WICN Featured Writer: Doug Hall

Doug Hall

https://artsparksmusic.com/

Author Archive

• WICN Artist of the Month, November 2024: Billy Strayhorn
  by Doug Hall
  November 1, 2024
  By Doug Hall, WICN Contributing Writer In the history of jazz, there are relationships between two musicians as performers, composers, or arrangers, or all combined. Seminal examples include George and Ira Gershwin, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, Harold Land and… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, November 2024: Billy Strayhorn
• WICN Artist of the Month, October ’24: Illinois Jacquet
  by Doug Hall
  October 1, 2024
  Given the transitory lifestyle and traveling nature of jazz musicians in the ‘40s and ‘50s particularly, as a regular circuit of cities throughout the US offered venues reached mostly by long, often overnight bus rides—the equivalent of today’s red-eye flights–sidemen… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, October ’24: Illinois Jacquet
• WICN Artist of the Month, August 2024: Organ Fairchild
  by Doug Hall
  August 1, 2024
  Anytime a local band in the New York and New England area finds itself voted #1 out of 64 up-and-coming bands in NYS Music’s statewide March Madness competition (in 2021), it is significant. Buffalo-based band Organ Fairchild has been described… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, August 2024: Organ Fairchild
• WICN Artist of the Month, July ’24: Philly Joe Jones
  by Doug Hall
  July 1, 2024
  The circle of jazz drummers that emerged in the 1950s set a new high for talent. Certain names repeat themselves as they joined seminal jazz trios, quartets, and quintets led by legendary bandleaders. Philly Joe Jones (aka Joseph Rudolph Jones)… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, July ’24: Philly Joe Jones
• WICN Artist of the Month, June 2024: Kenny Barron
  by Doug Hall
  June 1, 2024
  In the jazz community, innumerable legendary bandleaders are familiar to jazz fans, yet often, it’s the sidemen at the core of that bandleader’s trio, quartet, or orchestra. At 83, Kenny Barron, pianist, composer, educator, and NEA jazz master, is the… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, June 2024: Kenny Barron
• WICN Artist of the Month, May ’24: Miles Davis
  by Doug Hall
  May 1, 2024
  Miles Davis stands, to many jazz scholars, jazz historians, and critics, as arguably the most influential jazz musician and composer in the post-World War II modern period. Jazz as a genre is a mélange of subcategories developed over 100-plus years… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, May ’24: Miles Davis
• WICN Artist of the Month, April ’24: Lionel Hampton
  by Doug Hall
  April 1, 2024
  By Doug Hall, WICN Contributing Writer As with standard jazz instruments, many players are responsible for popularizing them during different genre periods. For the vibraphone, there is no greater originator and virtuoso than Lionel Hampton. Hampton would become a pioneer in… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, April ’24: Lionel Hampton
• WICN Artist of the Month, March ’24: Lena Horne
  by Doug Hall
  March 1, 2024
  by Doug Hall, Contributing Writer During the height of the Civil Rights Movement in the late ‘50s and ‘60s, many Black musicians participated in the marches, demonstrations, and political activities of the times, lending their voices and stature to this… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, March ’24: Lena Horne
• WICN Artist of the Month, February 2024: Gregory Porter
  by Doug Hall
  February 1, 2024
  By Doug Hall, WICN Contributing Writer In the music world, particularly in the R&B and Soul genres, the foundation of church gospel in the early lives of African-American vocalists is widespread. Aretha Franklin, Toni Braxton, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, and… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, February 2024: Gregory Porter
• WICN Artist of the Month, January 2024: Billie Holiday
  by Doug Hall
  January 2, 2024
  By Doug Hall   Often in jazz, when identifying the soaring range or virtuosity or power of a vocalist, these gifts are accepted as a skill set that is necessary to impart the depth and complication of song material. Through… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, January 2024: Billie Holiday
• WICN Artist of the Month, December 2023: Chet Baker
  by Doug Hall
  December 1, 2023
  Common in the jazz world–and the wider music industry, to be sure–there are personal story arcs that are dramatically tragic, until the musician manages to rebound and reestablish their career. But if any one musician could carry a legacy that… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, December 2023: Chet Baker
• WICN Artist of the Month, November 2023: Count Basie
  by Doug Hall
  November 1, 2023
  “Swing” in jazz, for the audience on a dance floor, is often described as an emotional response, with foot-tapping, dancing to a rhythm and a propulsive “feel” to the beat. There is no greater contributor or bandleader for this big-band… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, November 2023: Count Basie
