The mechanics of jazz, the ideology, the culture, the genesis of jazz is built from the freedom to blur the lines, break down the artificial walls, and promote a true sense of peer equality while codifying a universal language in the sound of art. It’s true that some people can realize gifts that others have […]

Bassist Buster Williams is one of the most accomplished and in-demand bassists on the jazz scene today. His nearly six-decade career has included performances, tours, and recordings with such luminaries as Art Blakey, Mary Lou Williams, Sarah Vaughan, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Lee Konitz, Errol Garner, and Freddie Hubbard, among countless others. Williams […]

There are a few things that I believe very strongly: BBQ sauce isn’t an acceptable substitute for tomato sauce on pizza, stepping on a crack rarely breaks your mother’s back, and Christian McBride is an alien from a planet of omni-dimensional, hyper-swinging beings, who crash-landed on Earth about 40 years ago and is just keeping […]

With a voice that’s smooth like cherry wine and a personality bursting with charisma, Gregory Porter has been winning over the hearts of audiences across the globe. After high school, Porter injured his shoulder and was forced to give up a full football scholarship. His mother, one of his biggest influences, passed away shortly after […]

Mavis Staples has been rocking the blues and gospel scene since the early 1950s. In the early days, she performed with her family group, The Staple Singers, in local churches in the Chicago area. From the beginning, audiences were struck by the power and intent behind Staples’ voice. She always sounded more mature than her […]

Great musicians are surrounded by an air of mystery and respect. This perception can be daunting, especially to young high school musicians just starting to play their instruments. In this particular example, I’m talking about myself. When I first saw Jimmy Greene performing at the Jazz Festival a few years ago, he was a giant […]

Cinematheque, the spunky indie cinema just across from Old Market Square, is getting in on the jazz action during the TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival, offering a line-up of great films for jazz lovers. Mavis (2015) is a documentary about the soul legend and civil rights activist Mavis Staples, one of this year’s featured artists […]

Luc Guenette was playing the electric bass in high school until Steve Kirby put an upright in his hands at the U of M Summer Jazz Camp. He says he had to build the right muscles to hold it and deal with never-ending blisters, but he wouldn’t dream of switching now. He leads Sir Luc […]

Every year, the TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival offers a series of free Jazz Labs where anybody interested in this music can take in some behind-the-scenes conversation about what goes into this music. Tuesday, June 20 – Gabriel Palatchi is a young Argentinian pianist who is putting a fresh spin on Latin jazz. His influences, […]

“The King of Swing,” Artie Shaw, was one of the most colourful and popular jazz musicians in the 1930s and 1940s. Shaw was also opinionated, litigious, and cantankerous, but more importantly he possessed a brilliant mind and was a gifted musician. He was married eight times, and his wives included Betty Kern (the daughter of […]

Fans of Snarky Puppy will be excited to know that founder Michael League has kicked off a new project. Bokanté—which means “exchange” in Creole—is a gathering of eight dynamic musicians from several continents, all working at the top of their game. Two-time Grammy award-winning guitarists Michael League, Chris McQueen, and Bob Lanzetti, all from Snarky […]

A lovely young friend of mine showed up at my door a couple of weeks back with a big branch of pussywillows—she knows me well. I plunked them in a vase, and in return for water, they have been giving me a little buzz of happiness each time pass by. I clearly am on the […]