As we face the beginning of 2020, we say goodbye to yet another artist whose illustrious career in jazz had yet another - possibly greater - impact on our culture at large. Jack Sheldon, who died on December 27, 2019, will be remembered by generations of kids who watched the "Schoolhouse Rock" series on ABC…
Harmon Mute… But Not for Long
It's been a wild ride with "Making Life Swing," and a long time since I posted anything, but I'm getting back to the grindstone and hope to share more great interviews here soon. Life happens and apparently, a whole year can go by without a post. Fortunately, it is not for lack of material. At…
Gene Cipriano: Hired “Gunn” Looks Back at Some Very Good Years
While most people might not know the name Gene Cipriano, they would certainly be familiar the TV themes, films, and jazz and rock albums that he has helped to create. Fans of animated series such as “The Simpsons,” “Family Guy,” and “American Dad” have heard his multiple talents on flute and oboe, as well as…
Continue reading ➞ Gene Cipriano: Hired “Gunn” Looks Back at Some Very Good Years
Bobby Rodriguez: The Best Version of Himself
The trumpet riff at the beginning of Gerald Wilson’s “Before Motown” is a triumphant and blast, possessed of what Jelly Roll Morton called “the Spanish tinge.” It is delivered in its elegant audacity by Bobby Rodriguez, the Grammy-nominated musician, composer, and educator known to his fans, students, and colleagues as “Dr. Bobby.” Drawing from his…
Continue reading ➞ Bobby Rodriguez: The Best Version of Himself
Patrick Williams: 1939-2018
If you've ever seen such iconic TV shows as "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "The Streets of San Francisco," or seen any number of major motion pictures of the late 1960s-1990s including "Swing Shift," "Breaking Away," "Cry-Baby," or "The Grass Harp," you've heard the music of Patrick Williams, musician, composer, arranger, conductor, producer, and educator.…
I’ll Remember April: MLS A Year (or so) Later
“I’ll Remember April,” as the time last year that I embarked on “Making Life Swing.” I learned a lot more than I ever expected to learn, not just about the past and present of the jazz world. I learned about the people who live and work in that world and the stories that feed their…
Continue reading ➞ I’ll Remember April: MLS A Year (or so) Later
Teodross Avery
An audience gathered in a small auditorium one evening last November on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills. Waiting for the recital of student jazz combos to begin, the usual pre-concert scene unfolds: people saving seats, student performers greeting friends, families, and professors who have come to support them. Other students who are…
