Some would have you believe jazz peaked as an art form in the late 50s and early 60s, but make no mistake: We re in the midst of another golden era of jazz.
Born in Venezuela and based in New York City, jazz pianist
Benito Gonzalez has amassed quite a resumé in his years on the scene. The 44-year-old has stints with heavyweights like
Jackie McLean,
Kenny Garrett and
Azar Lawrence under his belt, and today acts as pianist and musical director for spiritual jazz pioneer
Pharoah Sanders. He also has half a dozen albums as a leader, of which
Sing to the World is the latest.
Gonzalez doesn’t waste any time getting to the point, opening the record with the perfect storm of “Sounds of Freedom.” The rhythm section swings hard and Gonzalez ripples his way across his keyboard, using his prodigious technique (derived from studying monster keysmen like McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett) to convey his melodic ideas, rather than show off. Tunes like “Visionary,” “Flatbush Avenue” and the title track follow suit, with breathless energy and deft maneuvers that let all of the musicians (particularly b
Roland Watson-Grant: Caribbean Winner, 2021 Commonwealth Short Story Prize
Jamaican author Roland Watson-Grant is the Caribbean Winner of the 2021 Commonwealth Short Story Prize, with “The Disappearance of Mumma Dell”
his winning story of a matriarch’s funeral gone awry, a missing body, a forbidden pear tree and a community under threat is told through the eyes of a teenager. The 2021 overall winner will be announced during an award ceremony at 1:00pm BST on June 30, 2021.
The Commonwealth Foundation today announces the regional winners of the world’s most global literary prize. Jamaican author Roland Watson-Grant has won the 2021 Commonwealth Short Story competition (Caribbean) for his story ‘The Disappearance of Mumma Dell’.