Satchmo comes home

After decades of sitting silently in the quiet streets of Corona, the non-descript two-story house bought by Louis and Lucille Armstrong a year after their 1942 wedding will once again be filled with the sound of Satchmo’s music and voice. The Louis Armstrong House, preserved by the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation since the jazz legend’s [...]

Ayers to take stage to help kick off JAMS 2003

For a true musician, the road never ends. In the case of Roy Ayers, who just released his 88th album, the road he most recently traveled took him to Switzerland, Germany and Japan, and the road that lies ahead includes a stop in Jamaica for the Jamaica Arts and Music Summer Festival Friday. The vibraphone [...]

Have music festivals improved? Bonnaroo hopes so

With the Woodstock ’99 festival still in the hearts and minds of concert promoters, they understand that convincing a small, rural town that hosting a large-scale concert festival is a tricky task. Bonnaroo NE will do just that. Scheduled to be held Aug. 8 through Aug. 10 at Calverton Enterprise Park in Riverhead, L.I., the [...]

Pint-sized violinist shows super-sized heart

He has spent more than half his life studying the violin. He has played for national television audiences and the richest man in the country. A portion of the proceeds from his latest album and performances is donated to needy charities. And he can’t wait to get back to playing little league baseball in the [...]

Music, storytelling come together without animation, dancing mops

Sitting down at Papazzio’s for lunch a few weeks ago, David Close had a gleam in his eye — not so much from the delectable Italian mushroom soup as from the topic of conversation at the table. Music. “‘Fantasia’ is the perfect example,” he said when trying to find a pop culture image to explain [...]

Jammys turn Roseland into 6-hour love fest

Starting with a simple duet blending old and new generations of musicians and finishing in a finale featuring a Who’s Who of the jam band world, Jammys 2002 was a spectacle to behold last Wednesday night. Sponsored by TDK, Relix Magazine and Jambands.com, the Jammys is an annual awards festival that pays tribute to jam [...]

St. Albans native release second jazz album

Music is a journey, and all the steps a professional musician takes along the way help create a sound. A lifetime lesson taught in jazz clubs, smoky bars, concert arenas, recording studios and in one’s home all come together for the final product. The wail that slides out of a horn, the vibrato resounding off [...]

Tour America through Woody Guthrie’s music

Though Woody Guthrie may be dead, he is not forgotten. One of the most prolific folk singers of the 20th Century, who influenced a host of younger musicians, like Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, has cast his auspicious shadow over a group of performers coming to Queensborough Community College this weekend. The Vanaver Caravan, [...]

History preserved by Oratorio Society

“Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” -George Santayana These words stood as a warning about failing to learn from our mistakes, but from another perspective, perhaps repeating history is not as much condemnation as it is celebration. This holds true with the Queens Oratorio Society, which will celebrate its [...]

Boro singers raise the curtain for 75th year

On May 19 the lights will dim, the curtain will rise and a mass of voices will belt out the first note of the Oratorio Society of Queens’ 75th season. The oldest performing arts organization in the borough will present its first of two annual concerts, this time at Bayside High School. The 85-member group [...]