Ken Franckling's Jazz Notes

Mac Chrupcala and Mike Renzi have been crossing paths longer than each cares to count. Mike Renzi They began working jazz clubs in the...

Singer Whitney James came south from the St. Petersburg area Saturday for the South County Jazz Club's first concert at Lemon Bay Playho...

One of the cool things about a jam session is that you never know who may show up and enhance the proceedings - above and beyond the regula...

Bob Stone and Mark Pettey Drummer Bob Stone brought The Naples Jazz Orchestra to Port Charlotte last night for the Charlotte County Jazz...

Hot music overcomes chilly weather  Sergio Mendes This year's Punta Gorda Wine & Jazz Festival was noteworthy for its musical...

Scott Hamilton (Blue Duchess photo) Scott Hamilton, now a renowned jazz tenor saxophonist, was 15, playing harmonica and leading a blues...

Taking a closer look at new CDs from three contemporary jazz bands: Myriad3, Marbin and the Hristo Vitchev Quartet.

Nate Najar Guitarist Nate Najar performed today at the South County Jazz Club's Englewood Arts Center series to the biggest crowd th...

Hot House has published my profile of pianist Benny Green in its February issue in conjunction with his Jazz Standard performance in Manha...

Reynolds, Lamb, Switzer, Hixon When drummer Al Hixon gets a call to put together a concert band, he settles for nothing less than all...

Amanda Carr and Arnie Krakowsky Massachusetts-based singer Amanda Carr and tenor saxophonist Arnie Krakowsky generally don't perform...

C ynthia Sayer's Hot Jazz Trio Banjo ace Cynthia Sayer performed to a sellout crowd Saturday at the Glenridge Performing Arts Center...

Sportiello, Parrott, Metz "Don't be fooled by the name of the band," drummer Eddie Metz Jr. said. "We're really j...

Trumpeter looks back four+ decades in Naples concert  Randy Brecker Randy Brecker dug deep into his own songbook on January 17 in h...

With the proliferation of artists and venues over the past three decades, competition for the entertainment dollar has gotten mighty fierce ...

Jim Wellen and Shelly Torman Tenor saxophonist Jim Wellen's quintet took the South County Jazz Club on a refresher tour Friday throu...

Record labels come and go. In the case of one historic imprint, they come back with new purpose. And it is not the first time for OKeh Rec...

The world of jazz officially went global in 2012, kicked the Grammy Awards in the shins, dealt with economic issues and Mother Nature, an...

It’s been a terrific first full calendar year here in southwest Florida – making new friends, enjoying the weather, getting acquainted wit...

Tom Ellison and June Garber Saxophonist Tom Ellison's quartet Hip Pocket, with special guest June Garber on vocals, performed at the...

Stan Heffner and Katt Hefner Singer Katt Hefner and her brother, Pittsburgh-based Hammond B-3 player Stan Heffner, brought their own bra...

Bob Zottola and his "secret weapon" Naples-based trumpeter Bob Zottola was a marvel today in his appearance at the South Count...

Jazz pianist and composer William Evans splits the bulk of his time between Florida's Tampa Bay area, where he has lived part-time sinc...

Saxophonist Greg Abate is a bebopper pure and simple. He plays with a feverish intensity that on a great night is counterbalanced by his rhy...

Dave Brubeck, 1987 Jazz giant Dave Brubeck died this morning in Connecticut, one day before what would have been his 92nd birthday. Cond...

Tonight's special moment at the South County Jazz Club's weekly jam session at Allegro Bistro in Venice FL belonged to the Mancini b...

There’s a musicians’ joke that goes something like this: “How many jazz singers does it take to sing ‘My Funny Valentine’ [or ‘Summertime’...

Things are looking up for musicians - economically - if you take the PNC Christmas Price Index ® as more than just a whimsical economic a...

There is no shortage of holiday-inspired jazz material. Classics abound by the dozens, some long out of print. (Some of the double-entendr...

T’is the season for the outpouring of Top 10 lists, and their many variations, for jazz, world events, etc. The jazz lists tend to have a ...

Taking a closer look at new CDs from Jeff Holmes, Scott Robinson, Mike Longo, Ed Cherry and The Osland/Dailey Jazztet...

  Tony Bruno, Jim Prosser, Ron Drischel and Johnny Moore   Drummer Tony Bruno's group  Jazz Around The Corner, with Jim Pro...

Vibes player Christian Tamburr’s quintet, featuring trumpeter Dominick Farinacci, closed out a three-week, 5,000-mile tour up and down the...

Lew Del Gatto and Dan Miller A newly formed organ jazz-inspired band in southern Florida is shaking things up from its home base in Napl...

Carol Stein Jazz pianist and singer Carol Stein can’t hide her solid chops, even when she’s working her “day job.”   Actually, it’s an e...

Jazz angel Wendy Oxenhorn and her Jazz Foundation of America staff in New York have been put to the test once again, helping musicians who h...

Taking a closer look at new CDs from Joey DeFrancesco, Frank Macchia and jazz programmer Rio Saikiri's "Home" project.... ...

When is a trio gig NOT a trio gig? When the bandleader decides at the last minute to add another player without advance notice. Such was t...

  Ellis Marsalis The November issue of Hot House is out. It includes my profile of pianist Ellis Marsalis, patriarch of today'...

Today we take a look at three new CDs from four musicians with Rhode Island roots, Greg Abate, Daryl Sherman,  Harry Allen and Scott Ham...