And Bill Evans’ “ability to make his conception of a number seem the definitive way to play it.” — I heard Bill Evans’ Portrait in Jazz for the first time twice. I heard it in 2016 (at least that’s when it joined my Spotify library, but surely it was love at first listen), and again last year, when I hauled my grandmother’s record player down some 650 miles from…

Sullivan Fortner slouched over a Steinway grand piano, poised as if waiting for inspiration to strike. In loose-fitting clothes and a fedora, the jazz pianist’s casual appearance downplayed his national acclaim. But, compared to some of his prior venues — ranging from the Village Vanguard and Jazz at Lincoln Center…

And the steep uphill battle against harmful, antiquated names Zig-zagging up the side of Piestewa Peak in January, a hiker’s eyes are left to scour an endless stretch of desert for a break from the monochromatic. The sheer elevation over the surrounding Phoenix metro guarantees an indisputable beauty nonetheless. …