Author Archives: The Independent Ear

Since my first experience there in the early 90s, attendance at the Monterey Jazz Festival (MJF) has been an essential part of my annual travel calendar. That is best exemplified by the fact that once the mid-September MJF date is … Continue reading →

Brothers Zaccai and Luques Curtis, from Hartford, CT, spent some of their earliest music matriculation at NEA Jazz Master Jackie & Dolly McLean’s visionary Artist Collective in Hartford. Since that time they’ve played with such notable artists as NEA Jazz … Continue reading →

Whisper Not: The Autobiography of Benny Golson by Benny Golson and Jim Merod Temple University Press Saxophonist-composer Benny Golson exemplifies the jazz life well-lived. He developed a distinctive sound on the tenor saxophone, one that has become more smoke-infused and … Continue reading →

Recently we published Ron Scott’s review of the 2017 Cape Town International Jazz Festival (scroll down). Ron was able to extend his journey into the heart of jazz in South Africa and here he shares his insights into jazz in … Continue reading →

Our recent experience at the 44th annual Umbria Jazz reaffirmed the excellence of this annual event, as reported in this review in DownBeat magazine: http://downbeat.com/default.asp?sect=news&subsect=news_detail&nid=3368 But the experience was so excellent we simply couldn’t leave it at that! This was … Continue reading →