Jonah Berman
Jonah’s Contributions
December 2004 Books
Django: The Life And Music Of A Gypsy Legend
Michael Dregni
Despite being recognized as one of the founders of modern jazz guitar, Django Reinhardt has remained somewhat of an enigma to all but his most serious fans. With Django: The Life and Music of a Gypsy Legend, Michael Dregni has created a compelling portrait...
September 2003 Albums
New Deal
Tony Trischka Band
With New Deal, the Tony Trischka Band has put together a collection of tunes that, while firmly rooted in American folk music, constantly pushes the boundaries of that genre. Without delving too deeply into jam-band territory, Trischka and his band seem...
July/August 2003 Albums
Walking On the Moon
Matt Flinner Quartet
While certain instruments just seem to have an innate beauty to them-the piano and the saxophone come to mind-others don't have it quite so easy. That being said, the mandolin, because of its treble-heavy sound, to me was always an instrument that needed...
October 2002 News
The Jazz Detectives: Identifying Unknown or Mislabeled Musicians
If you’re a collector of old jazz recordings you’re familiar with these scenes: While reading through personnel list you come across “bass player unknown,” or “drums unidentified.” Somehow, somewhere along the line, the name of the musician who was playing...
September 2002 Hearsay
The Slip
The Slip is not a band that has forgotten its roots. “Recently I have come to the realization that the way we formed, in high school jazz band, is an integral element of the Slip,” bassist Marc Friedman says. “The three of us were in a smaller-sized jazz...
08/13/02 News
Andrew Hill Wins Jazzpar Prize, Releases New CD
Pianist and composer Andrew Hill (pictured), who celebrated his 65th birthday on June 30 and who has a new album out today entitled A Beautiful Day (Palmetto), was named the winner of the 14th annual Jazzpar Prize, to be presented in Copenhagen, Denmark...
08/12/02 News
Lincoln Center Celebrates Blakey
Art Blakey (pictured) had his own view about what jazz was for: “When people come in to relax and enjoy themselves after a hard day's work, it's my job to make them happy to wash away the dust of everyday life. That’s what jazz music is all about.” Recalling...
08/10/02 News
Brooklyn Conservatory Announces Concert Series
The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music announces its 2002-2003 Jazz at the Conservatory Series, starting in Oct. 5 with a performance by trumpeter Tom Harrell (pictured). Sponsored by BNP Paribas and now in its eighth season, the Jazz at the Conservatory series...
08/09/02 News
Priester's First Album in 25 Years Launches Conduit Label
Most people who are lucky enough to survive an organ transplant take a while to get back on their feet. Some may never fully regain their strength. Not so for trombonist Julian Priester (pictured), who, after receiving a liver transplant in 2000, is now...
08/08/02 News
Joel Dorn Starts Hyena Records
On Sept. 17, reissues of records by Cannonball Adderley (pictured) and Rashaan Roland Kirk will mark the debut of Hyena Records, a label spearheaded by producer Joel Dorn. Hyena is Dorn’s fourth record label, following his Night Records, 32 Records and Label...
08/07/02 News
Roy Kral Dies
Roy Kral, half of the singing duo known as Jackie and Roy, died Fri., Aug. 2 at his home in Montclair, N.J. He was 80. Born in Cicero, Ill. on Oct. 10, 1921, Kral began studying piano as a young boy. After serving as an arranger for the Army Band during...
08/06/02 News
Blue Note Club Pays Tribute to Ray Brown
After the death of Ray Brown (pictured) on July 2, friend and fellow bassist John Clayton remarked: “When speaking about this moment to me, Ray made it clear that he wanted us to throw a big party with lots of music. We'll see to it that he gets his last...
08/05/02 News
Julliard Offers Jazz Degree
While the Juilliard School of Music has long been known as one of the top institutions for the study of classical music, it has never had much in the way of a jazz department. Young jazz musicians typically headed to Berklee or the Manhattan School of Music...
08/03/02 News
Recent Deaths in Jazz
Trumpeter Idrees Sulieman died on Sunday, July 28th at age 78. Born Leonard Graham in St. Petersburg, Florida on August 7, 1923, Sulieman made his debut with the Carolina Cotton Pickers, after which he studied at the Boston Conservatory. In 1943 and ‘44...
08/02/02 News
BBC Radio Jazz Award Winners
While most of the revered jazz legends of the past century were born and bred in the U.S., our cousins over in the U.K. have produced quite a few stellar jazz musicians of their own, among them Dave Holland, George Shearing and Ronnie Scott. While some of...
08/01/02 News
Savoy's Latest Resurrection Yields Reissues
In celebration of its 60th anniversary, and the most recent of its many revivals, the Savoy label is reissuing some of its legendary material in special packages. The first, Charlie Parker: The Complete Savoy and Dial Recordings , includes 20 of Parker's...
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