Michael Fagien

By Michael Fagien Zero Gravity, a film about Wayne Shorter, plumbs the depths of the man behind the legend. Terence Blanchard and Dorsay Alavi discuss the movie and the major role Wayne played in their lives. MICHAEL FAGIEN: Hello, everyone. We are here today with Terence Blanchard and Dorsay Alavi to talk about this

By Michael Fagien Béla Fleck sees no boundaries for the banjo, as he continues his exploration of jazz, fusion, world music and the bluegrass that first fired his imagination. A new album with Edgar Meyer and Zakir Hussain fits right in with his eclectic oeuvre. https://youtu.be/5hnEuG5Wfp0 Michael Fagien: I’m here with Béla Fleck, best known

By Michael Fagien Béla Fleck sees no boundaries for the banjo, as he continues his exploration of jazz, fusion, world music and the bluegrass that first fired his imagination. A new album with Edgar Meyer and Zakir Hussain fits right in with his eclectic oeuvre. https://youtu.be/5hnEuG5Wfp0 Michael Fagien: I’m here with Béla Fleck, best known

Carlos Santana and Michael Shrieve look back at the album Clive Davis told them was “career suicide.” Michael Fagien leads a freewheeling conversation about the times and influences that produced a Santana classic. Michael Fagien: Hi, we’re here with Carlos Santana and Michael Shrieve — two artists that need no introduction — in celebration of

Carlos Santana and Michael Shrieve look back at the album Clive Davis told them was “career suicide.” Michael Fagien leads a freewheeling conversation about the times and influences that produced a Santana classic. Michael Fagien: Hi, we’re here with Carlos Santana and Michael Shrieve — two artists that need no introduction — in celebration of

Blame it on my being born in New Jersey in the 1950s, but I seemed to gravitate to the musical instrument that was indigenous to the time and place of my youth — the guitar. From George Harrison to Jimi Hendrix in the ’60s, to Peter Frampton and the iconic guitar solos of Santana, Queen,

The jazz scene of the 1980s was transformative. The music biz was in a state of flux, with so many changes and moving parts that most industry insiders didn’t see the train coming down the track. It was just a couple of years since I had started writing about jazz for a few magazines and

Most people wouldn’t associate Kenny Loggins with jazz. Best known for his hit songs for movies like Footloose, Caddy Shack and Top Gun, his chart-topping stint in Loggins and Messina and his foray into parent-targeted children’s music, Loggins’ earlier days as a recording artist included long instrumental and improvisational passages with L&M, a few prodigious

Most people wouldn’t associate Kenny Loggins with jazz. Best known for his hit songs for movies like Footloose, Caddy Shack and Top Gun, his chart-topping stint in Loggins and Messina and his foray into parent-targeted children’s music, Loggins’ earlier days as a recording artist included long instrumental and improvisational passages with L&M, a few prodigious

It was wood blocks rather than drums that powered the earliest jazz recordings. Not that drummers such as Baby Dodds and Zutty Singleton weren’t lighting up their snares and bass drums with the bands of Papa Celestin and Fate Marable in the early part of the 20th century, only that the technology ha…