Everything Jazz

I’m back, she says and she plans to release a new album next march. With a new image and attitude to match, she has turned into a sizzlin’ jazz lady ready to take on the world again. With no major album for four years, her twins and the long break has rejuvenated her passion and says she’s ready for a comeback. One of the most recognized modern icons of jazz, she has been touring the world with concert after concert. Don’t get it wrong, she says this time round it’ll be sexier and hotter for the parenting thing with twins has made her more a woman than ever. Promotional shots of the artist have begun to spring up though the wait is long, her fans are just thrilled to have her back. She is scheduled to produce Barbra Streisand this coming January so keep an eye out.

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ギタリストのジョージ・ベンソン氏がナショナル・エンドウメント・フォー・ジ・アーツの2009年度ジャズ・マスターズの1人に選ばれました。 しかし、もう1人のアーティストの受賞は、この年に一度のセレモニーでもっとも感動的な一幕となりました。 そのアーティストとは、他でもないベルギー出身のトゥーツ・シールマンス氏です。 86歳のシースマンス氏は、ジャズ・アット・リンカーン・センター・オーケストラの伴奏で「イッツ・ア・ワンダフル・ワールド」をハーモニカで演奏しました。 氏はこの演奏を、彼の音楽に影響を与えたというルイ・アームストロング氏に捧げました。 シールマンス氏は、「セサミ・ストリート」 オープニング音楽 でハーモニカを担当しました。この音楽は世界中の子供たちに親しまれています。 シールマンス氏はドイツ占領下の1940年代にジャズの魅力に取り付かれ、アームストロングやミルス・ブラザースを愛聴していたといいます。 シールマンス氏はジャズ・マスターに選ばれた最初のヨーロッパ人ハーモニカ奏者となりました。 同氏は2001年にベルギーのアルバート2世国王から「バロン」の称号を贈られています。アメリカには1952年に移住しました。そこで当時の仲間のミュージシャンたちから受けた暖かい歓迎を今でも覚えているそうです。

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南アフリカのジャズ歌手ミリアム・マケバは力強いが情熱的な声を持ち世界の注目を集めた歌手だったが、 イタリアでのコンサート後まもなく亡くなった。 ７６才だった。ミリアムは反犯罪組織の認識の為のコンサートでのかなり短いパフォーマンス後に心臓発作を発病した。ママ・アフリカと愛情をこめて呼ばれ、南アフリカ中が深く悲しんでいる。３０年前を思い出すのは興味深いが、彼女は人種隔離制度の為に彼女自身の国を追い出された。ママ・アフリカは圧制と植民地主義からの南アフリカの苦労の認識を、彼女の歌を使い元気付けた。彼女はまたアフリカの歌の女帝として知られている。さよなら、私のミュージシャン・・・

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Miriam Makeba is a South African jazz singer who took the worlds attention with her powerful yet sultry voice, is dead. She died shortly after her concert in Italy. She was 76. She suffered a heart attack after the performance which was rather short. The concert was for an anti organized crime awareness. Mama Afrika, as what she is fondly called, is grieved by the whole nation of South Africa. It is interesting to recall that 30 years ago, she was banned from her own country under the apartheid. Mama Afrika helped raise awareness of the struggle of South Africa from oppression and colonialism through her songs. She is also known as The Empress of the African Song. Farewell to you my fellow musician..

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Guitarist George Benson was honored by the National Endowment for the Arts as one of its 2009 Jazz Masters. But there was another artist who received the award in the most touching moment in the annual ceremony. He is none other than, Toots Thielemans, born in Belgium. Thielemans is 86 years old, he played with the harmonica, a version of, What A Wonderful World, accompanied by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. He dedicated his performance to his musical influence, Louise Armstrong. Thielemans is the harmonica behind the Sesame Street opening theme, which were loved by generations of children all over the world. Thielemans got hooked on jazz during the occupation of Germany in the 1940s. he loved to hear Armstrong with the Mills Brothers. He is the very first European by birth musician harmonica player to be confered with the Jazz Master award. He was given the title “baron” by King Albert II of Belgium in 2001. He settled in the US in 1952. And he still remembers the warm welcome of fellow musicians from that time.

Jazz lovers out there know that there are a lot of different styles of jazz music: soul jazz, jazz fusion, smooth jazz, Dixieland, latin jazz among others. These differing styles, and the fact that jazz by its very description is so difficult to define and open to improvisation makes for some pretty strong sentiments among the jazz lovers community. While he may have his critics, one thing that nobody can argue is that Kenny G. has brought jazz music to the consciousness of a lot of listeners.

With his saxophone and his smooth style of jazz that lends itself to easy listening, Kenny G. has sold more than 75 million albums. And now, his latest album for 2008, Rhythm and Romance, has just been nominated for two Latin Grammy Awards. One for Best Instrumental Album (Category 27) and one for Best Engineered Album(Category 46). The awards will be held on Thursday November 13 at the Toyota Center in Houston Texas. It will air live on the Univision Television Network 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central.

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In jazz, the expert performer will translate a tune in very individual ways, certainly not playing the same composition precisely the same way twice. Depending upon the performer’s frame of mind and personal experience, interactions with fellow musicians, or even members of the audience, a jazz musician/performer may alter melodies, harmonies or time signature at will. European classical music has been said to be a composer’s medium. Jazz, however, is often characterized as the product of freethinking creativity, interaction and collaboration, placing equal value on the contributions of composer and performer, skilfully weighing the respective claims of the composer and the improviser.

How does one be glad about true blue jazz music? Some might say that musical comprehension is relative to every person. And yes, it is. Try to be open to every kind of music, and not just the mainstream ones. Listen to the song’s lyrics. No singer writes a song that’s so obscure, nobody can relate to it. Even the strangest ones hold something that a listener can see herself mirrored into against. Open yourself to new experiences, and who knows, the music world is your playground.

I never thought that jazz music can be really addictive. I was never a fan of such music because all my life I�ve only adored pop music. But after listening to Katie Eagleson�s sample music, I fell in love with it right away. Her voice was really mellow and her diction is really clear. You can actually feel as if she�s singing the songs to you personally. I especially like her rendition of �How Do You Keep the Music Playing.� She has put a different edge to the song. I really love it. I guess I must start searching for jazz artists and listening to their music from now on.

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A musical art form which started in African-American areas in the Southern part of the United States (at about the start of the 20th century) from a combination of African and European musical traditions, Jazz is one of the world’s most established musical forms today. The style’s West African source is obvious in its utility of blue notes, call-and-response, improvisation, polyrhythms, syncopation, and the swung note of ragtime. From its youth until now, jazz has also mixed music from 19th and 20th century American mainstream music, which is founded on European music traditions. The word jazz started as a West Coast term of a not-so-sure source and was first used to point to music in Chicago at around the year 19oo’s.

Mindi Abair first broke onto the smooth jazz music scene with the song It Just Happens That Way, and until now she is still considered an A-lister for summer and winter tours, festivals and cruises. And just recently she went international with her first concerts in Istanbul and Romania.

She’s has done pop tours with Adam Sandler, Duran Duran, Josh Groban and even The Backstreet Boys on their famed Millennium tour back in 1999-2000. But even before she has immersed herself in contemporary jazz and became one of its true icons, she shopped demos of pop songs and tried aiming for a deal as a singer-songwriter. However, in her new album, she no longer needs to reach for the stars. She already has the best of both worlds. So if you’re looking for one great jazz artist, might as well listen to Mindi Abair as she keeps holding on to her star.