Music

What’s your favorite musical artist and what song do you like best? I’m going to go with Ben Harper. I like alternative music. I like Mariah Carey’s “Touch My Body,” because I like that kind of music beat. Full story »

Dolly Parton’s longevity as a singer can be measured now by how she markets herself. She began her career by going to radio stations, knocking on doors and asking the DJs to spin her records. When she made it to “The Porter Wagoner Show” in the late 1960s, she found a mass audience through television. Now, she’s utilizing the Internet as a marketing tool for the first time. Full story »

While they don’t sell millions of records or play at Germain Arena, there are a number of impressive, musical and very entertaining rock, variety and cover bands in this area that have devoted followings, and they are busy in or out of season. It is not out of the ordinary for more than a few of these bands to work, if they wanted to, seven nights a week, 52 times a year. Full story »

Waiting for a second CD to drop is enough to make even an ex-Marine and former “American Idol” favorite like Josh Gracin sweat a little. “I’ll know (soon) how much our hard work has done for us,” said Gracin of efforts to put together and promote his sophomore effort, “We
Weren’t Crazy.” Full story »

When jazz singer Joy Adams and I first visited Naples about eight years ago, the last thing we expected to find was good jazz. After all, our hometown of Philadelphia was the birthplace of dozens of jazz legends, including giants like Gerry Mulligan, Jimmy Smith, Red Rodney, John Coltrane and Charlie Ventura. Full story »

Starting his sixth year at Kurrent’s Restaurant in the Marco Island Marriott Hotel, Michael Cohen has established himself as a jazz saxophonist extraordinaire. Not only playing great standards everyone can relate to, he does such great improvisations that it will undoubtedly make you want to linger long after you’ve had dinner. His music is soothing to listen to and great for dancing, although the dance floor is small and intimate. Full story »

Who is your favorite musical artist? My favorite music is alternative rock. I like Incubus, Fall Out Boy and Sublime. And maybe Johnny Cash. I don’t like old country music, but his music I like. Full story »

Jazz trumpeter Bob Zottola cannot be ignored. Along with his Expandable Jazz Band, he performs at a different venue seven nights a week. And yes, there are nights when Zottola works at more than one locale. This is all for good reason: I think he is one of the finest jazz musicians on any instrument ever heard, anywhere. Full story »

Duncan Wheeler came to my attention several years ago at the Snook Inn where he was playing the guitar and singing. Following his career, seven years later his performance is as good now as it was then, if not better. Full story »

Christian Frederick Martin was born in Germany in 1796. At 15, he began his career as an apprentice guitar maker. After three years of study, C.F. Martin knew he had found his labor of love, but the young Christian also felt frustration with the local politics regarding the manufacture of stringed musical instruments. Full story »

One is an anthropology student, another studies art and history, the third is a “Mr. Fix-it” of anything mechanical, and the fourth is still in high school. Full story »

Tom, Tina and U.S. Express is one band you won’t want to miss. The three-piece combo at Cracklin Jack’s is an unlikely trio but they know how to blend their music and voices. Renowned musicians who have entertained across the country, they don’t perform. They entertain and that’s the way they want it. Full story »

Jazz singer Jebry, a.k.a. Judy Branch, the one-time Harry James Big Band singer who was among the first to bring jazz to Naples since she came here 22 years ago, doesn’t have to look for work. Work comes looking for her. Full story »

Joan Colosimo has been the office manager of The Enclave at Naples for six months now. She was born in Pennsylvania and has been a Collier County resident for almost 20 years. Before taking the job at the Enclave she was a “head bean counter,” as she likes to joke about her book-keeping skills. Full story »

Before the Beatles’ British invasion, live rock and roll audiences in America were tame compared to after the boys from Liverpool arrived. There can be little doubt that Elvis was the King of rock and roll, and that most of the girls in the Elvis audiences were screaming, but even though Elvis crooned, charmed and cultivated controversial emotions, most everyone that attended an Elvis concert could actually hear the music. Full story »