• WICN AOM, October 2023: Pharoah Sanders
  by Doug Hall
  October 2, 2023
  The evolution of spiritual jazz began with elements of free jazz, avant-garde jazz, and modal jazz, cited by jazz critics to have been heavily influenced by John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme (1965). The range of musicians reimagining their interpretations of… Read more: WICN AOM, October 2023: Pharoah Sanders
• WICN Artist of the Month, September ’23: Julian Lage
  by Doug Hall
  September 1, 2023
  By Doug Hall, WICN Contributing Writer     Julian Lage – Love Hurts (Official Video) – YouTube     When a younger, established guitar phenomenon has a wide band of inclusion with other varied guitarists, including Jim Hall, Nels Cline,… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, September ’23: Julian Lage
• WICN Artist of the Month, August 2023: The Verve Jazz Ensemble
  by Doug Hall
  August 1, 2023
  Back when albums were the main source for collecting and listening to music for both jazz audiences and jazz artists alike, there was a limited range of record labels. However, one record label stood out as foundational for jazz in… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, August 2023: The Verve Jazz Ensemble
• WICN Artist of the Month, July 2023: Ahmad Jamal
  by Doug Hall
  July 3, 2023
  In the 1940s, at a time when Bebop was ascending in popularity as the new direction in modern jazz, with its flurry of notes, frantically fast tempo and extended solos, a distinctive and original artist and pianist was turning in… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, July 2023: Ahmad Jamal
• WICN Artist of the Month, June 2023: Abbey Lincoln
  by Doug Hall
  June 1, 2023
  There are many Black female jazz vocalists held in special regard for their commitment to civil rights and activism, including the support expressed through their songs and lyrics that directly address racism. Billie Holiday’s Strange Fruit, Lena Horne’s Stormy Weather,… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, June 2023: Abbey Lincoln
• WICN Artist of the Month, May 2023: Burt Bacharach
  by Doug Hall
  May 1, 2023
  In the 1960s, the word “songsmith” was a definition often given to folk music artists such as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, or Neil Young, tied with their overt political and social critiques. Burt Bacharach would easily capture that title in… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, May 2023: Burt Bacharach
• WICN Artist of the Month, April 2023: Fletcher Henderson
  by Doug Hall
  April 1, 2023
  The limelight for the Big Band Era of Swing is often dominated by the familiarity of names such as Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Artie Shaw. Yet Fletcher Henderson was a pivotal bandleader, leading possibly the most dynamic early big… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, April 2023: Fletcher Henderson
• WICN Artist of the Month, March 2023: Mary Halvorson
  by Doug Hall
  March 1, 2023
  Experimental jazz guitarist, composer, and ensemble bandleader Mary Halvorson has evolved her individual style and pushed an incredibly varied direction in musical expression over the course of numerous projects since 2005. Finding significant critical attention in 2017, 2018 and 2019,… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, March 2023: Mary Halvorson
• WICN Venue Review: Blue Note Tokyo
  by Doug Hall
  February 24, 2023
  Opened in 1988, the Blue Note Tokyo nightclub has a long-established history of providing top-tier jazz performances and holds a special place in the veins of many renowned jazz artists. Over several decades, A-list performers including Sarah Vaughan, Oscar Peterson,… Read more: WICN Venue Review: Blue Note Tokyo
• WICN Artist of the Month, February 2023: Duke Ellington
  by Doug Hall
  February 1, 2023
  It’s difficult to overstate the importance of Duke Ellington’s influence: as seminal orchestral band leader; compositional genius; and his depth of musical contribution to jazz, modernizing without precedent, and his extensive legacy of recordings. In his own words, Ellington expressed… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, February 2023: Duke Ellington
• WICN Artist of the Month, January 2023: Samara Joy
  by Doug Hall
  January 1, 2023
  The voice as an instrument, particularly in jazz, is a fascinating vehicle for musical expression. In the category of female vocalists there are the established legends – think Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Billie Holiday. They each have a different… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, January 2023: Samara Joy
• WICN Artist of the Month, December 2022: Gipsy Kings
  by Doug Hall
  December 1, 2022
