Folk artist, banjo evangelist, Grammy winner and MacArthur genius grant recipient Rhiannon Giddens will be the new artistic director of Silkroad. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma founded the artistic organization in 1998 to foster multicultural connection and collaboration among music artists across the world, sort of like an ongoing United Nations jam session. Silkroad announced the decision Tuesday morning. Giddens' first official appearance as Silkroad's new artistic director will be July 29 during Tanglewood's virtual "Recitals from the World Stage." "Rhiannon is an extraordinary human being and musician," Ma said in a statement provided by Silkroad. "She lives Silkroad's values, at once rooted in history and its many musics, and is an advocate for the contemporary voices that can move us to work together for a better world." READ THE FULL UNDEFEATED Q&A

Medeski Martin & Wood have traveled a most intriguing career path over the course of their near-thirty years together. Since their formation as an unusually ambitious jazz trio through the blossoming as groovemeisters in the next decade than on to today's de facto hiatus, the threesome has followed its collective instincts as unerringly as they do within the spontaneity of their moments live on stage. In essence, these three musicians constantly challenge themselves, exhibiting confidence in their individual technical abilities as deep and abiding as their bond as a band. That, in turn, has allowed them to formulate, then deconstruct, a style that's (almost) immediately recognizable no matter what altered shape it might take. As a result, just as no two MMW concerts will ever be quite the same, so too their studio recordings are quite distinct from each other, whole and complete unto themselves, yet still of a piece within their overall body of work. That may well explain why, apart from the retrospective covered here and the Best of (1991-1996), there have been no archiving initiatives devoted to their discography. Nevertheless, returning to their recordings always brings new sensations and revelations. READ THE FULL glideMAGAZINE ARTICLE

The eponymous first track is compelling, propulsive, and melodious - a uniquely American sound that one might call Aaron Copland in Buenos Aires. Played with gusto by The Arianna String Quartet and Vera Parkin, who is positively making out with the piano, it seems that Mr. Portnoy is not just composing for his own happiness, but ours as well. Kirk Hanser and John McClellan offer the introspective trio of guitar duet "Intermezzos" that calls to mind the classicism of Andrés Segovia - the duo's expressive performances compliment Portnoy's wide palette of tone, and his musical personality and style. The tryptic of rag-gy syncopated delight that makes up From an Imaginary Musical is for violin (Nicoolae Bica) and piano (Alla Voskoboynikova): the music actually sounds like the titles: "Astaire Steppin'", "Dancing with Ginger" and "Cugat Takes a Bride." I immediately played these three again before moving to another track. The trombones of the St. Louis Symphony play another triptych, Le Tombeau de Justin Wilson; the first, "Waltz", sounds as if a Salvation Army Band graduated from Juilliard and partied at Mardi Gras! Kim Portnoy - Caprice is a winner  READ THE FULL STAGE & CINEMA REVIEW       After years and years of the so-called New Music and its alienating atonal sawing, I frothed at the mouth for something that was at least palatable. Here, elements of jazz, New Age, classical, tango, Bernstein, Berlin and many more have merged into absolute joy. The composer tells us in the liner notes that fusing these elements was a serious occupation during his formative years (he even throws in the term "post-pubescent-modern," which always makes me chuckle). I really, really love this album,

Coming off of 2014's inFamous: Second Son, Sucker Punch went hard to work on what would be the studio's next game, Ghost of Tsushima. This game was going to be Sucker Punch's most ambitious project yet, and with that came new challenges. The game's audio director, Brad Meyer, told me that the team wanted Ghost of Tsushima to act as a sort of time machine. When playing the game, the intention was to transport players back in time to make it feel like they were assuming the role of a samurai in feudal Japan. "Our next task was deconstructing the gameplay to figure out how we could make music work dynamically," said Meyer, "to keep pushing this sense of being in an ancient time and far-off place while also reacting to the hero journey." Ghost of Tsushima sound design Sony, Sucker Punch Productions interview Brad Meyer Ilan Eshkeri Shigeru Umebayashi READ THE FULL escapist REVIEW

