Michelle Mercer

In Deep Red Oklahoma, The Blue Door Is 'A Lighthouse' For Progressive Protest Music

Michelle Mercer

This Oklahoma City venue is showcasing the role of protest music in the Trump era, and how songwriting can also bridge the political divide.

Trumpeter and composer Nicholas Payton drew controversy in 2011 with his rejection of the word "jazz." Now, he's reimagining black music with a new symphony.

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Nicholas Payton Reimagines Musical Tradition With 'Black American Symphony'

Michelle Mercer

His radical combination of symphonic and popular music comes eight years after a controversial statement about the word "jazz."

An "Is it Ella or is it Memorex?" ad from 1973.

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The Voice That Shattered Glass

Michelle Mercer

In the 1970s, Fitzgerald became the face (and glass-shattering voice) of Memorex tapes. It fueled a career revival that extended her relevance and positioned her to pass the torch to a new generation.

Marília Mendonça's Live Album Is A Beacon For Women In Brazil

Michelle Mercer

Mendonça, one of Brazil's most popular pop stars, is solidifying her reputation as the face of a new genre: "feminejo," which is injecting a female perspective into the region's pop-country music.

The title of Greg Ward's latest album, <em>Stomping Off From Greenwood</em>, refers to a street where Ward lived on Chicago's South Side.

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Greg Ward's New Album 'Feels Like A Walk Home' And A Tribute To Chicago

Michelle Mercer

Saxophonist and composer Greg Ward's Stomping Off From Greenwood is a love letter to the city where he came of age as a musician.

A photograph of jazz pianist James Reese Europe projected above the musicians performing Jason Moran's <em>James Reese Europe and the Absence of Ruin</em>.

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A Century Later, An Illuminated Eulogy For A Jazz Pioneer

Michelle Mercer

Pianist Jason Moran calls James Reese Europe "basically the 'big bang' of jazz." Moran's tribute to the composer and WWI "Hellfighter" pulls his contributions to the genre out of history.

In 'Heart Tonic,' Caroline Davis Added Influences Of Irregular Heart Rhythms

Michelle Mercer

In 2013, jazz composer and alto saxophonist Caroline Davis got some troubling news: Her father had a potentially dangerous condition — arrhythmia. His heart was beating irregularly. Her concern for him lead to a unique, musical response, and a new album.