Mooche's Blog

Ben’s Recital Observations and Reflections Prelude: I recently had the pleasure of attending an intriguing concert, or rather of listening in virtually, like a fly on the back wall of a stage at Berk Hall on Boylston Street in Boston. This was a recital produced and performed by Ben Fig and five of his cohorts upon his master’s graduation from the Berklee College of Music, Global Jazz Institute. Ben, it should be noted, is a friend of mine. Our association began when he enro

Sonny Rollins passing at 95 marks the closing of a remarkable era, a life story that spanned oceans, cultures, and an entire century of shifting musical tides. If the canon of jazz greatness is a gallery, Rollins would sit beside the boldest figures: a tenor saxophonist whose sound carried the weight of tradition and the push of invention, whose improvisational instincts felt like a natural extension of the melodies he heard as a child and the musical conversations he carried

REVIEW: Joys of Jazz @ Two River Theater Sunday, December 14, 2025, Jon Faddis, The Next Gen Quartet, & the Jazz Arts Academy Student Showcase The December “ Joys of Jazz ” concert, held at Two River Theater, featured venerate jazz legend Jon Faddis, his own group “The Next Gen Quartet” , two college-age student guest performers, and the high school age students of the Jazz Arts Academy. The event provided the full house of patrons with a remarkable showcase of musical vir