  The image of a Spanish flamenco dancer with intensive emotion, swirling with castanets clicking and boots stomping, driving a rhythm against a dance floor, is hard to separate from the accompanying band that delivers the syncopation. The flamenco dancer is… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, December 2022: Gipsy Kings
• WICN Artist of the Month, November ’22: Tito Puente
  by Doug Hall
  November 2, 2022
  As the driving rhythm and dance-based sound of Afro-Cuban music was being introduced to the U.S. in the late ‘40s by Cuban bandleaders, most notably Machito and his Latin orchestra, a refinement of musical genre was evolving. With styles incorporating… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, November ’22: Tito Puente
• WICN Artist of the Month, October 2022: Wayne Shorter
  by Doug Hall
  October 1, 2022
  The voice, tone, phrasing–in effect, the signature sound of the sax has distinguished a number of artists. Wayne Shorter, now 89 years old, has been a profound force of interpretation on the tenor saxophone; on the soprano saxophone, there is… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, October 2022: Wayne Shorter
• WICN Artist of the Month, September 2022: Catherine Russell
  by Doug Hall
  September 1, 2022
  As many musically divergent roads can lead to a professional career in jazz, veteran vocalist, pianist, multi-instrumentalist, Grammy-award nominee, and winner Catherine Russell, has followed her own path. With an established bloodline of famed musicianship from both parents, Luis Russell… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, September 2022: Catherine Russell
• WICN Artist of the Month, August 2022: Grace Kelly
  by Doug Hall
  August 1, 2022
  Watching live performances of featured artists in jazz, certain musicians command your attention with their physical presence, effortlessly able to exude enormous energy. Grace Kelly, saxophonist, singer, and bandleader, has been sharing that sustained personal intensity on stage since her… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, August 2022: Grace Kelly
• WICN Artist of the Month, July ’22: Cécile McLorin Salvant
  by Doug Hall
  July 1, 2022
  Looking at the substantially self-guided career of a young performer, with as many upper-tier awards, recognition and accolades to her credit as she’s earned, Cécile McLorin Salvant, at 32, has a critical reputation beyond her years. Aside from her vocal… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, July ’22: Cécile McLorin Salvant
• WICN Artist of the Month, June 2022: Jaki Byard
  by Doug Hall
  June 1, 2022
  As mentoring becomes a more recognized adjunct to an established career as a jazz musician (or any veteran artist), the impact is clear when insights are shared by mentored musicians. There are a handful of such teachers that carry as… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, June 2022: Jaki Byard
• WICN Review: Boston Lyric Opera
  by Doug Hall
  May 25, 2022
  Champion: An Opera in Jazz Performed Sunday, May 22 at The Emerson Cutler Majestic Theater Music by Terence Blanchard Libretto by Michael Cristofer Now in its 45th season, Boston Lyric Opera is the largest and longest-lived opera company in New… Read more: WICN Review: Boston Lyric Opera
• WICN Artist of the Month, May 2022: Joey DeFrancesco
  by Doug Hall
  May 23, 2022
  The music world abounds with references to Philly soul or Philly funk and its heritage of legendary musicians. Philly jazz musicians have also earned such iconic references. But there is one contemporary recording artist, constantly touring with top-shelf talent and… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, May 2022: Joey DeFrancesco
• WICN Artist Interview: Mary Halvorson
  by Doug Hall
  May 13, 2022
  Experimental jazz guitarist, composer and ensemble bandleader Mary Halvorson has evolved her individual style and pushed an incredibly varied direction in musical expression over the course of numerous projects since 2005. Finding significant critical attention in 2017, 2018, and 2019,… Read more: WICN Artist Interview: Mary Halvorson
• WICN Artist of the Month, April 2022: Charles Mingus
  by Doug Hall
  April 1, 2022
  If a compositional work of music such as a 500-page score was discovered in our current era, that when arranged and performed would be 2.5 hours long and require 30 musicians to perform, you’d assume this was a classical piece… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, April 2022: Charles Mingus
• WICN Interview & Profile: New England Conservatory’s Artist in Residency Program
  by Doug Hall
  March 28, 2022
  New England Conservatory in Boston is recognized as one of the top music schools in the country, and at the forefront of leadership in educating and training musicians of all ages from around the world. NEC’s music students represent more… Read more: WICN Interview & Profile: New England Conservatory’s Artist in Residency Program
• WICN Artist of the Month, March 2022: Stan Getz
  by Doug Hall
  February 28, 2022
