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Jazz

  • Snug Harbor, nestled on iconic Frenchmen Street in New Orleans, stands as one of the city’s most influential modern jazz venues.
  • Jazz and the culinary arts share a deep kinship. Both are about improvisation, timing, and flavor.
  • Gary Burton revolutionized the vibraphone. Known for his four-mallet technique, he expanded the instrument’s range, creating lush harmonies and textures that rivaled the piano.
  • The role of the vibraphone is unique in jazz, blending rhythm, melody, and atmosphere.
  • Jazz has always had a natural connection to film—its rhythms, moods, and improvisations lend themselves to storytelling on the screen.
  • Few groups shaped modern jazz like Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.
  • Wes Montgomery forever changed jazz guitar. Playing with his thumb instead of a pick, he created a warm, rounded tone that was instantly his own.
  • Nina Simone was a singer, pianist, and force of nature. Born in Tryon, North Carolina, in 1933, she was classically trained but fused jazz, blues, gospel, and folk into a sound uniquely her own.
  • In 1988, Clint Eastwood directed "Bird," a powerful biographical film about saxophone legend Charlie Parker.
  • When photographer Art Kane assembled 77 jazz musicians for the iconic 1958 photo A Great Day in Harlem, only three women stood among the crowd: Marian McPartland, Mary Lou Williams, and Hazel Scott. Their presence was quiet but powerful in a sea of men.