Karl Ackermann has published A Map of Jazz: Crossroads of Music and Human Rights. The book debuted as Amazon’s #1 New Release in Ethnic Music Books on October 24, 2020.
Jim Anderson of Anderson Audio New York recorded and mixed the score for the upcoming Warner Brothers film Judas and the Black Messiah at Manhattan Center and Reservoir Studios in NYC. Score composers were Craig Harris and Mark Isham. 7.1 Mixing was at Valhalla Studios New York, Auburn, NY. Shaka King directed the film.
John Chacona reviewed Dafnis Prieto’s Transparency for AllAboutJazz.com and Susan Alcorn’s Pedernal for PostGenre.org. He awaits the reopening of the jazz scene in Cleveland, OH to which he moved last year.
Ken Franckling reviewed trumpeter Cyrus Nabipoor’s newest recording, Live at Marigny Opera House, in the December issue of Offbeatmagazine. He continues to track jazz-related COVID-19 deaths, now over 50, in his Jazz Notes blog. Ken is also preparing his annual Year in Jazz compilation of significant happenings in 2020 for All About Jazz.
James Hale inaugurated a new monthly column for SoundStage.com, combining the review of a specific piece of hi-fi equipment and how it changes the listening experience for a specific recording. His first column revisits the 24K gold CD version of Kind of Blue and a new NAD CD player, and asks the questions: Who buys CD players these days, and why? For SoundStageXperience.com, he wrote about new recordings by Dave Douglas and The Nels Cline Singers.
Doug Hall reviewed the biography of the late legendary Boston music impresario Fred Taylor, entitled What – And Give-up Showbiz?. Written in a first-person narrative, Taylor literally “talks” to you about his experiences promoting and booking an A-list of musicians from the 1960s to his 90th birthday. He listened to streamed performance selections of 2020 release “Data Lords” by Maria Schnieder and her orchestra, with post-performance Zoom discussion. He also reviewed a recently discovered recording, Dave Brubeck’s Lullabies.
Howard Mandel reviewed The Jazz Influencers by Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw for DownBeat, corresponded with Henry Threadgill about their 1990s radio production “BedGhosts, Or I’ll Be All Over You Like A Cheap Suit” (script by Thulani Davis), and facilitated the promotion of Chicago’s record labels on the Jazz Institute of Chicago’s website. He posted Paul Acquaro’s article on the Berlin Jazz Festivals’ online edition, notes on some international jazz happenings, and Matty Bonnand’s report of jazz restlessness under live-show cancellations in Germany’s populous northwest at JJANews, and welcomed Paul de Barros as a new member of the JJA board.
Steve Monroe’s Jazz Avenues editions for Twitter and Facebook for November into December included live streaming news on performers Lafayette Gilchrist, Sharon Clark, Eric Kennedy, Robert Glasper, Todd Marcus and others. Jazz Avenues also reviewed new CDs Healing by Reginald Cyntje and Allyn Johnson, and Sea Change by Stephen Arnold and Sea Change.
Dan Ouellette continues his monthly danouellette.net column “Jazz & Beyond Intel” with stories based on interviews with percussionist/drummer Dafnis Prieto, SF pianist/composer/activist Jon Jang, pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn, and tenor master Sonny Rollins. Dan also has written the liner notes for pianist Benito Gonzalez’s upcoming album and the introduction to new bassist Mauricio Morales. He regularly writes liners for videos at QWEST.tv. He continues contributing links to hundreds of taped interviews to be archived at Cal State Monterey Bay.
Fiona Ross founded the new Women in Jazz Media organization, to explore, discuss and collaborate on promoting, celebrating, encouraging and advancing a diverse jazz community that’s a healthy and supportive environment for women, in particular. Enthusiasm and engagement on Facebook has been strong, and a website is under construction. Jazz publications offering official endorsement so far include Jazz in Europe, Kind of Jazz, Jazzwise, Jazz Views and Jazz Quarterly.
Sammy Stein has two books released this month. The first, Gender in UK Jazz – A Discussion, was edited by fellow JJA member Debbie Burke in a trans-Atlantic collaboration. Her next book, intended for release at the end of November, was delayed due to COVID-19. Titled In Their Words, it contains 21 in-depth interviews with female jazz musicians of all ages from across the world. It is published by 8th House.
