Dan Bruce - John Chacona writes

Nothing But Flowers, Part 1

Published 8 July, 2025 By John Chacona

Have you noticed? After a cold and rainy June, all of a sudden, the garden has exploded with activity. The herbs have shot up. New roses bloom daily, a Jackson Pollock action painting of color.

The rain and the sun and the heat (sooooo much heat!) have done the same for the NEO jazz scene as the next seven days are a greenhouse of compelling shows, any one of which would be worth 600 words.. But I’ll spare you that and instead offer the first harvest (the second drops tomorrow) of a guide to the week’s bouquet of music.

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At 40, Musical Polymath Bryan Kennard Celebrates Kennections

Published 10 September, 2024 By John Chacona

Turning 40 doesn’t have the big-deal, inflection-point significance of milestone birthdays like 21 or 65, but don’t try that argument on Bryan Kennard. The composer, flutist and organizer has plenty of highlights to mark as he heads into his fifth decade this week with a new big band and a celebratory concert at BOP STOP Sunday.

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Countdown: Where To Go & What To Hear In NEO Aug. 22 – 28

Published 22 August, 2024 By John Chacona

Friendly experiencers,

An experiment this week: I’m issuing Countdown as a video-only post. Let’s see how it works. What do you think?

I couldn’t live without Jim Szabo’s essential, weekly Northeast Ohio jazz calendar , NEO’s most complete list of jazz and jazz-adjacent events. If you haven’t visited it lately, what are you waiting for?

NOTE: This article was written by a real human being. No artificial intelligence or generative language models were used in its creation.

Red beans and ricely yours,

jc

John Chacona

Countdown: Where To Go & What To Hear In NEO May 30 – June 5

Published 30 May, 2024 By John Chacona

Friendly experiencers,

If you want a wellness check of the local improvised music scene, start with checking the vitals. Return appearance by a touring artist: Check. Exciting new project from ace local players: Check. Free concert: Check and bonus points for the beloved Cleveland artists on the marquee. So things are looking good as northeast Ohio heads into summer and a stacked June calendar is just getting started.

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Stephen Philip Harvey Runs On Big Nerd Energy

Published 28 May, 2024 By John Chacona

Stephen Philip Harvey is a saxophonist, educator, composer, arranger, clinician, label executive, husband and son. Though he just turned 32 last Friday, you have to wonder where he gets the energy.

“I think it’s unfortunately a symptom of high functioning anxiety,” he said with a laugh that belied the sentiment. “Realistically, and emotionally,” he added, “I just really, really love music.”

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Tag: Dan Bruce

Nothing But Flowers, Part 1

At 40, Musical Polymath Bryan Kennard Celebrates Kennections

Countdown: Where To Go & What To Hear In NEO Aug. 22 – 28

NOTE: This article was written by a real human being. No artificial intelligence or generative language models were used in its creation.

Red beans and ricely yours,

jc

Countdown: Where To Go & What To Hear In NEO May 30 – June 5

Stephen Philip Harvey Runs On Big Nerd Energy