Anyone who’s watched Seth McFarlane’s “Family Guy” knows his love for both the Sinatra and Great American Songbooks runs deep. It also comes as no surprise that such a brilliant voiceover artist is one heck of a singer!
Seth McFarlane, the brilliant writer, actor, illustrator, voiceover artist and comedic mind behind Family Guy, Ted, The Orville, and A Million Ways to Die in the West, also happens to be a wonderful vocal interpreter of American popular song.
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Terence Blanchard has composed original music for over 80 motion pictures; for his efforts, he’s been nominated for two Academy Awards.
By Matt Silver
Versatility is one thing; possessing the aptitude to match a boundless musical curiosity is another. Leonard Bernstein had both; Terence Blanchard also has both. Bernstein’s jazz-infused compositions for stage and symphony orchestra bridged jazz and classical music in boundary-breaking new ways, lending credence to his senior thesis at Harvard, in which he asserted that “jazz is the universal basis of American composition.” Blanchard, in a career now in its fifth decade, has consistently expanded upon Bernstein’s thesis, riffing on classical motifs with his Grammy-winning jazz ensembles and enlivening operas, symphony orchestras, and scores upon scores of (film) scores by reminding audiences that jazz is not just an idiomatic musical language; it’s also, in the right hands, an unforgettably moving narrative tool.
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”Le Chat Dans Le Sac” is a 1966 French Canadian film in the style of the French New Wave, in part about the disintegration of a young couple's relationship. With music by John Coltrane.
By Matt Silver
At just 37 minutes, and comprising eight takes of only five distinct tunes, it’s hard to categorize John Coltrane’s Blue World as an album, per se.
That doesn’t make it any less spectacular.
Issued by Impulse! Records in Sept. 2019, Blue World constitutes previously unreleased recordings from John Coltrane and his classic quartet at the very peak of the their powers and cohesiveness as a unit.
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On Wed., April 30, Jazz 88 will celebrate International Jazz Day 2025 by spinning selections illuminating the truly global reach of jazz. Matt Silver got a head start on the April 27 edition of “Breaking Jazz.”
Hello! This is Matt Silver. I host a new jazz release show on Sunday evenings called "Breaking Jazz," where, each week, I bring you the music and musicians of the moment — jazz as it’s being played today. This past Sunday evening, on "Breaking Jazz," I celebrated International Jazz Day 2025. I realize I was three days early to the party, but "Breaking Jazz" is but a humble weekly program; wait 'til next week, and, by then, the ship's way too far out of port.
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*Pictured above: Trumpeter Riley Mulherkar. Photo by Zenith Richards.
By Matt Silver
As we approach Thanksgiving, I feel compelled to share my abundant gratitude for all the great new music that’s come out this past year, and especially this past six months since I began hosting Breaking Jazz (Sundays, 6:30 to 8 p.m. PT). In keeping with year-end traditions, this gratitude will take the form of a “best of” list. But this particular list is exciting because it will be starting a new tradition. Behold! The inaugural Breaking Jazz Best Albums of the Year!
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United States
Japan
Canada
Russian Federation
Germany
South Korea
United Kingdom
Sweden
China
Italy
New Zealand
Poland
Vietnam
Greece
Israel
India
Iceland
Lithuania
Mexico
Norway
Denmark
Ecuador
Spain
Finland
France
Switzerland
Belgium
Bermuda
Bahamas
Billy Vera
Chad Fox
Chuck Granata
Claudia Russell
Dave Drexler
Gary Beck
Gordon Goodwin
Jim Gallert
Judy Carmichael
Kenny Washington
Kermit Ruffins
Larry Murry
Loren Schoenberg
Matt Silver
Miff Mole
Neil Tesser
Raul Rico Jr.
Roger Stolle
Ron Dhanifu
Sam Wisman
San Diego's Jazz 88.3
Will Friedwald
