Ted Panken writes extensively about jazz and creative music for various publications, and programmed jazz and creative music on WKCR-FM in New York City from 1985 through 2008. He won the 2007 ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for his article “Smalls Universe,” published by DownBeat, and earned the Jazz Journalists’ Association 2016 Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism award. His blog, Today Is The Question, contains over 260 of his articles and verbatim interviews.
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That the modifier “rising” should no longer be applied to “star” when describing the remarkable vocalist Jazzmeia Horn is apparent throughout her sophomore release, Love … Read More “Artistry, Inc.: Jazzmeia Horn’s Personal Creativity Corporation”
Midway through June, trumpeter Theo Croker worked four nights at Manhattan’s Jazz Standard behind Star People Nation, his third release on DDB, Dee Dee Bridgewater’s Sony-licensed … Read More “Theo Croker Steps Out”
In early October, just after concluding two concerts in Kuwait City with Herbie Hancock and two weeks before embarking on a month of European one-nighters … Read More “Lionel Loueke’s Winding Journey“
On Sept. 30 at the New York Hot Jazz Festival, Michael Mwenso & the Shakes presented The Joint Is Jumpin’, a Fats Waller revue the … Read More “Michael Mwenso & the Shakes”
Walter Smith III’s fifth recording as a leader, TWIO (Whirlwind), is a nine-tune date featuring drummer Eric Harland, four tracks apiece with bassists Christian McBride … Read More “Walter Smith III: Playing It Straight”
It is both a blessing and a curse to drum master Mike Clark that his fan base remains interested in the contributions he made to … Read More “Mike Clark: The Double-Edged Sword Called Funk”
With its multifaceted radicalism, the Art Ensemble of Chicago occupies a singular niche in the American music timeline. That creative audacity could be found in … Read More “Message to Our Folks: The Art Ensemble of Chicago by Paul Steinbeck”
After playing the second tune at her CD-release party in early April, at Smalls in the West Village, Roxy Coss put her tenor saxophone down. … Read More “The Ballad of Roxy Coss”
The booklet for Born in an Urban Ruin, the more recently recorded of John Lindberg’s two concurrent, self-produced releases on Clean Feed, includes a photo … Read More “Overdue Ovation: John Lindberg”
Back with a vengeance, though he hardly left
Lessons from Mister T & Mr. McDuff
An artistic academic, a soulful technologist
Owner of an identity, with hints of Herbie
Absolute resolve, in life & art
“I believe that my music is an American story”
Jazz Passenger, genre-hopping journeyman
“Let the good stuff happen”
His life, music and philosophies
Drawing inspiration from a hobby and bridging the classical-jazz gap
Tenor saxophone grandmaster Clifford Jordan, who produced the seven dates that comprise The Complete Clifford Jordan Strata-East Sessions (Mosaic), performs on only three of the … Read More “Clifford Jordan: The Complete Clifford Jordan Strata-East Sessions”
A Russian-born trumpeter steps out with three recent albums
In his introduction to The Amazing Bud Powell: Black Genius, Jazz History, and the Challenge of Bebop, Guthrie P. Ramsey Jr. states that it is … Read More “The Amazing Bud Powell: Black Genius, Jazz History, and the Challenge of Bebop by Guthrie P. Ramsey Jr.”
Mosaic’s Classic Earl Hines Sessions: 1928-1945 begins with four solo performances-“Caution Blues,” “A Monday Date,” “I Ain’t Got Nobody” and “57 Varieties”-that set the template … Read More “Earl Hines: Classic Earl Hines Sessions 1928-1945”
How an artist-run performance space remains intimate while expanding
The electric bass virtuoso fosters a thriving, daring, multifaceted scene
The celebrated drummer unleashes his artistic vision via several new projects
A little-known lodestar
The beloved vocalist steps out of her comfort zone
Bringing the real NOLA funk
Workaholic sticksman returns as leader with his ECM debut
