Video | Jazz on the Tube

Arjun Verma began studying the sitar when he was five (his father Roop Verma was a disciple of Ali Akbar Khan and Ravi Shankar) and he studied with Khan for eight years.

While he has become a master of Indian classical music, Verma is also interested in playing his sitar in other idioms of music, including improvised jazz.

This special LiveStream from Sept. 24, 2020 is billed as “Improvisations in Jazz and Indian Classical Music.”

On his duets with George Brooks (who is heard on tenor, bass clarinet and a little bit of piano), Verma sometimes emulates a guitar but in his own way while Brooks (whose bass clarinet playing is quite haunting) not only holds his own but challenges the sitarist.

This is a memorable and unique set of melodic and sometimes hypnotic music that may expand one’s idea of what the sitar can do in the right hands.

– Scott Yanow

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September 24, 2020

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Isabella Mendes & Flavio Lira Duo

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This is the one hundred fifty-sixth in a series of special Jazz on the Tube reviews of live stream performances.

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Isabella Mendes was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, studying classical piano from the age of six and developing into a singer-songwriter at a young age.

She moved to the United States at 15 and has since become a singer-pianist who performs Brazilian music, bossa novas, jazz and pop music, working with the Bossa Nova Project and Sambeleza.

Bassist Flavio Lira is also originally from Brazil, moved to Boston in 2013 and eventually settled in New York where he has performed everything from jazz and music from Brazil, Cuba and the Caribbean to classical.

Isabella Mendes and Flavio Lira perform a set of duos on their Sept. 24, 2020 LiveStream concert that includes charming versions of standards (including some Jobim) and originals, all of which are rich in melodies and feature accessible vocals, solos, and cheerful interplay between the two musicians.

– Scott Yanow

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September 24, 2020

June 28, 2020

>>> You can click here to pay direct Isabella Mendes & Flavio Lira Duo

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Bob Sheppard Trio

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September 24, 2020

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Flat out Strangers

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This is the 238th in a series of special Jazz on the Tube reviews of live stream performances.

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Les Flat Out Strangers began in 1998 as a guitar-bass duo that also played rockabilly and country.

Over time, guitarist Robbie Grice and bassist George Fulton grew to love the music of Django Reinhardt and swing in general, the band expanded to a sextet, and they also added a singer.

For their LiveStream of Sept. 23, 2020, the band (which is based in Columbia, South Carolina) consists of Grice, Fulton, violinist Kristen Harris, clarinetist Doug Graham, rhythm guitarist Jerry Sims, a fine if unidentified singer and a supportive drummer.

The band performs obscurities, Django tunes, and such standards as “All Of Me,” “My Blue Heaven,” and “Undecided,” featuring expressive vocals, melodic and hot solos, and an engaging group spirit.

-Scott Yanow