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Bennie Wallace: French Postcard
by Dan McClenaghan
In 2001, saxophonist Bennie Wallace released a breakout album, Moodsville (Groove Note). It was Wallace in the quartet setting, with Mulgrew Miller on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums--an all-star cast. What was striking about the sound was its immediacy, its authenticity. It was a bunch of time-tested Great American Songbook tunes and jazz standards laid down with an insouciant grace and relaxed confidence. No bells and whistles, but rather an unpretentious trip into the tradition ...
Continue ReadingMark Sherman: Bop Contest
by Pierre Giroux
Vibraphonist and composer Mark Sherman has long been recognized as one of the music's most articulate advocates for straight-ahead values, grounding his virtuosity in the clarity and craftsmanship that define the bop lineage. Bop Contest, his 2025 release, continues that tradition with poise and conviction. Surrounded by a top-tier rhythm section comprising pianist Donald Vega, the legendary bassist Ron Carter, the exuberant drummer Carl Allen, and guest trumpeter Joe Magnarelli, Sherman delivers a program that balances reverence for ...
Continue ReadingMark Sherman: Bop Contest
by Jack Bowers
Following four well-received albums on which he played piano, the versatile Mark Sherman has placed the keyboard in the capable hands of Donald Vega and returned to his main instrument, the vibraphone, for the eloquent and delightful Bop Contest, Sherman's twenty-second recording in a prestigious career that has spanned nearly half a century. Although Sherman has shared the studio with a who's who of renowned bassists, he had never released an album, until now, with the Hall ...
Continue ReadingJim Rotondi, Wire Town, Donald Vega and Dan Moretti
by Joe Dimino
Get ready for a thrilling ride as we launch the 893rd episode of Neon Jazz! We kick things off with Kansas City's powerhouse supergroup, Wire Town, delivering fresh, electrifying sounds captured live at the legendary Green Lady Lounge. From there, we honor the legacy of the late, great Jim Rotondi before diving into an incredible lineup of seasoned artists dropping brand-new 2025 music--featuring Russ Anixter, Thomas Martin Lopez, Dan Moretti, Elaine Dame, and Rebecca Coupe Franks. But that's not all--we've ...
Continue ReadingHoliday Music with Donald Vega, Band Of Other Brothers, JD Allen, Nicole Henry and more
by Benjamin Boddie
Today's Music--Right Now! Holiday Music by Donald Vega, Band Of Other Brothers, JD Allen, Scott Drier, Nicole Henry, Rosemary Clooney, Wynton Marsalis, Oscar Peterson, Kevin Mahogany, Etta James, Scott Hamilton, Vanessa Rubin, Billie Holiday, Benny Carter, Kurt Elling, Eric Reed, Nnenna Freelon, Javon Jackson, Al Jarreau, Diana Krall, Nat King Cole, and more. Playlist Donald Vega “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" from All Is Merry And Bright (Imagery Records) 00:00 Rosemary Clooney “Christmas Time Is Here" from White ...
Continue ReadingIlya Osachuk: The Answer
by Neil Duggan
Canadian bassist Ilya Osachuk is positive proof that the jazz education system in Canada and the US is in fine shape. Born in Winnipeg, Osachuk graduated from the University of Manitoba's Desautels Faculty of Music in 2021 with a Bachelor's Degree in Jazz Performance. He then moved to New York and gained a Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies from the Juilliard School in 2023. studying bass under Ben Wolfe and Gerald Cannon and composition and arranging under Andy ...
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