Kevin Whitehead
Kevin Whitehead is the jazz critic for NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross.
Whitehead's articles on jazz and improvised music have appeared in such publications as Point of Departure, the Chicago Sun-Times, Village Voice, Down Beat, and the Dutch daily de Volkskrant.
He is the author of Play the Way You Feel: The Essential Guide to Jazz Stories on Film (2020), Why Jazz: A Concise Guide (2010), New Dutch Swing (1998), and (with photographer Ton Mijs) Instant Composers Pool Orchestra: You Have to See It (2011).
His essays have appeared in numerous anthologies including Da Capo Best Music Writing 2006, Discover Jazz and Traveling the Spaceways: Sun Ra, the Astro-Black and Other Solar Myths.
Whitehead has taught at Towson University, the University of Kansas and Goucher College. He lives near Baltimore.
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There's nothing dated about a new 2-disc album that revisits Getz's 1961 nightclub recording at New York's Village Gate. Listening to it now, it's hard to overstate what a terrific tenor he was.
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The songs on Williams' new album have easy-to-follow contours, forward motion, set-ups and payoffs — features soloists can work with. The end result is the sound of a plan coming together.
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Saxophonist Marsalis has been leading a quartet for the last 20 years, with only one personnel change; their new album, The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul, shows they're still going strong.
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Dan Pritzker's new film tells the story of Charles "Buddy" Bolden, a mythic jazz hero who burned so bright he burned himself out. Though striking and stylish, Boldenloses its grip in the final act.
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The New Orleans drummer produces jazz with its own distinct character on his new album. Critic Kevin Whitehead says Perpetual Optimismis marked by Riley's upbeat nature and attention to detail.
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Group chemistry and deft composing make Harrell's new album a polished, inventive album that's worth checking out. Critic Kevin Whitehead says it's "really, really good."
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Carter had a late-career renaissance when she performed for New York's Jazz at Lincoln Center in 1992. Critic Kevin Whitehead says the recording showcases how much feeling Carter put in her singing.
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Both Lennie Tristano and Herbie Nichols were active on the New York scene in the 1950s. Though worlds apart stylistically, their music demonstrates how the piano accommodates myriad personalities.
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Richards is a musician who's attuned to her instrument's idiosyncrasies and pet sounds. On her new album, she's helped along by the collective sound environment created by her quartet.
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Miller's band, the sextet Boom Tic Boom, keep good time — and appear to have a good time — on their new album. "You can hear how much her crew enjoy playing this music," critic Kevin Whitehead says.