by Guest Contributors | Mar 26, 2010
By JON ROSS
In the first tune on organist Matthew Kaminski's debut recording as a leader -- "Taking My Time" (Summit/Chicken Coup Records) -- frothy organ notes bubble in the background as saxophonist E.J. Hughes glides through a sidewinding funk melody. The piece, Lou Donaldson's "Hot Dog," places Hughes and guitarist Charles Loehle in the foreground, but it is propelled by Kaminski's churning, rhythmic comping. While Hughes and Loehle take extended solos, the organist switches between an accompaniment that's full of kinetic energy and a laid-back carnival shuffle.
Donaldson's composition is a fitting opener for a record steeped in danceable melodies. Organ discs are as ...
by Guest Contributors | Mar 19, 2010
By JON ROSS
Gordon Vernick, coordinator of jazz studies at Georgia State University, is a bonding agent for the Atlanta jazz scene. Three years ago, the trumpeter hatched the idea to unite a dozen local pianists for a concert of duets, pairing those who play in different styles. This allowed pianists who didn't see each other much to listen to their compatriots in a formal setting, while also creating a showcase for local musicians.
"It was incredible for the piano community in Atlanta," Vernick told me. "Piano players don’t get to hear other piano players; there's only one piano player in a ...
by Guest Contributors | Mar 6, 2010
At their best, jazz festivals gather a roster of international talent for a weekend of musicmaking, creating a crucible for collaborations among musicians who don't normally play together.
In this spirit, the Ferst Center for the Arts at Georgia Tech hosted mainstays from California's Monterey Jazz Festival on Saturday night. As a touring group, they last stopped in Atlanta two years ago (at Symphony Hall) with a sextet featuring pianist Benny Green and saxophonist James Moody. It was a celebration of Monterey's 50th anniversary. The artists created a festival experience by breaking out into different configurations, creating multiple concerts within the main event. ...
by Guest Contributors | Feb 24, 2010
By REBECCA DIMLING COCHRAN
Art lovers who had considered traveling to New Orleans this November for Prospect.2 -- the second installment of the hugely successful international contemporary biennial -- will have to postpone their plans.
Due in large part to the current economic conditions and decreases in funding for the arts nationally, U.S. Biennial Inc., the organization that produces Prospect New Orleans, announced today that it has elected to postpone Prospect.2 by one year. The biennial is now scheduled to be on view November 5, 2011, through February 3, 2012.
According to Dan Cameron, founding director for U.S. Biennial and artistic director for Prospect ...
by Guest Contributors | Feb 23, 2010
By JERRY CULLUM
Ron Hughes has maintained a varied photo exhibition program at his Composition Gallery through four exceptionally challenging years. That fact alone would be worthy of commendation.
Based on a nationwide call for entries, Hughes' anniversary show (through March 7) is worth commending for another reason. Call-for-entries shows are, by definition, based on random submissions. Selecting from what was received, Hughes has assembled a geographically and stylistically diverse exhibition that feels distinctly coherent.
Philadelphia-based photographer Brittany Binler’s mysteriously lit nightscapes make the everyday trees and byways of suburbia seem science-fiction-like or sinister. Gregory Crewdson requires whole teams of lighting and production ...
by Guest Contributors | Feb 22, 2010
By REBECCA DIMLING COCHRAN
With thoughtful programming, Julian Cox, the High Museum of Art's curator of photography, has shown visitors over the last few years the ever-widening spectrum of the photographic medium. “Harry Callahan: Eleanor” gave us an intimate look at one of the masters of 20th-century black-and-white photography. We saw some of the best of contemporary fashion photography in the traveling exhibition “Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer’s Life.” Cox’s own tour de force, “Road to Freedom: Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement, 1956-1968,” highlighted photojournalism during that movement. With “Richard Misrach: On the Beach” and “Alec Soth: Black Line of Woods,” ...