Caroline Shaw, Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Music in 2013, speaking about her oratorio, "The Listeners," commissioned by the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale, in connection with the recent release of a recording of the work and a song trilogy titled, "Is a Rose" with Anne Sofie Von Otter. The soloists for "The Listeners" are contralto Avery Amereau and bass-baritone Dashon Burton, who is from Williamsport, PA. LISTEN TO THE interview with CS and WVIA: Public Media - Art Scene host Erika Funke

Interview with WVIA's Erika Funke

Welcome to a new edition of the Neon Jazz interview series with Legendary Jazz Guitarist John Scofield. We caught up with him to talk abut his newest 2020 CD Swallow Tales that celebrates the music of his friend and mentor Steve Swallow made in an afternoon in New York City in March 2019 .. John was a 20-year-old student at Berklee when he first met and played with bassist Swallow, and they have continued ever since, in many different contexts. Born in Ohio and raised in suburban Connecticut, he has gone on to become a jazz legend with great tales .. We talked about this new material and this COVID-19 Jazz World we are all navigating through .. Dig ..  Neon Jazz is a radio program airing since 2011. Hosted by Joe Dimino and Engineered by John Christopher in Kansas City, Missouri giving listeners a journey into one of America's finest inventions. Take a listen on KCXL (102.9 FM / 1140 AM) out of Liberty, MO.  Listen to the attached interview.

Niv Ashkenazi is the first and only artist to receive his fiddle on long-term loan from Violins of Hope. The recital from which we heard luminous excerpts is the first solo album released under the Violins of Hope banner. Founded by the Israeli luthiers Amnon Weinstein and his son Avshalom Weinstein, Violins of Hope collects, restores to concert quality, and loans out string instruments owned by Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust. Back then, in concentration camps and ghettos, they provided comfort for some and a means of survival for others. "Wherever there was music, there was hope," a liner declares-a thought that resonates powerfully in our own dark hour. Featured tracks on Mana'O Radio for Niv Ashkenazi: Violins of Hope (Albany Records 2020), are Baal Shem, B. 47: II. Nigun Three Songs Without Words: III. Sephardic Niv Ashkenazi, piano; Matthew Graybil, piano SEE THE Matthew Gurewitsch 'Spirits of Revolution' PAGE

Subtitled "Groove-Oriented Chamber Music, Vol. 4," Vienna and the West is part of a series of albums by composer Gernot Wolfgang that includes Common Ground (2006), Short Stories (2011) and Grammy-nominated Passing Through (2016). This album is the first of Wolfgang's music that I've heard, so I can't compare it to his previous recordings, but I love that he has created a hybrid genre of sorts that combines modern classical elements with jazz and other styles of music to form a musical language all his own. The eight original compositions on the album are performed on a variety of instruments that include piano, bassoon, strings, clarinet and horn. Overall, I would say that the music is more classical than jazz, but that "groove" element sneaks in quite often, adding an element of fun as well as getting the toes tapping. All of the featured artists contributed stellar performances! READ THE FULL Mainly Piano REVIEW

Legendary jazz guitarist John Scofield speaks with host John Floridis and answers questions submitted by Musician's Spotlight listeners through social media. In addition to dozens of recordings under his own name, Scofield's recorded collaborations read like a who's who of jazz royalty: Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Charles Mingus, Gary Burton, McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock and his bass-playing mentor, Steve Swallow. His most recent recording, "Swallow Tales," finds Scofield recording "old-school style" with the bassist-composer on some of his most well-known pieces. In addition to playing with the jazz greats, Scofield has also found time to collaborate with musicians like John Mayer, Mavis Staples and Government Mule. LISTEN TO Montana Public Radio - Musician's Spotlight SEGMENT

