Because the names Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and Wagner are inscribed on the façade of Symphony Center, it may come as a surprise to some that the music of Stevie Wonder will pour out of Orchestra Hall.
DownBeat magazine gave Vijay Iyer the honors of Jazz Artist & Jazz Group of the Year in its 63rd Annual Critics Poll. But to Iyer, jazz is a bit of a four-letter word.
Before Nina Simone became one of America’s most iconic jazz musicians, she wanted to have a career as a classical pianist.
To label Manhathappa’s music simply as a fusion between Carnatic music and jazz would be reductive. If, anything, it represents “the beautiful multicultural state of affairs of the United States right now.”