Gary Fukushima

If there is such a thing as justice, Will Ferrell should finance every future album Katisse Buckingham makes. The money spent would be trivial compared to that priceless comedic moment in Anchorman when Ron Burgundy displays his jazz flute prowess, a scene underscored with the audio of Katisse's other-worldly flute......

The third ever Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition was won in 1989 by a young pianist named Bill Cunliffe, a former student of Mary Lou Williams, who also happened to be Monk's teacher. In the years since, Cunliffe has carved out a remarkable career in Los Angeles, earning the......

Aspiring jazz saxophone students in L.A. have two popular current role models. Ben Wendel lived in L.A. and made Kneebody a thing before continuing his ascendant career in New York. Walter Smith III established himself as a next-generation version of Joshua Redman and Mark Turner before moving cross-country to L.A......

Two albums unknown to most except jazz drummers and vinyl collectors are the legendary “drum battle” albums: Gretsch Drum Night at Birdland, showcasing Art Blakey, “Philly” Joe Jones, Elvin Jones and Charlie Persip; and Rich Versus Roach, featuring Buddy Rich and Max Roach. In an homage to the seldom-heard multiple-drummers-in-one-band......

Since his splashy introduction in the '70's with the groundbreaking band Irakere, the Cuban trumpeter has forged a heavyweight career, peaking in 1995 with a Grammy win for his solo album Danzon. One-time protege and heir to the legacy of Dizzy Gillespie, he has become a legend himself, featured on......

The big band era truly began in Los Angeles with Benny Goodman's breakthrough at the Palomar Ballroom in 1935. L.A. boasts a hallowed list of arrangers spanning over six decades: Gerald Wilson, Nelson Riddle, Quincy Jones, Sammy Nestico, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Bill Holman, Mike Barone, Bill Conti, John Clayton, and so......

After a successful flirtation with Hollywood's music-industrial complex, violist/composer/arranger Atwood-Ferguson decided to focus on artistic pursuits nearer to his heart and further from his pocketbook. It's a brave investment now reaping great dividends in the galvanization of a new generation of talented and savvy musicians. Atwood-Ferguson will attempt to feature......

Sonny Stitt once told a young aspiring player: "If you take care of that horn, that horn will take care of you." Steve Coleman didn't believe the legendary saxophonist, but he followed that advice, in the process creating his own musical worldview, which he calls Macro - Basic Array of......

This Grammy-winnng pianist/composer eschews the term minimalism, going as far to call himself a maximalist, making the most of every musical moment. His latest project, a tribute to singer/songwriter Laura Nyro, embodies the maximal spirit, sporting a string orchestra and an impressive parade of singers, from Renee Fleming to Rickie......