Jazz Artists 1945-1965

New York Jazz Workshop Remembers Jimmy Cobb (1929-2020)

The jazz world mourns the passing of legendary drummer Jimmy Cobb. 2020, with the horrendous pandemic sweeping globally will go down as one of the worst years in history, if not the worst ever. The jazz world this year has lost some of the greatest musicians ... more

New York Jazz Workshop Remembers McCoy Tyner (1938-2020)

The New York Jazz Workshop’s CJ Shearn offers a reflection on the passing of jazz piano legend McCoy Tyner. Below are Shearn’s words. The legends who have made significant contributions to this music within the linear historical narrative are leaving the ... more

What is Soul Jazz?

What is soul jazz? For individuals getting into jazz, this is a good question. Jazz (or Black American Music depending on who you ask) has a myriad of genre designations that can be quite confusing, or in the modern era, useless. Soul jazz is an odd designation that came in ... more

Where was jazz in the 1990’s part 2?

Part I of this article focused on the large American jazz market which was a natural outgrowth of the commercial success of the Young Lions movement of which Wynton Marsalis was it’s most well known exponent. The American “mainstream” jazz scene, (a term ... more

Where was jazz in the 1990’s? Part 1

Where was jazz in the 1990’s? The music was riding a continuum since the 1980’s, where the music was jump started in the public eye thanks to the Young Lions movement. For some it was thought of a marketing gimmick, but for a lot of young black ... more

Is acid jazz a valid style of jazz?

Is acid jazz a valid style of jazz? In the late 1980’s and early to mid 1990’s in the UK, a style of jazz derived music popped up courtesy of DJ Gilles Peterson called Acid Jazz. For some, the term “acid jazz” connotes a style of music layered with ... more

A Link To The Masters: Wallace Roney In Conversation with CJ Shearn

Wallace Roney is a non pareil trumpeter par excellence. Since his debut on records in 1975, and being a part of the New York scene since the 70’s, the trumpeter received invaluable tutelage in the bands of Art Blakey, Tony Williams, and Elvin Jones, among many others. He ... more

What is smooth jazz?

Smooth jazz is a bizarre primarily American phenomenon that took root in the mid 1970’s and had it’s peak during the 80’s through the 90’s. While the music of Paul Whiteman in the 20’s and bands like Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey could be seen as ... more

Jazz in popular culture

Jazz has had a place in popular culture for a long time. As dormant as that period may seem currently, jazz was certainly at it’s peak in the swing era. In the swing era through bands such as that as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Paul ... more

Are bebop and hard bop that dissimilar?

Are bebop and hard bop that dissimilar? For new fans of jazz or jazz history the differences between the two can seem hard to detect. Even back in college when I took a Jazz in American Music course, the professor even said the contrasts could be minimal. There are some ... more

What are the connections between jazz and hip hop?

Jazz and hip hop are two of America’s native art forms. Both have had immeasurable impact on the cultural fabric of American society and life expressing the plight of African Americans. While jazz came from the combination of African, Latin and European elements, hip ... more

Remembering Roy Hargrove (1969-2018) by CJ Shearn

The jazz world is mourning the all too soon loss of the great trumpeter Roy Hargrove (Oct 18, 1969-November 3, 2018) at the age of 49. It’s well known in the jazz that Hargrove had been on dialysis and suffered from health issues related to substance abuse. I saw a ... more