big band - John Chacona writes

Meet Virginia MacDonald, A Fresh New Voice On Clarinet

Published 14 July, 2026 By John Chacona

Though clarinetist Virginia MacDonald released her debut recording In Search Of… (Cellar Music Group) only a few weeks ago, the jazz community has been quick to take notice—and well they should. It’s an assured effort shot through with ample personality, high wire virtuosity and a shrewd compositional sensibility, a delight from start to finish.

But don’t take my word for it. You can hear it for yourself Saturday when MacDonald makes her BOP STOP debut as a leader in support of the new release.

With “Where We Started” Aidan Plank’s Recording Career Is Well On Its Way

Published 12 May, 2026 By John Chacona

It’s accepted wisdom in the jazz world that a good bass player will never be out of work. So it’s little wonder that on any given day, on a bandstand near you, Aidan Plank will be holding down a rhythm section with his customary taste and command.

Sam Blakeslee Returns To Akron With Charts & ‘Flowers’

Published 17 October, 2023 By John Chacona

photocredit: Desmond White

In the midst of a recording session with his New York big band, Columbus-born, Brooklyn-based trombonist, composer and arranger Sam Blakeslee noticed an interesting dynamic among the players.

“On the first take everyone in the band was like, ‘Who are these people? Why are they playing like this, because it just sounds so different? Why haven’t I heard stuff like this before?’” Blakeslee’s answer: “Because it’s Cleveland.”

“These people,” saxophonists Chris Coles and Nathan-Paul Davis, and the cream of Northeast Ohio’s jazz community, will join Blakeslee on the stage of BLU Jazz+ this weekend for a homecoming so packed with music that it will take two nights to play it all.

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Tag: big band

Meet Virginia MacDonald, A Fresh New Voice On Clarinet

With “Where We Started” Aidan Plank’s Recording Career Is Well On Its Way

Sam Blakeslee Returns To Akron With Charts & ‘Flowers’