By Devon Wendell On Saturday, June 13th; Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and young players from The Monk Institute Of Jazz Performance Ensemble will be performing at the 37th Annual Playboy Jazz Festival taking place Saturday and Sunday at The Hollywood Bowl. I recently had the amazing opportunity to interview Wayne Shorter on his upcoming performance… Read More Q&A: Wayne Shorter and Daniel Rotem At The Playboy Jazz Festival
By Devon Wendell Legendary jazz trumpeter and composer Arturo Sandoval and his big band will be performing at the 36th annual Playboy Jazz Festival this year at The Hollywood Bowl on Saturday, June 14th. I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Mr. Sandoval on his upcoming performance at the festival and discuss his incredibly illustrious… Read More Q&A: Arturo Sandoval at the Playboy Jazz Festival
By Don Heckman Long time fans of the Playboy Jazz Festival are going to receive a surprise this year for the legendary event’s 35th anniversary. After having hosted virtually all of the previous Festivals, Bill Cosby has decided to retire. He’ll be replaced by George Lopez, stand up comedian, actor and host of the late… Read More Q & A: George Lopez and the Playboy Jazz Festival
By Devon Wendell On Saturday, June 15, Gregory Porter will be headlining the 35th Annual Playboy Jazz Festival at The Hollywood Bowl. The trailblazing jazz vocalist and songwriter has become one of the most important male jazz singers to come along in decades since the release of his debut album Water (Motema) in 2010, which… Read More Q&A: Gregory Porter at the Playboy Jazz Festival
By Don Heckman Denny Zeitlin is a rare Renaissance man. He’s been a practicing psychiatrist since the early ‘60s, and a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco since 1968. His career as a highly praised jazz pianist has paralleled his psychiatric work. After making his first recording in 1963, he… Read More Q & A: Denny Zeitlin, Psychiatrist and Jazz Pianist (Part 1)
By Don Heckman Denny Zeitlin is a rare Renaissance man. He’s been a practicing psychiatrist since the early ‘60s, and a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco since 1968. His career as a highly praised jazz pianist has paralleled his psychiatric work. After making his first recording in 1963, he… Read More Q & A: Denny Zeitlin, Psychiatrist and Jazz Pianist (Part 2)
By Devon Wendell Recently I had the opportunity to have another exclusive interview with my former boss, mentor, and obsessed music lover Donald Fagen. (To read my first Fagen Q & A for iRoM, published in April of 2009, click HERE.) This time, we discussed his new solo album, Sunken Condos (Reprise Records) – released… Read More Q & A: Donald Fagen’s new album, “Sunken Condos”
By Don Heckman Trumpeter Chris Botti has moved, over the past decade, from visibility in the smooth jazz genre – an identity that never really seemed quite right for him – to international prominence as a versatile jazz artist with a unique style of his own. Described by his record company, no doubt accurately, as… Read More Q & A: Chris Botti
By Don Heckman Israeli singer/songwriter Noa, whose given name is Achinoam Nini, makes one of her rare Los Angeles appearances on Saturday night in a UCLA Live concert at Royce Hall. Her remarkable resume encompasses performances and/or collaborations with artists reaching from Pat Metheny, Sting, Stevie Wonder and Andrea Bocelli to Lokua Kanza, Khaled and… Read More Q & A: Israeli Singer Noa (Achinoam Nini)
By Don Heckman Judy Carmichael is a jazz rarity — a lively, contemporary pianist who has been specializing in classic jazz piano styles, especially stride piano, since the early ’80s. Count Basie nicknamed her “Stride,” and her early career was also aided by the likes of Sarah Vaughan, Benny Carter, Freddie Green and Roy Eldridge,… Read More Q & A: Judy Carmichael
The International Review of Music 