By Susan Frances lassic jazz vocalists have often honed a stage presence that identifies them. For instance, part of Ella Fitzgerald’s stage presence was the elegant evening gowns that allowed …

By Susan Frances  Beyond being a musician, a composer, and an educator, Xander Naylor has the spiritual awareness of a Tibetan monk and the creative leanings of a jazz improviser. …

By Susan Frances Playing in a jazz collective offers each member collaborative opportunities to open up their imagination, contribute, and react to the other member’s input. It is a microcosm …

By Susan Frances omposer, multi-instrumentalist, and bandleader Jesse Ryan is quoted in his biography, found on his website HERE, saying, “I consider myself to be bilingual; music is my second …

By Susan Frances ross-pollination is a phenomenon that horticulturists use to create a new plant by transferring pollen from one plant to another plant. The same science can be equally …

By Susan Frances yrics and music filled with a deep love and appreciation of the natural world is a significant factor driving  singer, composer, bandleader, and trumpet player Rebecca Hennessy …

Allyson Briggs:  Swing Jazz for Modern Audiences By Susan Frances ndowed with the glamorous looks of a Classic Hollywood starlit and possessing a voice that seafarers would swear is the …

Marlow Rosado:  Honoring the Timeless Traditions of Salsa Music By Susan Frances 2K earmarked a new millennium across the globe, opening people to new opportunities, new leading voices, and new …

David Boswell:  Creating Adventures with Music By Susan Frances he way landscape artist John Constable transports audiences through the dales of England’s countryside in his paintings, guitarist-composer David Boswell takes …

artners possess a magical quality that puts ego aside and champions excellence and distinction.  Partners in music that have made such a lasting impression have included Richard Rodgers and Oscar …

cclaimed pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader David Restivo has called many different cities home, having lived in Lansing, Michigan then moving to Toronto, Canada. Along the way, he had found …

Tal Yahalom: Jazz Music’s Duality of Individualism and Community By Susan Frances Born in Isreal, guitarist-composer Tal Yahalom has been based in Brooklyn, New York since 2014.  The move, inspired …

Christian Tamburr:  Boundless Creativity By Susan Frances From Cocoa Beach, Florida to the world stage, composer, bandleader, vibraphonist and multi-instrumentalist Christian Tamburr is a welcome sight to the jazz emporium.  …

Brian Kooken: Leading a Blues Trio with Soul By Susan Frances The BK Trio are pros at creating harmony in their dialogue, using the languages of blues, jazz, funk, soul, …

Mark Lettieri:  The Beauty of Instrumental Music By Susan Frances If audiences can imagine one guitar that has traveled through the decades since its inception, used for playing across the …

Jeff Reed:  The Art of Musical Conversation By Susan Frances Few listeners would disagree that jazz allows musicians to practice their skills at holding musical conversations. The genre not only …

Santiago Leibson: 9 Bars of Self-Expression By Susan Frances Born in Argentina and based in Brooklyn, New York,  jazz pianist and composer Santiago Leibson straddles the line between classical music …

Nicholas Brust: Expressing Personality Through Music By Susan Frances Frozen in Time, the latest offering from composer/saxophonist Nicholas Brust is more than merely an exercise in composing music with his …

Igor Willcox: The Thrill of Playing in the Moment by Susan Frances The Igor Willcox Quartet led by Brazilian born and bred drummer/composer Igor Willcox can teach everyone a lesson …

Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool from the Perspective of Vince Wilburn, Jr. by Susan Frances orn on May 26, 1926, trumpet player Miles Davis had something to communicate with …

Sara Gazarek: The Always Changing Story of Life by Susan Frances he story of life has been represented in books like John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath.  It’s been told …

Wayne Wallace:  Seizing Moments of Epiphany by Susan Frances any people have experienced an epiphany.  They come while alone with one’s thoughts, doing a mundane task like taking a shower, …

Spaga: Think Globally, Act Locally by Susan Frances Spaga’s founder, frontman, co-collaborator, and pianist Aron Magner instills in the band to think globally and act locally.  Thus, setting the band’s …

Allison Miller: The Magic of Collective Negotiation by Susan Frances Traditionally, drums have been thought to require brawn and stamina, qualities that people attribute to the male gender.  However, a …