  Known for his lyrical and relaxed style on the tenor saxophone, exceptional improvisor and seminal influence on his instrument, Lester Young, “The Prez,” was interviewed in a Paris hotel room just two months before he died. In response to a… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, March 2022: Stan Getz
• WICN Artist of the Month, February 2022: Wes Montgomery
  by Doug Hall
  January 31, 2022
  The telling originality and influence of a great innovator in jazz, based on their instrument, technique, and voicing, is often echoed by the number of outstanding musicians of future generations that advance the established style. The signature thumb-based strumming method,… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, February 2022: Wes Montgomery
• WICN Artist of the Month, January ’22: Antônio Carlos Jobim
  by Doug Hall
  January 3, 2022
  Often when a selection of bossa nova jazz is played by Stan Getz, Donald Byrd, or Dizzy Gillespie, it is attributed to them from an American perspective. The 1964 groundbreaking release in the US by Verve Records, Getz/Gilberto, sold over… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, January ’22: Antônio Carlos Jobim
• WICN Artist of the Month, December 2021: Ray Brown
  by Doug Hall
  November 30, 2021
  In the arena of large jazz orchestras – whether it be Duke Ellington, Count Basie, or Dizzy Gillespie – the choice of an individual musician becomes a critical decision for any bandleader. Ray Brown, legendary acoustic double-bassist, DownBeat Jazz Hall… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, December 2021: Ray Brown
• WICN Artist of the Month, November 2021: Ron Carter
  by Doug Hall
  November 1, 2021
  As you look at all the seminal legends and stars of jazz that have performed and recorded for over 60 years, there are only a few currently active. An even shorter list, indeed, if you consider the list of performers… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, November 2021: Ron Carter
• WICN INTERVIEW: Randy Brecker
  by Doug Hall
  October 27, 2021
  Jazz trumpeter and composer, Randy Brecker, has been at the center of seminal jazz-funk groups with his late brother Michael (on saxophone) through the mid-‘70s and early ‘80s. Brecker has helped shape the sound of jazz, R&B, and rock for… Read more: WICN INTERVIEW: Randy Brecker
• WICN Artist of the Month, October 2021: Nina Simone
  by Doug Hall
  October 1, 2021
  If ever there were a jazz singer whose musical career could not be separated from the legacy of their own political and social positions, it would be Nina Simone. From early on in her performances and recordings, her establishment and… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, October 2021: Nina Simone
• Tony Bennett – WICN Artist of the Month, September 2021
  by Doug Hall
  September 1, 2021
  As one of the greatest crooners and stylists of the Great American Songbook, Tony Bennett has been influenced by and taken vocal impressions from many singular, legendary jazz performers. Bennett’s well-known emotional and physical reaction to hearing the birth of… Read more: Tony Bennett – WICN Artist of the Month, September 2021
• WICN Artist of the Month, August 2021: Herbie Hancock
  by Doug Hall
  July 30, 2021
  A sweeping messenger of the widest of musical genre explorations (classical, traditional jazz, post-bop, jazz-rock fusion, funk, electronica, hip-hop, pop, and ambient); jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer Herbie Hancock is true to his own label as “cultural ambassador.” Early… Read more: WICN Artist of the Month, August 2021: Herbie Hancock
• Candido Camero – July 2021 WICN’s Artist of the Month
  by Doug Hall
  July 1, 2021
  When the Afro-Cuban jazz sound traveled to the U.S. in the 1940s, with roots rhythmically based on Cuban popular dance music and a percussion that, in fact, incorporated the earliest sounds of a syncopated beat from ancient Africa, it became… Read more: Candido Camero – July 2021 WICN’s Artist of the Month
• Erroll Garner – WICN’s June Artist of the Month
  by Doug Hall
  May 27, 2021
  In the 1950s, with the advent of “cool jazz” and Miles Davis leading the way with a modal change with Birth of the Cool (1957) Milestones (1958), and later the seminal, legendary recording of Kind of Blue (1959) with its… Read more: Erroll Garner – WICN’s June Artist of the Month
• Sonny Rollins – WICN May Artist of the Month
  by Doug Hall
  May 20, 2021
  If you happened to be on the Williamsburg Bridge anytime from the summer of 1959 through roughly the autumn of 1961, you would have been privileged to hear the sound of a true artist seeking to find new directions and… Read more: Sonny Rollins – WICN May Artist of the Month
• WICN’s April Artist of the Month – Thelonious Monk
  by Doug Hall
  April 1, 2021
  If legendary jazz musicians were collected together in one giant jigsaw puzzle and each musician was one piece – Thelonious Monk’s individual piece would be impossible to cut out. As a singular artist, his shape or place in jazz is… Read more: WICN’s April Artist of the Month – Thelonious Monk