via The New York Times

The first time the musician Judith Hill performed her anguished requiem “Black Widow” for an audience, she wept, right onstage.

The song’s title is an epithet that has been directed at her for years by tabloids and trolls because as a vocalist and artist, she had been close with two of pop’s biggest stars shortly before their deaths. She was Michael Jackson’s duet partner and performed at his televised memorial in 2009. And for two years before Prince’s fatal overdose in April 2016, she was his protégée, collaborator and more. They shared what she has called “an intense relationship”; he told her he loved her.

Read Full Article on The New York Times

Judith Hill on TKA

via NPR’s Mountain Stage

Cedric Burnside‘s latest performance on NPR’s Mountain Stage aired on over 260 NPR stations on April 19, 2024.

His setlist featured beloved tracks such as “Please Tell Me Baby,” “What Makes Me Think,” and “Step In,” alongside selections from his recent album, Hill Country Love, including “Toll on They Life” and “Po’ Black Mattie.”

Burnside is currently on a North American tour spanning from April to June to support his new album, Hill Country Love.

Photo: Christopher Morris/Mountain Stage

Cedric Burnside on Mountain Stage

Cedric Burnside on TKA

Mark your calendars for June 18th, 2024, as the American Patchwork Quartet (APQ) makes a historic debut at the Grand Ole Opry. This performance isn’t just a debut; it’s a groundbreaking celebration of global musical traditions intertwining with the deep-rooted legacy of an iconic American stage.

At a time when the national conversation can seem more divisive than ever, APQ’s presence at the Opry stands as a poignant reminder of our shared dreams and histories. It’s a testament to the vibrant role of immigrants and multicultural communities in shaping our American story. This will be a truly unforgettable night of music. 

American Patchwork Quartet on OPRY

American Patchwork Quartet on TKA

via The Guardian

Charles Lloyd is the last man standing of an inspired 1950s American saxophone generation, which included his late friends and contemporaries John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman, and the now-retired Sonny Rollins. He once recalled to the Guardian that the free-jazz visionary Coleman had told him in 1956: “Man, you sure can play the saxophone, but that don’t have a lot to do with music.” Lloyd has been searching the world’s songs for the heartfelt secrets beyond technique ever since, and his voice-like sound and intuitive ensemble communion seems to convey more with less with each exquisite new album.

The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow – new and old material played by an all-star lineup – is released on Lloyd’s 86th birthday, 15 March. Backed by pianist/composer Jason Moran, bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Brian Blade, this set’s beautiful opener Defiant, Tender Warrior builds a bewitching trance from soft piano wavelets, growling bass accents and snare-pattern whispers before Lloyd’s breathy tenor long-tones and enraptured top-end warbles even begin. Monk’s Dance, a tribute to the pianist and composer whom Lloyd calls “the high priest”, opens on Moran’s free-to-stride piano whirlpools, setups for Lloyd’s whimsical lateral-bop sax solo.

Read the Full Article on The Guardian

Charles Lloyd on TKA

via Rolling Stone

Judith Hill is paying tribute to the sacrifice and fight of the powerful women who raised her. The Grammy winner (and Prince protégé) debuts the video for “Dame de la Lumière,” written about her mother and grandmother’s perseverance, with Rolling Stone Tuesday.

“Dame De La Lumière speaks to the strength and resilience of women who have endured hardships and have come out of the fire victorious and unstoppable,” she says of the track.

“I remember how they overcame the impossible and survived because they were determined to be there for their families,” she adds in a press release. “Standing on their shoulders, I carry on. I close my eyes and see the faces of every woman in history who turned weeds into leaves of evergreen. They stand taller than the mountains. If they can do it, I can do it. Bad times make strong women! This is my mantra.”

Read the Full Article on Rolling Stone

Judith Hill on TKA

via VPM

Renowned pianist Abdullah Ibrahim says that his outlook on music is to approach each note with total honesty. It’s a philosophy that’s brought him from the musical melting pot of Cape Town to New York City’s famous Chelsea Hotel, from early performances as a teenager to being mentored by Duke Ellington and performing with John Coltrane.
 
Now, at 89, he’s continuing to offer that honesty in the form of 3, an expansive new album where he performed two sets alongside longtime collaborators Cleave Guyton and Noah Jackson – first for an empty room, then for a full live audience. Ibrahim has been called “our Mozart” by Nelson Mandela and seen his music become anthems of the anti-Apartheid movement.The songs of 3 connect to another philosophy of his: the unique power of music to transform and heal, from individual injuries to international conflicts.

I caught up with him to learn more about the new album, how those ideas have impacted his work, and his life doing what he calls “pointing at the moon.”

Listen to the Full Segment on VPM.org

Abdullah Ibrahim on TKA

via CBS New York

Music has the power to bring people together, regardless of where they’re from.

That is the message behind American Patchwork Quartet. 

The collective, made up of four award-winning musicians with diverse backgrounds, is dedicated to lifting up underrepresented voices.

We spoke with two Grammy Award-winning members, vocalist Falu and band leader Clay Ross, about their many influences and their debut album.

American Patchwork Quartet on TKA

via Louisville Orchestra

The February and March “In Harmony” tour leg highlights the music Kentucky is famous for – bluegrass. The tension between tradition and innovation is at the core of bluegrass music, and so we have brought in the man who is widely known as the bluegrass fiddler of his generation, Michael Cleveland, whose musical style exemplifies this musical tug-of-war. Joining Michael on the stage with the LO will be his band, Flamekeeper. The band was formed by Cleveland in 2006 and has received the International Bluegrass Association’s “Instrumental Group of the Year” award seven times. Flamekeeper includes Josh Richards, Nathan Livers, Jasiah Shrode, and Chris Douglas.

Read More on Louisville Orchestra Website

Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper on TKA

via WBUR Here & Now

The new musical group American Patchwork Quartet released a self-titled debut album on February 9, 2024. The group approaches folk classics with musicians that reflect the diversity of today’s United States.

Here & Now‘s Deepa Fernandes speaks with lead vocalist Falu and vocalist and guitarist Clay Ross.

This segment aired on February 9, 2024.

Listen to the Full Segment on WBUR

American Patchwork Quartet on TKA

via The Wall Street Journal

When jazz was in its infancy, people thought of it as music—if they regarded it as music at all—that was invariably loud, fast and rambunctious. From the beginning, “to jazz something up” meant to make it more exciting. Yet for nearly 100 years, the music has consistently also attracted more thoughtful and introspective players and composers, like Bix Beiderbecke (in his piano compositions especially), Billy Strayhorn and Bill Evans. It might seem ironic, then, that one of the most lyrical of contemporary jazzmen comes from the very continent often cited as the inspiration for the aggressive energy that jazz on the whole was originally known for.

The pianist, composer and bandleader Abdullah Ibrahim was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1934 and in the earlier part of his career worked under the name Dollar Brand. He has been a major presence on the international jazz scene since 1963, when he was discovered and subsequently recorded by Duke Ellington. On July 15 of last year, a few months before his 89th birthday, Mr. Ibrahim recorded two remarkable sets in London’s Barbican Hall. On both, he was joined by Cleave Guyton Jr., on flute and piccolo, and Noah Jackson, on bass and cello. Mr. Ibrahim’s new album, “3” (Gearbox, out Jan. 26), comprises both of these performances.

Read the Full Review on WSJ

Abdullah Ibrahim on TKA