By Guest Contributors | Mar 30, 2010
Editor's note: "Bloom," gloATL's Valentine's Day dance performance in Lenox Square, was the opening salvo of Flux Projects, a funding organization founded by Atlantan Louis Corrigan to encourage artists to push themselves and boundaries, and to engage the public in new ways. Not only a patron, Corrigan is a thoughtful and deeply involved viewer, as this analysis of "Bloom" will demonstrate. (All photos are by Adam Davila.)
By LOUIS CORRIGAN
There are many reasons that I’m gaga for Lauri Stallings and her gloATL dance troupe, but crucial among them is their fearlessness both emotionally and spatially. It’s rare to find such accomplished artists so comfortable embracing uncertainty ...
By Guest Contributors | Mar 28, 2010
By JON ROSS
Just before intermission during the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra's Saturday night performance at Symphony Hall, saxophonist Ted Nash and trumpeter Marcus Printup broke away from the 15-musician big band. The duo moved upstage to perform a Doppler-esque bending of time in "Dali," the second movement of Nash's "Portrait in Seven Shades." Nash echoed Printup's stratospheric trumpet bursts on his alto, a nearly pitch-perfect, Simon-says feat that devolved into avant-garde wiggling of the fingers followed by, of all things, a cowbell solo by drummer Ali Jackson.
Nash's seven-part composition premiered in 2007 and is based on paintings in New York's ...
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 ...
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