ESSAYS

This section includes essays on various jazz subjects, written by a number of writers. Contributions are welcome. Writers interested in contributing are welcome to contact the editor by filling out the form in the CONTACT tab. Photographs to illustrate those essays are welcome. Readers can click on the INDEX button for a list of articles in this folder.

THE RETIREMENT OF JAZZ LEGEND SONNY ROLLINS: HIS SAX, HIS LEGACY, AND THE SECRET TO LIFE

by David Marchese

www.vulture.com, December 6, 2017

Sonny Rollins is, unarguably, on any short list of greatest living American musicians. So vast, intelligent, and witty is his improvisational skill, and so satisfying the sheer, sensuous life force of his saxophone playing. And though the 87-year-old has very likely blown his last note in public — a diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis has made that a near-certainty — he’s left behind a 66-year-long trail of joyous, searching recordings and live performances. If you’ve got a heart, Sonny Rollins’s music can touch it…

UNDERSTANDING MILES DAVIS IN NINE PARTS

by Greg Cwik and David Marchese

New York Magazine, September 21, 2015

When Miles Ahead, directed by and starring Don Cheadle, premieres at the New York Film Festival in October, 2015, it’ll mark the first time that the jazz genius Miles Davis has been the subject of a non-documentary film. It wasn’t a lack of interest that has kept Davis from movie theaters till now. Nor was it lack of material: Davis, who died in 1991, lived a dynamic and controversial life, both personally and musically… Cheadle’s film focuses on a period when the trumpeter was living in seclusion, so here’s a broader overview of one of American music’s true giants…

INTERNATIONAL JAZZ DAY: AUSTRALIA’S JAZZ COMMUNITY SOUNDS OFF

by Loretta Barnard

Thebigsmoke.com.au, April 29, 2017

International Jazz Day is upon us, so let the expertise of the local jazz scene explain why you should care about not just the day, but the art of arts…