Duke Ellington

The Chitlin' Circuit: Road to Rock & Roll Ran Straight Through Houston

Above: Walter Barnes and the Royal Creolians, the first kings of the Chitlin' Circuit Most music critics, writers, historians, and aficianados in Houston don't think this city has ever gotten enough credit for its contributions to blues, soul, and, the Holy Grail, the birth of rock and roll. Well, ... More >>

Jazz on Film: Paris Blues

Katy/West Houston Jazz Festival

DVDs & Blu-rays: Anatomy of a Murder

Anatomy of a Murder stars James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara and George C. Scott; Otto Preminger directs. The Setup: Anatomy of a Murder couldn't have been the success it was without the sizzling anatomy of Lee Remick, who plays Laura, an Army wife who's supposedly been raped. Ben Gazzara pla ... More >>

Distinctly American: Texas Music Festival Jazz Project

ICP Orchestra

Top 10 Musical U.S. Presidents

"The future of our nation depends on providing our children with a complete education that includes music." - Gerald Ford gwu.eduWhen else are we going to use this picture?​Today is President's Day, and if you'll think back to high-school U.S. History, you'll remember that potential Commande ... More >>

Barrie Hall Jr., TSU And Duke Ellington Alum, Dies At 61

UPDATED at 4:49 p.m. with more information. ​Barrie Lee Hall Jr., whom Duke Ellington plucked out of Texas Southern University to join his orchestra and later became its leader, passed away Monday at age 61. The cause was complications from diabetes, Hall's wife Lula told Billie Duncan of th ... More >>

Allen Toussaint

What Kind Of Music Stresses You Out The Most?

​Recently, Forbes magazine released a list of America's most stressful, and stressed-out, cities. Houston came in third, behind Las Vegas and Los Angeles. We know, we thought it would be higher, too. Forbes based its calculations on six factors that are either causes or effects of stress, and ... More >>

The Nickel: A Musical History of the Fifth Ward, Part 4

[Note: Click on the numbers for parts 1, 2 and 3.] Fifth Ward music mogul Don Robey was so taken with Gatemouth Brown's talents that he built his entire Peacock label around him. Robey already owned the Bronze Peacock night club and various other business interests, but it was his meeting of Br ... More >>

A New Name For Ellington Field? We're On It

The Houston Chronicle reports this morning that the city is proposing to change the name of Ellington Field in order to attract more commercial business.We can only say it's about time.For years we wondered just what in the hell Duke Ellington ever did to get a Houston airfield named after him. Don' ... More >>

"The Sounds I See: Photographs of Musicians"

This MFAH exhibit features live shots of popular music's greatest contributors

Houston's Jazz History

“Rediscovered Gems: A Concert of Masterpieces from Opera, Broadway, and the Great American Songbook”

Houston Ebony Opera gives us masterworks lite

Musical Hurricane Preparedness Kit, Part 2: Hello Edouard (and Edward, and Ed, and Eddie...)

Randy Weston

This notable jazz pianist is the musical third of The Blew Notes Trio

“Rhapsody in Black and White”

The photography of Charles “Teenie” Harris documents the life of African Americans over 40 years

This Just In: Get Ready for iFest

A Whole Other Magic

Dianne Reeves's good luck story

Chico Hamilton

Juniflip, Believe, 6th Ave. Romp, Heritage

Free to Jam

Get the blues at the Eldorado Ballroom's Juneteenth Bash

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

A Farewell to Tutus

Fetish-wear invades the ballet in Divergence

Norah Jones

Feels Like Home (Blue Note)

Burning Down the House

Bowfire shows off its hot hands at Hobby

Art Partners

Microcinema International and Infernal Bridegroom Productions hook up

Cindy Scott

Major to Minor (Self-released)

Roseanna Vitro

Saturday, December 28

Puccini Goes Uptown

La Bohème takes the A train to Harlem in Ebony Opera's new production

As Good As He Gets

Jade Scorpion showcases Woody Allen at his satirical best

Shelf Life

Long after Britney Oops her way to obscurity, these releases will continue to sing

Rotation

Duke Ellington

For Swingers Only

Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra

Boogie Nights

The Groove Collective

Duke of Dissonance

Swing in Time

OrchestraX salutes the 1920s and the music of Gershwin and Ellington

Jazz for the Masses

All That Jazz

Masters Mingus and Gordon get their due in Rice documentaries

Swing and Smirk

Out of Africa

Made in the USA

Shaham shines in a salute to American Composers

Night & Day

July 9 - 15, 1998

Night & Day

March 26-April 1, 1998

Rotation

Big Band, Big Press Kit

Ladies and gentlemen, the Rolling Stones! (Yawn...)

Press Picks

Heaven's Gatemouth

Juneteenth brings a blues great back to Houston

Press Picks

Press Picks