Soundcheck

Swing High, Swing Low

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Tonight kicks off two major jazz celebrations in New York: the 11th Vision Festival, bringing experimental jazz to the Lower East Side, and the JVC Jazz Festival, the bigger and better-financed monolith taking place Uptown. What's more, the Jazz Journalists Association is gearing up for its 10th annual Jazz Awards, which will take place next Monday. With this confluence of events, we take a look at the state of the jazz world, from the big halls to the tiny clubs, from major labels to indies. Joining us is composer and bandleader Maria Schneider; jazz columnist and Jazz Journalists Association president Howard Mandel; and saxophonist and composer Steve Lehman. Later on the show, a live performance by Israeli bassist Avishai Cohen. Known for mixing straight-ahead jazz with folk, funk and fusion sounds, his latest quartet CD, "Continuo," combines Middle Eastern and through-composed classical music.

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