JAZZIZ Discovery

Most successful jazz artists will tell you that they stand on the shoulders of giants and mentors. Donald Vega is hardly shy in expressing his gratitude toward those who helped him along the way, as he makes plain on his latest release, Play It Forward. The pianist, who began classical studies in his native Nicaragua, […]

As a precocious, music-loving kid growing up in Arkansas, Jonathan Karrant caught the performing bug early. At the age of 7, he belted out “Stormy Monday” in front of what must have been a bemused nightclub audience. So it’s unsurprising that Karrant would make a career out of injecting jazz and pop standards with […]

Text by Jonathan Widran and photos by Jessica Taylor L.A.’s Vibrato Grill Jazz was the setting for an all-star tribute to the enduring artistry and multi-genre legacy of George Benson. Balancing musical excellence with a powerful sense of purpose, the intimate November 1 benefit honored the guitarist and singer’s remarkable career while spotlighting the important […]

On her latest release, soprano saxophonist and composer Jane Ira Bloom reconnects with vibraphonist David Friedman, an artist with whom she first played and recorded more than 45 years ago. Now living in Berlin, Friedman returned to the States to record with Bloom and bassist Ken Filiano at the Clive Davis Institute in Brooklyn. Bloom […]

In 2023, Dan Webb relocated from Melbourne, Australia, to Singapore, opening not just sonic gateways but cultural and spiritual ones, as well. Taoist and Buddhist teachings about death and rebirth compelled him, not just in the figurative sense of establishing himself in a new country, but on a deeper level, as three family members died, […]