Bill Meredith

West Palm Beach

Entertainment and Jazz Writer at Freelance

Freelance Entertainment and Jazz Writer at JazzTimes

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Articles

A Smooth South Florida Landing for Keiko Matsui

4 days ago | jazziz.com | Bill Meredith

The Tokyo-born pianist plays three shows in Boca Raton in support of her latest release, Euphoria (Shanachie). Veteran Japanese keyboardist and composer Keiko Matsui’s 30-album-deep recording career has mostly traversed New Age and smooth jazz sounds, as exemplified by her 2011 collaboration Altair & Vega (eOne) with fellow smooth piano practitioner Bob James. But look deeper and you’ll... Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.
Vocalist José James’ Audio/Visual ’70s Salute

1 week ago | jazziz.com | Bill Meredith

The singer’s 17-minute short film premiere precedes his 2025 tour and new release. And now for something completely different. When Minneapolis-born vocalist, composer and guitarist José James’ new album — 1978: Revenge of the Dragon (Rainbow Blonde) — is released on May 16, it will have been preceded not by a single release, but a short... You must be a member to access this content. Already a member? Log in here
Critic’s Pick: New Release by Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda & Antonio Sánchez

1 week ago | jazziz.com | Bill Meredith

Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda & Antonio Sánchez BEATrio (Bela Fleck Productions/Thirty Tigers) Ever since he played through the 1980s with bluegrass act New Grass Revival, banjoist Béla Fleck has specialized in making everything he touches sound new — from the futuristic fusion of his Flecktones band through last year’s recreation of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in... You must be a member to access this content. Already a member? Log in here
Chucho Valdés Extends His Tall Legacy With Irakere 50

1 week ago | jazziz.com | Bill Meredith

Irakere returns, as its founding pianist leads the pioneering Afro-Latin jazz ensemble and a cast of next-generation Cuban players. At six-and-a-half feet tall, Chucho Valdés literally casts a long shadow. But the 83-year-old Cuban pianist has nonetheless been in the shadows of two other entities for most of his 60-plus-year career. One is his father... You must be a member to access this content. Already a member? Log in here
Essential Tracks by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orch Precede Essentially Ellington Competition

1 week ago | jazziz.com | Bill Meredith

Essentially Ellington: The JLCO Recordings, 1999-2025 (Blue Engine) features 166 anthology tracks by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. Blue Engine Records, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s in-house record label, released Essentially Ellington: The JLCO Recordings, 1999-2025 on April 30, in celebration of International Jazz Day and to mark the 30th anniversary of the... JAZZIZ Discovery Membership Required You must be a JAZZIZ Discovery member to access this content. Join Now
Guitarist Stephane Wrembel’s Festival Is All Things Django

1 week ago | jazziz.com | Bill Meredith

Called “perhaps the most creative improviser in Gypsy jazz today” by The New York Times, French guitarist Wrembel chases Reinhardt’s ghost with the four-night Django a Gogo. Belgian native Django Reinhardt (1910-1953) led a short yet trail-blazing life, his unique acoustic playing style helping to take the guitar from obscurity to lead status in jazz —... JAZZIZ Discovery Membership Required You must be a JAZZIZ Discovery member to access this content. Join Now
Flutist Jamie Baum Puts the + Into Her Septet

1 week ago | jazziz.com | Bill Meredith

The New York City-based flutist and composer makes a four-show run with her septet and special guests through the Big Apple, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Connecticut. If the term “jazz flute” conjures up images of actor Will Ferrell comically performing in the 2004 film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, then the Jamie Baum Septet+ provides... JAZZIZ Discovery Membership Required You must be a JAZZIZ Discovery member to access this content. Join Now
The Centennial Club, Part 2: Oscar Peterson

2 weeks ago | jazziz.com | Bill Meredith

OSCAR PETERSON (1925-2007)A Canadian who overachieved in an American art form, the Montreal, Quebec-born Peterson displayed a dazzling technique that would result in his reputation as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all-time. Influenced by disparate pianists such as Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson and Nat King Cole, Peterson fused his early classical training with a love of traditional jazz, and his lengthy practice routines resulted in cascading solos before he reached double digits.
The Centennial Club, Part 2: Mel Tormé

2 weeks ago | jazziz.com | Bill Meredith

MEL TORME (1925-1999)Vocalist, composer, pianist, drummer, actor, author — Mel Tormé was versatility personified. Born in Chicago to Russian-Jewish immigrants, Tormé rose to fame on the smooth, mellow timbre of his singing voice, which earned him the nickname “The Velvet Fog.” An early bloomer, he sang professionally at age 4; performed on vaudeville stages at 6; appeared on radio at 8; and composed his first hit, “Lament to Love” for trumpeter Harry James, at 15.
Sara Gazarek and Eastman, the Little Music School That Could

3 weeks ago | jazziz.com | Bill Meredith

Gazarek brings experience and expertise as Associate Professor of Jazz Voice at the Eastman School of Music. When it comes to the reputation of producing successful jazz and popular music artists, there’s a perceived Bermuda Triangle of sorts among American universities between the Northeast (Boston, New York City), south to Miami and west to North Texas and Southern California.