WBGO Blog

  • J.P. Jofre, Bandoneon! Coming to JazzSet

    April 11, 2013. Posted by Becca Pulliam.

    Add new comment | Filed under: JazzSet, WBGO Travel

    Hear J.P. Jofre with Strings on JazzSet .. Sunday, April 14, at 6pm and Wednesday, April 17, at 6:30pm.

    Juan Pablo Jofre lives in New York, but he's from San Juan, Argentina. A lover of heavy metal - Metallica even - he traded his drums for a bandoneón. In his home country, he studied with two protégés of Astor Piazzolla (1921-92), the creator of the New Tango. Piazzolla himself had lived in New York, and he loved to play with jazz musicians as well.

    The bandoneón is a remarkably empathetic instrument. When the player trembles, so does the sound he is producing on the bandoneón. To play it requires a dancer's sense of balance. Toward the end of the video above, J.P. pulls far left and right, then signs off with a smile. His brief at-home recital/demo is exclusively for JazzSet.

    Below, Jofre is onstage with I Solisti di Perugia, the string orchestra, in the fabulous Morlacchi Theater at the Umbria Jazz Festival. The music: tango! We have highlights from the concert on JazzSet.

    13 04 11 Jofre 2012 3_Morlacchi

    © 2013 WBGO

  • Live From The Village Vanguard: Jeff Ballard Fairgrounds

    April 10, 2013. Posted by Tim Wilkins.

    Add new comment | Filed under: live at the village vanguard, Live Music, Live Music Blogging

    WBGO presents drummer Jeff Ballard's "Fairgrounds" project live from the Village Vanguard on Wednesday, April 10 at 8:30 p.m. Bookmark this page to watch live, listen on 88.3 FM or our on-air stream, and join in a conversation with hosts from WBGO and NPR Music during the show.

    Ballard will be joined by Eddie Henderson on trumpet, Kevin Hays on piano, Jeff Parker on guitar and Larry Grenadier on bass. The group's performance and broadcast were originally scheduled for last October, but were canceled because of Hurricane Sandy.

    If you like what you hear, WBGO's The Jazz Bee is streaming more recordings by Ballard and his bandmates. Enjoy!


    Watch live streaming video from wbgo at livestream.com

    Like WBGO's other live broadcasts, these shows live on in our video archive and at NPRmusic.org.

    © 2013 WBGO

  • Larry Rosen And Justin DiCioccio With Rhonda Hamilton

    April 9, 2013. Posted by Tim Wilkins.

    Add new comment | Filed under: Interviews, Jazz Alive, Rhonda Hamilton, Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition, TD James Moody Jazz Festival

    Justin DiCioccio, director of jazz studies at the Manhattan School of Music, and Larry Rosen, co-founder of GRP Records and producer of the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition at NJPAC, talk with WBGO's Rhonda Hamilton about  their collaborations on concerts to celebrate the 30th anniversary of jazz studies at the Manhattan School of Music and composer Gil Evans' centennial. Enjoy!

    rosendicioccio1

    © 2013 WBGO