Jazz Artists 1945-1965

What has jazz innovated since the decade of the 1980’s?

What has jazz innovated since the decade of the 1980’s? Back in July when legendary drummer Lenny White interviewed for the New York Jazz Workshop podcast that was a query he had asked in the course of discussion. The question was rhetorical: Has the most significant ... more

Where jazz is now in the present era?

Welcome to the latest edition of the New York Jazz Workshop podcast, I’m your host CJ Shearn. Today’s topic: where jazz is now in the present era? There are a lot of different opinions on where jazz is now, but it is in a healthier and more varied place than ... more

Is jazz dance able?

Is jazz dance able? That might be a question on the minds of those who may just have gotten into the music. The short answer is yes. There is a common narrative that once jazz ceased to be a popular music in the early 1940’s, that the music ceased to be dance able, ... more

Jazz career opportunities for students with a degree

Jazz career opportunities for students with degrees are exciting. Every year students spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on jazz education. They spend countless hours in the practice room, in a structured classroom environment, playing in small group combos, big band, ... more

Who are some women in jazz?

On this episode of the New York Jazz Workshop Podcast the topic is women in jazz. Who are some women in jazz? Today more than ever, women in jazz have integrated into the traditionally male dominated form on equal footing more than more so than ever before. In this episode ... more

Jazz as a medium for social and political change

Jazz has been a catalyst for political and social change throughout it’s entire history. The music of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk, Louis Armstrong, Charles Mingus, Darius Jones, Tia Fuller, Jazzmeia Horn, and Fay ... more

Celebrating the brilliance of bassist Paul Chambers (1935-1969)

April 22nd would have marked the 83rd birthday of the legendary bassist Paul Chambers. Jazz bassists’ role in jazz had shifted significantly with Jimmy Blanton, who took the instrument out of a pure harmonic and rhythmically based role in Duke Ellington’s band. ... more

What are the effects of jazz music on the brain?

Jazz music’s effects on the brain are vast. Studies conducted with general listeners in mind showed that listening to the music releases chemicals in the brain that regulate mood. For musicians the act of creation triggers different areas that enhance creativity by ... more

What are some accessible styles of jazz?

Jazz has gone through many developments over the past 100 years, and the music is still developing. In the period of 1945-1960 alone, a brief fifteen years saw the development of bop, cool jazz, hard bop and the avant garde. In those stylistic shifts, what are considered the ... more

A brief profile of the great Wes Montgomery (1925-1968)

Fifty years ago in 1968 the world lost Wes Montgomery. His playing and revolutionary ideas are ingrained into the fabric of jazz guitar, but at the time there was simply nothing like his approach and he was the most significant innovator since Charlie Christian. Despite the ... more

Shift: The Logan Richardson Interview, Part II with CJ Shearn

On February 26th, Blue Note records releases Shift the new project from alto saxophonist Logan Richardson. Hailing from Kansas City, Missouri, the saxophonist has been in demand since his 2006 debut Cerebral Flow (Fresh Sound New Talent) performing with the likes of Jason ... more