2020 Blues Hall Of Fame inductee Bettye LaVette is a native of Detroit. Her first recording in 1962, at the age of sixteen, was on Atlantic Records. She later charted with such singles as "He Made A Woman Out Of Me" and "Do Your Duty," Since then she has recorded ten albums. Her most recent album Things Have Changed, also produced by Steve Jordan (John Mayer, Keith Richards), was released on Verve in 2018 and received two GRAMMY nominations, which brings her total Grammy nominations to five. Her latest release, "Blackbirds," features songs primarily popularized by some of her peers, other iconic black women in music, who she personally respected and admired. Set for release August 28, the album finds Bettye in top form delivering powerful renditions of songs that touched her personally. It also re-unites her with legendary producer Steve Jordan and Verve Records. From Dinah Washington's "Drinking Again," Nina Simone's "I Hold No Grudge," Nancy Wilson's "Save Your Love For Me" and more, all delivered in Bettye's rich and raspy tone with a touch of the blues. After having a chance to chat with Bettye a couple of years ago and hanging out with her backstage, we were like two peas in a soul sharing pod. Which made this time around even better. We talk about how this album came together, working with a producer that has the same ear and the tunes that make up this walk down music history lane. We spend a good amount of time talking about the timeliness of the song, "Strange Fruit" as social upheaval takes over the news cycles once again in the United States and beyond. This track says as much about the history of American racism and the state of the country today. The song was originally recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939 and written by Jewish teacher Abel Meeropol who wrote the song based on a photo of two black men who were lynched as a crowd of white people looked in the camera pointing and smiling. This album is one that can help bring a little focus on the way things were and still are in many ways, but I believe it also holds some of the keys to unlocking the new realities many want to see within the space of equality and justice…while honoring the people who helped build the bridge that led Bettye as a whole person to where she is today. The music joins the times of then to the times of now, and if you never knew…..just grab an earful. LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW

Green Arrow Radio Podcast

Keegan DeWitt is the featured guest on our Keeping Score podcast, produced and hosted by Crossover Media's Max Horowitz. The All The Bright Places Composer reveals to us what it was like crafting the sweeping score, working alongside director Brett Haley, and recording at Capitol Studios. Based on the internationally bestselling novel by Jennifer Niven, All The Bright Places tells the story of Violet Markey (Elle Fanning) and Theodore Finch (Justice Smith), who meet and change each other's lives forever. As they struggle with the emotional and physical scars of their past, they come together, discovering that even the smallest places and moments can mean something. This compelling drama provides a refreshing and human take on the experience of mental illness, its impact on relationships, as well as the beauty and lasting impact of young love. Keegan DeWitt is one of the more versatile and exciting young composers working in film and TV. Whether adding a refreshing voice to larger projects at HBO, Showtime and FOX, or collaborating alongside notable independent filmmakers; his work crosses a large tapestry of styles and demands attention with its originality and emotion. Over the past 5 years, Keegan has brought 15 films to the Sundance Film Festival; titles that would go on to garner an Academy Award, multiple Sundance Audience Awards, and an Independent Spirit Award. In addition to this, Keegan continues to expand on previous collaborative relationships with exciting young directors that have helped make his work a mainstay at festivals worldwide. Listen to the attached podcast

The Cave Of Wondrous Voice - Chamber Music and Songs of Mark Abel features David Shifrin, clarinet • Carol Rosenberger, piano • Hila Plitmann, soprano  Fred Sherry, cello • Sabrina-Vivian Höpcker, violin Dominic Cheli, piano • Sarah Beck, English horn. This album sings and dances, with Mark Abel's "colorful blend of styles that serve the emotional nature of each work to bracing and poignant effect" (Gramophone) and further clarifies why Abel is "one of the most interesting figures in American contemporary music" (Pizzicato). The program begins with Intuition's Dance, a combination of frolic and dreamy ruminations featuring the incomparable clarinetist David Shifrin and pianist Carol Rosenberger. (Together again for the first time since their memorable albums for Delos, recorded in 1984!)  David Shifrin sat down with 88.1WMBR: Boston - The New Edge host, Ken Field for conversation about the new recording and the clarinetist's impressive career.  Listen to the attached conversation.

Interview with WMBR's Ken Field