A piano, a gentle drum shuffle, a children’s choir: The opening notes of A Charlie Brown Christmas, scoring a lightly falling snow, are not just familiar, they’re iconic. The 22-minute television special, which debuted in 1965, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, five decades worth of festive feeling, holiday transportation and warm nostalgia. JazzEast’s […]
jazz
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Quick Q&A with Mojo Martin
So Friday the 13th has been seen as bad luck since the Jesus times. Did you know that? Rumour has it (i.e. the internet) that the origin of the superstition originates from the Son of God’s last supper on the eve of His crucifixion, Good Friday, as seen here in this little-known portraiture. The idea […]
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Arrhythmia nation
Hip-hop and spoken word artist Hermitofthewoods might not be the first artist who springs to mind for improvised jazz, but that’s part of what excites jazz musicians Tim Crofts, Norm Adams and D’Arcy Gray about their upcoming collaboration, Arrhythmia, the final concert of suddenlyLISTEN’s 2014/15 main series. “Every year I look for interesting artists that […]
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Jazz it up: top jazz of 2009
Jeff TorbertThis Weather Honest (independent) Torbert’s first release under his own name sends listeners on an improvisatory trip down the open roads of jazz and folk, bringing a stellar cast of Halifax’s new guard of jazz players along as he makes serious headway on his compositional path. Easley Stevenson Arsenault Nine Steps (Superhigh) This top-notch […]
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Burning questions for Granelli about Spontaneous Combustion
Last October, a reed-thin, restlessly imaginative, master percussionist approached the Atlantic Jazz Festival’s new artistic director Lulu Healy with a concept for a scintillating festival event. He proposed matching up musicians—all renowned for their musical jouissance (over-the-top enjoyment and pleasure), whiz-bang inventiveness and a no-self-doubt command of their instruments—to create music without preordained strictures. In […]
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Gypsophilia’s fresh face
Nick Wilkinson raises his hand to block fellow guitar player Ross Burns’ beard, and squints. The Gypsophilia boys are picturing what they’d look like with moustaches, only. The new aesthetic is inspired by trumpet player Matt Myer, who shaved his beard to showcase his moustache. Now the three other bearded members have a dilemma: to […]
