Jazz em Agosto, Lisbon, Portugal August 3-8, 2004: The Vancouver Presence

Texts © Stuart Broomer & Laurence Svirchev, Photography ©Laurence Svirchev

Jazz em Agosto—Jazz in August—is a festival with any number of differences, an event that in recent years has spanned a few days or two weeks, presenting both the celebrated and the little-known with the emphasis on innovative work. The festival . . . → Read More: Jazz em Agosto, Lisbon, Portugal August 3-8, 2004: The Vancouver Presence

Jazz em Agosto, Lisbon, Portugal August 3-8, 2004: Post-Modern Nights

Text © Stuart Broomer, Photography ©Laurence Svirchev

Jazz em Agosto—Jazz in August—is a festival with any number of differences, an event that in recent years has spanned a few days or two weeks, presenting both the celebrated and the little-known with the emphasis on innovative work. The festival is sponsored by . . . → Read More: Jazz em Agosto, Lisbon, Portugal August 3-8, 2004: Post-Modern Nights

Georg Graewe Octet: Gigs in Austria and Croatia

©Laurence Svirchev

Introduction – Georg Graewe invited me to accompany his Octet on a three-city tour through Austria and Croatia in April 2000. Graewe is a composer-pianist from Germany who now mainly resides in the United States, finding it easier in that country to obtain funding for his many projects. In . . . → Read More: Georg Graewe Octet: Gigs in Austria and Croatia

A Portrait of Steve Lacy

Photography & Words ©Laurence Svirchev

He has led/participated in over 200 recordings, walked the Brooklyn Bridge with Sonny Rollins, collaborated with Gil Evans for thirty years. He is the foremost contemporary interpreter of the music of Thelonious Sphere Monk, with whom he played for two years, and whose music he has . . . → Read More: A Portrait of Steve Lacy

Gerry Hemingway, Composer and Drummer: Entering the Realm of Art Song

Words & Photography ©Laurence Svirchev

A casual glance at the covers of glossy jazz magazines, a stroll through the aisles of any large CD store, or a squint at the fashion pages handily demonstrates the cult of handsome, competent, and female singers who tirelessly and tediously repeat the canon of 50-70 . . . → Read More: Gerry Hemingway, Composer and Drummer: Entering the Realm of Art Song

Lisle Ellis: Ninja Of The Bass

Interview & Photography ©Laurence Svirchev

You never know what darkened comer Lisle Ellis music will strike from, what chops he will use to resonate never-before heard sounds from string and wood, or what instrumentation/choreography he will incorporate into a work. Lisle Ellis is a musical surprise attack, the ninja of the . . . → Read More: Lisle Ellis: Ninja Of The Bass

Gerry Hemingway -An Appetite for the Unimaginable: Transportive Experiences through a Perfect World

Words and Photography ©Laurence Svirchev

Gerry Hemingway has this smooth reserved body language. Sharply focused intelligence becomes obvious when one is close enough to observe his bright, penetrating eyes. When interested in a topic, he tilts his head inquisitively. His speech tones are of lower timbre and the velocity of words . . . → Read More: Gerry Hemingway -An Appetite for the Unimaginable: Transportive Experiences through a Perfect World

Miles Davis and Gil Evans: Complete Columbia Studio Recordings

©Laurence Svirchev

Now approaching their fifth decennial, the principle studio collaborations of . . . → Read More: Miles Davis and Gil Evans: Complete Columbia Studio Recordings

Kartet – The Bay Window

©Laurence Svirchev

A host of individuals in the history of jazz have had a unique, instantly identifiable sound. Think of Louis Armstrong, Earl Hines, Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Hodges, Cecil Taylor, or Paul Desmond, and just as easily think of many more. But here’s a difference between an individual having a sound, . . . → Read More: Kartet – The Bay Window

The Schlippenbach Trio: Jazz em Agosto, Lisbon 2005

Words & Photography ©Laurence Svirchev

In his 2005 book Some Hustling This!, Mark Miller quotes a critic writing in 1916 about a performance of the Creole Jazz Band held in Victoria. BC, Canada: “Nobody but six negro eccentric players could shatter so many rules of a well-integrated band and make it . . . → Read More: The Schlippenbach Trio: Jazz em Agosto, Lisbon 2005