Author Archives: The Independent Ear

Having been privileged to participate in several year-end “best of” recordings polls (including Francis Davis’ esteemed poll for NPR (http://www.npr.org/blogs/ablogsupreme/2014/12/19/371282561/the-2014-npr-music-jazz-critics-poll), as well as assorted critic’s polls I’ll decline to belabor Independent Ear readers with my favorite recordings for 2014. However, … Continue reading →

Next week New York City will host a convergence of two annual arts conferences, starting January 8/9 with the burgeoning Jazz Connect Conference at St. Peter’s Church, and merging with the Association of Performing Arts Presenters Conference January 9-13 at … Continue reading →

When producer, and tireless unreleased gems crate digger Zev Feldman asked me to write one of four essays to accompany his 2-CD Charles Lloyd discovery – Manhattan Stories (Resonance) captured live at Slug’s and Judson Hall with his first band … Continue reading →

Our recent conversation with DC jazz worker Bill Brower (please scroll down for that dialogue or check the Archives listing for November ’14 entries) was in part an effort at highlighting the often overlooked but very important contributions to keeping … Continue reading →

Awaking at a leisurely hour on Thanksgiving morning – as a couple of empty-nesters with no major feast-preparation and an invitation to join friends for a big family repast that afternoon should be prone to do – after perusing the … Continue reading →