Most Valued Player: Herbie Nichols
by Nic Jones

There is a tradition of dissent in the realm of jazz piano playing, and it stretches from Count Basie to Andrew Hill. The players within it all forsook or have forsaken what might be called correct virtuosity in favour of idiosyncratic approaches of their own devising. Within this stream there is a small enclave occupied by a trio of pianist-composers, namely Hill, Thelonious Monk, and Herbie Nichols, who even now enjoys comparatively little coverage.

George Coleman
by Stuart Nicholson

Live at Yoshi's
Evidence ECD 22021-2
Coleman (ten); Harold Mabern (p); Ray Drummond (bs); Alvin Queen(d).
Oakland and San Francisco
August 1987

They Say It's Wonderful, Good Morning Heartache, Laig Gobblin' Blues, Io, Up Jumped Spring, Father, Soul Eyes.

The New Black Music Repertory Ensemble:
2001-2002 Season Opening
reviewed by Rahsaan Clark Morris

by Joe Levinson

Bill Russo—1947
by Marty Clausen

Monday nights at the Vanity Show Lounge in the 3900 block of Broadway, across from the Vogue Theater were session nights, and the regular group was Ira Schulman, tenor; Burrell Gluskin, piano; Bob Fahsbender, bass; and myself, drums.

In the past month we lost a Father and a King.

The material below is drawn from the websites of The Boston Globe (BG), The LA Times (LA), and the Associated Press (AP), enhanced by my own fond memories of this most talented and human scholar-father during occasions in Storyville in Boston, Newport, and elsewhere in New England.-Susan Markle

In New England in the '50s and New York in the '60s, a familiar figure on the scene, on the airwaves, in the jazz press, and at jazz events was Father Norman J. O'Connor, the "jazz priest," who died June 29, 2003.

My audition for Satchmo
by Joe Levinson

A conversation with Chicago's own
Bob Centano and Bob Ojeda
by Charles Walton

I was recently invited to a card game where I was surprised to meet the legendary bandleader and saxophonist Bob Centano. After a couple of conversations with Bob and after hearing his band, I thought others might be delighted to learn about him, too. On the day of scheduled interview, he called to say that Bob Ojeda, composer/arranger/trumpet player with the Count Basie band, was in town and suggested that I might also be interested in what he had to say. Thus, here is a conversation with the two Bobs.

JAZZ: Episode 8, Risk
a jazz documentary by Ken Burns

reviewed by Walt Davis

As part of the Doubletake Documentary Film Fest held in Durham, NC on April 6-9, Ken Burns gave a sneak preview of one two-hour segment of his upcoming documentary, Jazz, scheduled to air on PBS in January, 2001. This episode is titled "Risk" and covers the years 1945-55. JIC website editor Paul Baker read a review I had posted to a jazz newsgroup, and asked me to revise it for publication here.

Margo (Mrs. Jack) Teagarden
by Jim Beebe

The Chicago Jazz scene has always been a rich and flavorful one with wonderful musicians and bands of every stylistic description. This has been made possible by the many venues—from nightclubs to dance halls—that have used jazz music as for entertainment. From bands that feature very early traditional-classic style jazz to very contemporary jazz modes, all seem to find venues in which to strut their stuff.