Take Five with Bassist Anthony Muthurajah

by AAJ Staff
December 13, 2024

Meet Anthony Muthurajah Anthony Muthurajah is a Bahrain-born Sri Lankan bassist whose musical journey began at age 12 as a church band drummer. He later picked up the guitar and bass, and at 17, moved to Chennai, India, where he became immersed in the gospel scene. In 2010, he moved to Kuala Lumpur to study at ...

Take Five with Pianist Shereen Cheong

by AAJ Staff
April 10, 2024

Meet Shereen Cheong Shereen Cheong is a New York-based Malaysian pianist, composer, arranger, producer and educator who developed a sense of music from the tender age of three. Pursuant to her classical training, she studied jazz piano with Malaysia's jazz veteran, Michael Veerapen. She is a graduate from Berklee College of Music, holding a dual degree ...

Why don't more jazz venues present the music more in line with how people live today, rather than how they lived 60 years ago?

by Christopher Burnett
December 2, 2014

I have pondered for more than a decade as to why most jazz venues don't present the music contemporary to the lifestyles of most people today. Some do. Progressive examples of such venues that come immediately to mind include, Shapeshifter Lab in New York City and The Blue Whale in Los Angeles.

PAKT at ShapeShifter Lab

by Mark Sullivan
August 25, 2020

PAKT ShapeShifter Lab Brooklyn, New York August 15, 2020 For their live stream concert from Brooklyn's ShapeShifter Lab, guitarists Alex Skolnick and Tim Motzer, fretless bass guitarist Percy Jones and drummer Kenny Grohowski followed New York's pandemic guidelines: they wore masks and maintained a six-foot social distance. So retroactively, organizer Leonardo ...

Meet Hiroyuki Masuko

by Tessa Souter and Andrea Wolper
October 2, 2018

Although the Super Fans column started out with a New York focus, we realize there's a world of jazz--and jazz fans--beyond. Since those first columns in 2016, we've presented Super Fans from across the United States, including some who live part-time in other countries. But now we've officially gone international, with our first Super Fan from ...

Tim Chernikoff

Born: April 29, 1988

Tim Chernikoff is making a significant impact on the New York jazz scene with his unique style that blends the traditions of bebop and swing with personal exploration. His commitment to discovering his musical identity through both composition and improvisation sets him apart, earning him praise from fellow musicians like Dan Haerle for his inventiveness.

Chernikoff's journey has taken him across the U.S., performing with top-tier musicians in diverse locales such as the Bay Area, Dallas Fort Worth, and New York City. His education spans renowned institutions, including the Stanford Jazz Workshop, North Texas, and the Manhattan School of Music, enriching his artistic perspective.

Jessica Jones Quartet New CD "Moxie" Release Performance December 21 At ShapeShifter Lab

November 25, 2015

Jessica Jones Quartet New CD Moxie Two-Tenor Sax Madness! Release Date: December 8, 2015 CD Release Performance: December 21, 2015 ShapeShifter Lab - NYC Phone: 646-820-9452 Reunited After 30 Years! This rare two-tenor quartet (with Jessica and Tony Jones on tenors) busts things wide open with ...

Take Five With Michael Oien

by AAJ Staff
March 10, 2015

Meet Michael Oien: Ever since he graduated from Berklee in 2004, bassist Michael Oien has been an important part of the New York jazz scene, appearing on a countless number of dates as a sideman. Recently he recorded his debut as a leader, the consistently creative And Now for Fresh Sound's New Talent label. “This ...

Take Five with Jimmy Bennington

by AAJ Staff
January 15, 2015

Meet Jimmy Bennington: Jimmy Bennington was born May 22, 1970 in Columbus, OH. Mentored by late Coltrane drummer Elvin Jones, Bennington celebrates 25 years in the music field in 2015. Jimmy has performed and recorded with many artists including David Haney, Perry Robinson, Julian Priester, Steve Cohn, Ed Schuller, Daniel Carter, Ken Filiano, and Fred ...

Dimensional States For Orchestra: The Microtonal Music Of Sten Hostfalt At Shapeshifter Lab on June 19

June 15, 2014

After the successful March 13 2014 debut concert performance of composer/guitarist Sten Hostfalts large microtonal ensemble Dimensional States (a 15-piece featuring 2 dancers) at ShapeShifter Lab Brooklyn NY, follows the second (11-piece) June 19 2014 incarnation of the unique orchestra exclusively performing Sten Hostfalt compositions. Constance Cooper - voice Robyn Siwula - viola