Lionel Hampton, the irrepressible bandleader who played with an infectious joy that captivated fans around the world and, in the process, gave the vibraphone a lasting place on the jazz bandstand, ...

The legend goes like this: In 1930, jazz drummer Lionel Hampton was performing a gig at the NBC studios. In those days, and for a long time to come, the sound that identified NBC was three notes ...

Vibraphone has often been a rare specialty on the local jazz scene, but two vibes-based bands have recently appeared: Onda, an up-and-coming Brazilian quartet, did three sets at Brasa, while Juan ...

The African Jazz Ensemble may be the best kept musical secret in Memphis. Founded over two decades ago by Ekpe Abioto, they’ve forged a hybrid blend of influences with an impressive roster of players, ...

Imaginative re-workings of standards and plucky originals are what makes vibes master Ted Piltzecker's latest album a real gem. The veteran American vibraphonist is best known for having performed ...

Jazz music is very much alive in the heart and soul of local teenagers looking to continue the genre's legacy as musicians. "Jazz is a really great form of music that allows someone like me to put ...

There’s something about the vibraphone that leads its practitioners to prioritize melody. Not that Joel Ross and his quintet didn’t fill Blues Alley with harmonic and rhythmic creations on Tuesday ...

When asked to define jazz, Count Basie, said, "Tap your feet!" Rhythm brings people together, and is part of what makes jazz America's musical bridge to the world. "Jazz ambassadorship," a concept ...

Jazz, with its roots in African American culture and its ability to constantly change, has made a wide array of styles over the years. From its origins in New Orleans to its global impact today, jazz ...

The Koch label, which has made a small industry out of re-releasing out-of-print cds from other labels, has apparently seen it fit to rerelease several Verve/Antilles discs that went out of print a ...