richard bona

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    Smoke N’ Mirrors from Lee Ritenour

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    He’s been a presence in contemporary jazz for more than two decades and nominated for seventeen Grammy awards. Guitarist Lee Ritenour still has stories to tell. The concept for his new release, Smoke N’ Mirrors, came from different sources, notably his first trip to South Africa last year. The new recording has a definite world…

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    Review: Jaco Pastorius Big Band – Word of Mouth Revisited

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    A scenario I’d like to see at the 2004 Grammy Awards ceremony: The Grammy returns to honoring jazz during its primetime special. Some of modern jazz’s best known bassists are playing a tribute to Jaco Pastorius. After thunderous applause, the award for Best Large Ensemble Album is announced. The winner: The Jaco Pastorius Big Band…

  • Jaco Pastorius Big Band Coming This Summer

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    There’s been no shortage of Jaco Pastorius mentions lately. There was Brian Bromberg’s Jaco, Weather Report’s Live and Unreleased, and this week’s two-disc Punk Jazz: The Jaco Pastorius Anthology. Coming in August is the Jaco Pastorius Big Band, produced and directed by Peter Graves. The twelve tracks were mostly written by Jaco and features the…