Home » Jazz Articles

Articles by Esther Berlanga-Ryan

8
Interview

Kendrick Scott: Conviction of a Jazz Oracle

Read "Kendrick Scott: Conviction of a Jazz Oracle" reviewed by Esther Berlanga-Ryan


Kendrick Scott, considered by many as one of the most gifted drummers of his generation and trusted on stage by peers such as trumpeter Terence Blanchard, is ready to take the spotlight as a bandleader once more with his third studio project. This is a record about a true desire to act as an instrument of peace and a heart full of faith and realizations; a jazz musician telling his own story as he perceives it--and as his band members ...

10
Interview

John Patitucci: The Gentle Soul

Read "John Patitucci: The Gentle Soul" reviewed by Esther Berlanga-Ryan


Every jazz musician inhabits a private inner world of amazing energy and light, where they live, dream and fall deeply in love with their unique craft while creating this extraordinary and improvised music. Through the years, some become masters of their instruments, and a selfless interaction with the world takes place, where they share what they learned and even help others find their own voice. This way, paying it forward becomes an act of brotherhood, a present for the future ...

183
Interview

Al Jarreau: Simple and Necessary Happiness

Read "Al Jarreau: Simple and Necessary Happiness" reviewed by Esther Berlanga-Ryan


There are very few jazz greats that make people who love this music smile in awe while witnessing their beautiful talent. Jazz is larger than life, and they all contribute to its greatness every day, whether it is from a small stage in the Village in New York, or from some old record, spinning while popping and clicking away with that undeniable charm, making the music flow. As long as jazz happens, the magnificence of it all remains flawless and ...

400
Interview

Chick Corea: Creative Giant

Read "Chick Corea: Creative Giant" reviewed by Esther Berlanga-Ryan


Virtuosity is a beautiful thing. One would somehow like to believe that anybody can learn how to play any given instrument with delicate, enchanting energy; but truth be told, some are simply born with a gift that most can only dream of. The ability to amaze others through music, enriching the hearts and widening the creative searching horizons of those who listen, with melodies and breathtaking performances, that is something extraordinary. Connections are made between musicians and the world; emotions ...

597
Interview

Billy Childs: The Perfect Picture

Read "Billy Childs: The Perfect Picture" reviewed by Esther Berlanga-Ryan


There is a somewhat-still-virgin musical territory that rests its innocent heart where classical music ends and jazz commences. Many have beautifully tiptoed on its smooth surface before, mixing, experimenting, creating and even challenging its balance with both improvised and organized notes. Music is in constant evolution, and jazz has always, in one way or another, embraced those who take each step a little further ahead every time. Taking risks makes the magic worthwhile, and the experience always promises to be ...

646
Interview

Stanley Clarke: Path Maker

Read "Stanley Clarke: Path Maker" reviewed by Esther Berlanga-Ryan


Innovation is a cherished quality in any art form and, truth be told, some follow greatness while others create the patterns that make that same greatness possible. There are teachers, and then, there are students. In jazz, musicians skilled in all sorts of instruments tend to look at their older peers in amazement, and challenges within their very souls are triggered and fed by an almost supernatural need to be unique; for only those who manage to be unique will ...

787
Interview

Esperanza Spalding: The Intimate Balance

Read "Esperanza Spalding: The Intimate Balance" reviewed by Esther Berlanga-Ryan


To celebrate Esperanza Spalding's Grammy award win as “Best New Artist," we're rerunning this September 2010 interview. Enjoy!Fans of classical music and jazz have argued about music for years. If Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Duke Ellington had ever met, they may have looked at each other in awe--right before debating about bars and notes and solos... and, perhaps, the music would have been flowing just as easy as words. The time when classically trained musicians looked down on ...

657
Interview

Marcus Miller: The Perfect Balance

Read "Marcus Miller: The Perfect Balance" reviewed by Esther Berlanga-Ryan


Marcus Miller is a master musician of calm wisdom and impeccable taste, whose talent has been exposed to the elements under different kinds of light through the years, only to magnify the evident supremacy he so gently seems to hold over the bass guitar in recent years. As a multi-instrumentalist of deep musical curiosity, he has also placed a difficult instrument like the bass clarinet as one of his most distinctive trademarks. His recordings are always surprising, and his soul ...

599
Interview

Jane Monheit: Finding the Way Back Home

Read "Jane Monheit: Finding the Way Back Home" reviewed by Esther Berlanga-Ryan


Jane Monheit's voice is not a reflection of somebody else's talent: it is all on her. Home (Emarcy, 2010) is her new ticket to the legacy of the Great American Songbook, and her journey has been quite spectacular.Singing the words or simply scatting, Monheit lays down the pattern for the true vocal jazz tradition with tunes like “This is Always" and “Isn't It a Lovely Day" for those who might have forgotten what romanticism sounded like, back in ...

633
Interview

Wycliffe Gordon: What This is All About

Read "Wycliffe Gordon: What This is All About" reviewed by Esther Berlanga-Ryan


Versatility is an important part of a well-developed artistic soul. The arts provide a wide range of outlets of expression that can be nurtured and grown into their finest results. Music could very well be a reason to believe in the extraordinary, and jazz musicians are no exception; they might even be a norm. It is the dream of every artist to create freely, as improvised notes are gathered in an instrument and then exposed to the world at a ...


Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.