz scene. But Williamsburg is also a center of Hasidic Judaism in the United States. “I live right on the border,” says Cohen. “I make a left […]
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INTERVIEW: Rudresh Mahanthappa
It’s not unusual for a jazz artist to lead several groups, but Rudresh Mahanthappa just might hold the record. He leads or co-leads 10 different ensembles. “I’m always hearing a different sound in my head,” says Mahanthappa. “My artistic vision is not necessarily about having one group and keeping it together for 10 to 20 […]
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INTERVIEW: Gas House Gorillas
So, five gorillas walk into a bar… But seriously folks, five guys from Brooklyn walk into a joint in Anytown, USA, and promptly take the stage. They look like a cross-section between The Bowery Boys and escapees from The Reformatory for Wayward Boys circa 1959. It’s still not clear if these cats are the band, […]
